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Liked It1 of 1 members found this review helpful “This is one of the most brilliant books I've read in a while. Here, let me repeat that for truth: |
Didn’t Like It “This book wasn't what I expected it to be. It's a little outdated, and the current events used obviously aren't current anymore. I am not a video game person, so that section what extremely boring for me to read. I had no idea what the author was even talking about half the time. Each time a...” see full review » see other reviews » |
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“This book wasn't what I expected it to be. It's a little outdated, and the current events used obviously aren't current anymore. I am not a video game person, so that section what extremely boring for me to read. I had no idea what the author was even talking about half the time. Each time a point was made, I felt like it was repeated five more times before the book was done. The author clearly wanted the points to be understood, but I think he went a little overboard with that. Overall the book had some interesting points, but unfortunately most of the pages were a drag to get through.”
Maddi P wrote this review Friday, October 23 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Argues (persuasively, in my opinion) that reality TV, modern video games, and TV dramas are all good for us, despite what the popular press likes to write. I have to admit, however, that I do have a soft spot for anyone willing to take the other side of the common knowledge argument and rip it to pieces.”
Bryan G wrote this review Monday, October 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“We are on the threshold of the Information Age. Many things are changing and this scares many people. A lot of people fight this change. Steve Johnson provides some perspective on what is happening and why it might not be as bad as some predict.”
Stan W wrote this review Wednesday, July 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Shows us that if we choose the right games, tv shows and other things that seems only entertainment can also teach us something, sometimes valuable things.
Nícia C wrote this review Thursday, June 4 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
The book has a bit of humour and it's very easy to read it.”“I liked this book a lot even if I'm not entirely convinced by his arguments. But his book makes you think and too few do that these days. What he has to say helps make some sense of popular culture these days. I hope he will probe these themes even more in the future. Interesting read.”
Mike Mather wrote this review Friday, May 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Johnson claims to be acting as a devil's advocate with this book. It's useful to keep in mind that the devil's advocate makes dark arguments in service of the light, but Johnson's are too often merely dim. His great success in the book is also his most unsettling failure - he convincingly decouples form and content to argue that the forms of video games, complex new television and film narratives, and the internet are productively re-wiring our brains. His argument (as he reminds us on every other page) flies in the face of common wisdom that holding that such media are having a negative effect on learning.
gerard b wrote this review Sunday, April 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
He's startlingly convincing and often common sensical about it, but in the end I cannot accept that what is being conveyed through media is as unimportant as Johnson seems to feel it is. If it were. would he constantly talk about the critical and economic successes of his examples? But Johnson really lost me when he tried to argue that television was enhancing our emotional intelligence. He seems not to realize how crafted an image can be - where was this guy during the Bush years? I kept thinking of Nicholas Carr's essay on "the Google effect" in the July/August 2008 Atlantic Monthly, which is as much my experience of the internet as anything Johnson describes.
The book is a good if occasionally frustrating read for anyone who is trying to work in education these days and feeling like brain plasticity is an empty promise. I'm not sure that buying a Nintendo DS is going to do me or my 7-year old son any good...but I feel like ti may do less harm than I may previously have felt.”“Johnson’s notable premise, that the complexity of video games, television, and technology is actually making us smarter, is well, but not that interestingly, argued. The book was well thought out, well researched, and well written, in that I found it easy to read and follow, but probably could have been half or even a third of its length without losing much of its power.
Ami B wrote this review Thursday, February 19 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
At the same time, there were sections where I wanted more. He had a bit of a kitchen sink approach – leave no divergent view undisputed – without fully delving into the counter argument or the rebuttal.
If you want some ammo to prove you’re not wasting time playing video games, read this book. Otherwise, just make yourself smarter by spending that time watching TV.”
“As a student who studied Communication. I thought this book was a refereshing change of pace from the normally negative things we hear about all forms of media.”
Ms. Aar wrote this review Tuesday, October 7 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Surpreendente (esse é o título em português)”
Silvano Schröder wrote this review Sunday, September 14 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I thought this book was very interesting. I agree with most of Johnson's arguments. I still struggle with his argument regarding content of media. Media may be helping the critical thinking aspect of one's mind, but can demoralize it with the interesting content that now seems socially acceptable.”
Erin B wrote this review Friday, August 1 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
