Letter from a School Librarian in Grahamstown, South Africa:
Dear Ms Singer,
I’m a School Librarian from Grahamstown, South Africa. I spent 17 years of my career designing IT databases for large companies like De Beers. I started teaching in 2001 after the birth of my daughter. I soon noticed a discrepancy between the cognition of children who used paper reference material vs electronic sources. Initially I thought it was just a perception an in typically OCD style set out to either prove or disprove this, I’m incurably curious.
I could not find anything in the literature until I by accident stumbled across a radio interview with Rich Farver’s mother.
The eventual answer to my curiosity freaked me out no end.
I am doing a talk at [a school librarians’ conference].
I’m basically hoping to wake up the School Librarian population.
It’s better to do something than nothing, this is my start. I do not expect smooth flying but, I plan to do my best to persuade at least some.
I have been collecting information for a number of year now and quite frankly if I dump it all on the slumbering conference attendees they will just write it off as toooooo much. I recently bought your book.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, what a treasure trove.
Is there any possibility that you could let me have an electronic list of the invaluable references. I would like to distribute this at the conference.
Please note, school is closed at the moment but I will be collecting my emails from time to time. We live on a farm with no cell or tv or even a land line! Yes, there still is oasis like that, God was kind to us.
The conference is 19-22 April and my talk is scheduled for the 21st.
Hoping to hear from you soon.
Keep fighting the good fight, it even reached the remote corners of South Africa.
Katie’s Reply:
Thank you so much for writing and for your work.
Please see my model letters to schools and to teenagers.
https://www.electronicsilentspring.com/model-letter-schools/
https://www.electronicsilentspring.com/a-model-letter-to-teenagers/
And Calming Behavior for Children with Autism and ADHD
https://www.electronicsilentspring.com/calming-behavior/
Baby Safe Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpsixxrZrDg
Dr. Erica Mallory-Blythe’s excellent talk, Electromagnetic Radiation, Health and Children
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNFdZVeXw7M
Attention All Parents: Is Wi-Fi in school making your child sick?
http://citizensforsafetechnology.org/Attention-All-Parents-Is-WiFi-in-school-making-your-child-sick,72,2580
Radiation Soup – this is a 16 minute talk I gave in October, 2014
https://www.electronicsilentspring.com/media/calendar/techno-utopianism-talk-audio/
Cell Phones Cause Cancer
https://www.electronicsilentspring.com/gonzales/
Last, check out Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other by Sherry Turkle.
I appreciate your not wanting to overwhelm your audience. Many of these links go to brief, effective videos. As for scientific studies, the best sources are www.bioiniative.org and www.safererm.com. Let me know if this is helpful and how your talk is received.
Very best,
Katie Singer