Attention Hijacked by Erica B. Marcus

 

Attention Hijacked: Using Mindfulness to Reclaim Your Brain from Tech

by Erica B. Marcus

Zest Books, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 2022

Have you ever spend an entire day binging on the latest streaming series? Found yourself spending hours scrolling through social media posts? Walked into a library and notice the students hanging out were staring at their smartphones instead of talking or reading books? The struggle is finding a balance with our digital usage.

In, Attention Hijacked, Marcus, who has taught mindfulness for over 15 years, offers readers, both teens and adults, a roadmap for deciding how technology influences their lives. Marcus states that taking control of her digital use, “was the beginning of a long process of really waking up to how my technology use was impacting me.”

Marcus does not advocate we stop using technology altogether. Instead, she uses mindfulness to help kids find a healthy balance with technology use. Peppered throughout the text are examples from individuals, mostly her students, who use technology in a positive way (think YouTube) to learn how to do something, like landing a kickflip on a skateboard. The text is very nonjudgemental as Moran encourages readers to take a close examination of their tech habits to see if there is a way to balance the positive aspects of technology amidst the endless distractions it offers. 

What Marcus does well is place the mindful practices into the bigger picture of why we are so addicted to technology. (Chapter 2: How Tech Companies Hijack Our Attention) With all the mental stimulation one receives from scrolling, Marcus offers exercises to encourage readers to slow down and enjoy the simple pleasures of daily activities.  

Marcus’ approach is nonjudgemental and supportive. A perfect book to hand to anyone, from parents, librarians, teachers, students, who are searching for a healthier tech habit or would like to use some of these practices in a program.

To learn more about Erica B. Marcus and her mindfulness approach, click here. 

Two Books about Space!

Curiosity: the Story of the Mars Rover

by Markus Motum

Candlewick Press. 2018

ISBN: 9780763695040

On November 26, 2011, NASA launched a high-tech rover, Curiosity. It’s mission: to study the planet Mars to understand how it was formed and how it has changed over time.

Told in first-person, Curiosity explains what led it its creation, the excitement of being launched into space, and the long journey, 253 days, until it landed on the red planet. “Since 2012, I have been exploring Mars.” NASA scientists hope to build a picture of the planet’s past and perhaps discover why Mars changed from being a warm planet with water to the cold, dry planet it is today.” 

British artist, Motum uses the picture book format to the greatest advantage. His double-page spreads in mixed media offer an important visual element to this highly engaging narrative nonfiction book. Motum's Curiosity has quite the personality.

Back matter mentions previous Mars rovers, a timeline of Mars missions, and a glossary. 

Going hand-in-hand with space exploration

The Far Side of the Moon: the Story of Apollo 11’s Third Man 

Written by Alex Irvine; Illustrated by Ben Bishop

Tilbury House Publishers. 2017

ISBN: 9780884484523

In this biography told in comic format, tells the story of Michael Collins, the third astronaut onboard the Apollo 11 mission. Collins was the person who stayed with the ship, orbiting around the dark side of the moon, while Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong made the historic walk on the moon, July 20, 1969.

The book briefly introduces Collins beginnings, but stays focused on his NASA training, his spacewalk while on the Gemini 10 mission, to his final trip to space aboard Apollo 11. Though other astronauts has orbited the moon (Apollo 8, 9, 10), Michael Collins was the first astronaut to orbit the moon alone.

Drawing on Collin’s autobiography, the book never shies away from explaining the personal sacrifices Collins made to train for this historic mission and the disappointment he felt when not chosen to walk on the moon. Readers learn of the incredible skill Collin’s had since he was responsible for piloting the space craft, and pulled off docking The Eagle with the space capsule (The Columbia) in a maneuver never done before.   

Did Collins return to space after Apollo 11? No! He wanted to spend more time with his family. Eventually, Collins became the director of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. 

Using a limited pallet of black, white, and purple, Bishop’s illustrations are excellent and really bring the story of the third man from Apollo 11.

Be sure to share both titles with children and families. These two books, and an older title, The Mighty Mars Rovers: the Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity  by Elizabeth Rusch, are perfect for readers who can’t get enough information about space and astronauts.

To write these reviews, I borrowed the books from my local public library.

Eyes & Spies: How You’re Tracked and Why You Should Know

Text by Tanya Lloyd Kyi; Art by Belle Wuthrich

Annick Press. 2017

ISBN: 9781554519118

Grades 7 – 12

To review this book, I borrowed a copy from my local public library.

Note: Louise is writing all the reviews while Cathy is on sabbatical. She will return February, 2018.

Security and privacy, where do we draw the line as we become more and more dependent on our digital devices? In Eyes & Spies, Canadian author, Kyi, looks at how companies, organizations, governments, and individuals collects and uses our personal information and data for a myriad of reasons, not always in our favor.. Topics explored: facial recognition technology, security cameras, data mining, cyberbullying, and tracking in schools. 

A chilling informational book that asks three questions:

1.      Who’s watching, and why?

2.      Where is the line between public and private?

3.      How can you keep your secrets to yourself?

The book has six chapters chock full of examples of how new technologies can be helpful, but also when used in certain ways can be an invasion of our privacy. From webcams, GPS, social media, to businesses tracking our movements using features on smartphones, this book balances the positive uses of new digital technology with the creepy side as well.

“The Global Positioning System, or GPS, was developed by the American military in the 1970’s to help them calculate exact coordinates. They were carrying missiles on moving ships and needed to be sure they could aim precisely at targets.” In 2000, people and companies were given access to GPS, a real-life saver to many who find reading a map challenging. Kyi asks readers to weight in on whether they think it is crossing a line when parents use GPS tracking devises to keep tabs on their child’s whereabouts. 

Text boxes offer additional fact and real-life scenarios. The Creepy Line sections throughout the book asks readers to consider, if they ruled the world, where they might set up boundaries. 

The overall design is attractive. Colorful graphics and text boxes break up the text. Back matter includes further reading, sources, and index. 

I did question one comment regarding RFID tags. It's true that many retailers use RFID tags to track their products from factory to store, but Kyi states, “Libraries use (RFID) tags to track their books.” The public library where I work uses RFID tags in all materials we check out. They are used not to track where are book are at any given time. The tags work with our security system. If someone walks out the door with materials that have not been demagnetized our alarm system goes into action. Light flash! Alarms ring! Simply, RFID tags are used to stop individuals from stealing our materials. 

This is an interesting, relevant title; a good jumping off point for discussions. 

Ada's Ideas

Ada's Ideas: The Story of Ada Lovelace, the World's First Computer Programmer 
Fiona Robinson
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2016
Grades 2-5

This week millions of children will take part in Hour of Code as part of Computer Science in Education Week. Teachers and librarians who are looking for books on the topic of computer science should pick up a copy of Ada's Ideas. This picture book biography traces the life of Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer.

Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron, grew up in the 19th century and had an excellent education and a proper upbringing thanks to her mother. Fiona Robinson shares the many influences in Lovelace's life including the creativity she in inherited from her father, the love of math that came from her mother, and her idea for loops and sequences in computer programming that Lovelace modeled after looms in factories she toured. Readers will appreciate the watercolor illustrations Robinson cut and mounted at different depths which make the illustrations appear 3D. Ada's Ideas could be read aloud to upper elementary students who are learning about loops and sequences in computer programming. Lovelace's work and life demonstrate to readers that computer science is a marriage between art and STEM.

Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine

Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine 
by Laurie Wallmark
illustrated by April Chu
Creston Books, 2015
Grades 2-5
ISBN: 978-1-939547-20-0

This week is Computer Science in Education Week. Thousands of students across the country will take part in the Hour of Code and learn about computer programming.  Last year I assembled a display of books in my school library to promote Computer Science in Education Week, and I quickly realized there was a huge gap. Where were the books about women? We have books about Steve Jobs, Steve Wolzniak, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg and other men in tech. What about the women in computer science? What about Ada Lovelace, Grace Hopper and Jean Bartik? Creston Books has recently published a biography to help fill the niche.

Laurie Wallmark and April Chu collaborated on Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine, a new picture book biography about the woman who wrote the first computer code. Lovelace was the daughter of the poet Lord Byron, and she had an affinity for mathematics at a young age. Although it was the 1800s, her mother encouraged Ada to pursue math and science and hired a tutor to help Ada further her studies. The accessible narrative text highlights how Lovelace met mathematician and inventor, Charles Babbage, and collaborated with him on an Analytical Engine or "Thinking Machine" that would solve complex math problems.  Young readers will be intrigued by Lovelace's work on the Thinking Machine;  she wrote the algorithm for the machine and created the first computer program.

Chu's pencil illustrations use muted colors to bring a 17th century feeling to the story.  Back matter includes an author's note, timeline, and a bibliography. The story of Ada Lovelace serves as an inspiration to children and is the perfect book to read aloud during Computer Science in Education Week. I'm excited to share the book with children in my school, and it will have a prominent place in this year's library display. Next we need a biography of Grace Hopper.

Visit the illustrator's site to view artwork from the book.

The reviewer received a copy of the book from the publisher.