How to save lives with social media

Campus emergency expert discusses the importance of social media, text messaging

social-media-campusThe night before Byron Piatt was scheduled to speak about campus emergencies at the 2014 ACUTA conference in Dallas, Texas, his campus was experiencing an emergency of its own.

Protestors clashed with Albuquerque police on March 30 following days of demonstrations over a series of deadly police shootings. The University of New Mexico, where Piatt works as an emergency manager, lies at the heart of the city, and the confrontation spilled onto campus.

At 9 p.m., the university’s Twitter account sent out a tweet to its 19,000 followers.…Read More

Just how popular is social media among faculty and admin?

Social media is a staple for college students, but is it also gaining popularity with faculty and administration?

social-media-facultyAccording to recent higher education reports, social media isn’t just for the young folk anymore—it’s quickly rising in popularity among academics for two main reasons.

The first reason why Facebook and Twitter use is rising among faculty and administration is to engage alumni and prospective students.

According to a report by Best Colleges Online, higher education institutions use social media to engage alumni (83 percent), maintain their image and brand awareness (77 percent), and promote student recruitment (38 percent).…Read More

Hooked on gadgets, and paying a mental price

Scientists say juggling eMail, phone calls, and the flood of other data we receive in today’s media-saturated world can change how people think and behave, reports the New York Times—and our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information. These play to a primitive impulse to respond to immediate opportunities and threats. The stimulation provokes excitement that researchers say can be addictive. In its absence, people feel bored. The resulting distractions can have deadly consequences, as when cell-phone-wielding drivers and train engineers cause wrecks. And for millions of people, these urges can inflict nicks and cuts on creativity and deep thought, interrupting work and family life. While many people say multitasking makes them more productive, research shows otherwise. Heavy multitaskers actually have more trouble focusing and shutting out irrelevant information, scientists say, and they experience more stress. And scientists are discovering that even after the multitasking ends, fractured thinking and lack of focus persist. In other words, this is also your brain off computers…

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