There are two kinds of brain cells: neurons and glia. While 90% of brain cells are glia, the 10% are the neurons - the most studied brain cells. We have about 100 billion neurons. Do you think that you are intelligent because you have bigger brains or more brain cells? The answer is NO. A dolphin has a bigger brain or a rat has more cell density than a human being. Actually you are losing brain cells every day through attrition, decay or disuse. Even if you lose a half million neurons per day, don't worry, it wouldn't be a problem - you remain intelligent till the end of your life. If it is nothing to do with the size of the brain or the number of the brain cells, then, what makes us intelligent?
It's not the size of the brain not the number of the brain cells, but the connections that neurons make with each other makes us smarter. What makes us more intelligent is to grow more synaptic connections between cells and maintaining the existing ones. Learning then means creating synapses, that is, connections... No neuron is the end point for information. A single neuron can receive signals from hundreds or thousands of other neurons and sending them to thousands more. More connections make for more efficient communications which lead to enriched brains with neural forests.
All this in mind you can guess why RSS reminds me of how the brain functions. RSS makes it possible for us to be connected to the sites and keep in touch with the info we are interested in. There are lots of sites on the Net just like billions of neurons in our mind. But the important thing is to know how to make connections among them and use those connections efficiently not to lose the existing ones.
Because of this very reason, I would like to thank both the moderators and the participants of EVO - Blogging for Educators group. You are wonderful! We learn from one another --- A question triggers another. Discussions open up new horizans for us. WE, colleagues from different countries, come together and we get smarter :))
Let's get more connected,
Keep sharing,
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6 comments:
Wow, thank you for these clear descriptions of what RSS means to one recently discovering it. I am a long-time user but I'm tagging these descriptions in order to show others. You definitely GOT it! Yes.
Somehow I posted the previous comment in the wrong place. I'd meant to leave that comment on the post about RSS. Anyway, I also like this post about the neural forest. I think you are describing how the network works (RSS being kind of like Acetyl co-A, the protein that facilitates synaptic firing) but I am a great believer in this kind of learning. There is a nice theory of learning grammar through Parallel Distributive Processing, the creation of pathways through synaptic channels that leads us to 'learn' (those worn pathways are used next time). I like your clear and cogent writing style - Vance
Many many thanks Vance :)
Great to hear those words from you.
I couldn't do that without the generous help of this wonderful team of moderators and participants as well. You are GREAT!
It’s also nice to hear that you are interested in this subject. You are right. Brain research has many implications not only for education but also for other aspects of life (such as nutrition, sleep, the role of emotions, our coding and decoding systems – how we attach meaning to the outside world and many many more).
Thanks again for your compliments,
Looking forward to hearing and learning from you,
Sibel.
hello, sibel,
really interesting post! i've never though of it that way. RSS and synapses, huh? it's so true that we're learning from each other in this workshop. and i've just learned something from your post.
keep up the good work,
andreea from romania
Hi Sibel,
Your explanations of RSS and how you connected it to the way the brain works was fascinating! I was glad to meet you in the Wiziq session today, and to see your blog post featured there!
MaryH
your so cute i'll donate my brain so you can poke it
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