Preface and introduction
Talk about Mark Bauerlein's childhood
He didn't like his parents
Technology limits a teenager's ability to expand his/her horizons
Chapter1- Knowledge Deficits
"Teens are encased in immediate realities"
Studies have been made to teens and young adults over the past 10 years
Schools are narrowing down the curriculum, excluding music and other arts
The current generation has advantages:
they spend more time at school
There are more libraries and museums available
They have more money to spend
Teens don't use these advantages
Never were "goods so plentiful, schooling so accessible, diversion so easy and liberties so copious"
This is a paradox in the book
Chapter 2- The New Bibliophobes
Kids do not read books
Teens and kids know how to read but choose not to
Kids will read only if obliged to or to 'bond with peers' e.g. Harry Potter
Studies show that the more kids read the better they will score
From 1982 to 2000 reading rates in younger genetics fell drastically
Younger generations have no shame in saying that they don't read books
"The more you don't read, the more you can't read"
Chapter 3- Screen Time
Study shows that the total leisure time spent by kids using media is equivalent to a full time job
On average an American teen spends 295 minutes a day using some sort of media
Multi-tasking
Teens only want to learn what they have to and how they want to
Chapter 4- Online Learning and Non-
Learning ICT (information and communications technology)
Tests were conducted
Most test takers scored above 60%
Dexterity and intelligence a both areas improved by digital media
English vocabulary skills are significantly increased for non-native English speakers
Vocabulary is limited for native English speakers
Screen reading differs greatly from book reading
The more web pages look like book pages, the less people visit the website
The web is a consumer habitat, not an educational one
Chapter 5- The Betrayal of the
Mentors Left alone, teens have no way to progress
"Twixters"
In 2005 the twixters are between 22 and 30 years old
Psychological assessments show a rising in narcissism
Young Americans need an inspirational figure
Chapter 6- No More Culture Warriors
The old generations gave up on the 'dumbest generation'
Young pele don't read enough books or care to do so
A cultural descent as started
The intellectual future of the United States looks dim
Conclusion
The book makes one look at the technological world in a different way
Made me look at the negative impacts of technology instead of focusing on the positives