Reflections
Eight weeks ago my doctoral journey began in earnest. Approaching the first assignments for PSYCH 700, my thoughts centered on the specifics of exactly how the class could positively assist my teaching and inform my doctoral studies. After all, currently teaching the elements of critical thinking, what more existed? Quite ironic that my flawed thinking, in assuming that my single-minded focus was enough, informed my approach to thinking about thinking. Or as Bertrand Russell said, ”The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.” Maybe the application of “stupid” is overstated; nevertheless, my approach was certainly egocentric.
Or, maybe not. Critical thinking is driven by questions, and even though my inane assumption was a bit self-serving, nevertheless, the internal questioning did begin the probing that is essential to “the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.” [1] Fortunately, my default state is an open mind and a propensity toward absorbing new information. I wrote before (for the class blog) that thinking about thinking seemed a bit strange, especially since I have been told by teachers, friends, family members, etc. my whole life that I "think too much" or just "over-analyze something to death." Can one really think too much or over analyze? Maybe, but thinking critically requires thinking constructively and forms the core of how I live my life.
As civilized people, we all possess the capacity to think. Yet, what is vital is the realization that inherent in our thinking is personal bias, prejudice, and superstitions. A definition of critical thinking that incorporates my personal and teaching philosophy explains critical thinking as “"Reasonable reflective thinking that is focused on deciding what to believe or do. More precisely, it is assessing the authenticity, accuracy, and/or worth of knowledge claims and arguments. It requires careful, precise, persistent and objective analysis of 
any knowledge claim or belief to judge its validity and/or worth." [2] Furthermore, critical thinking is “that mode of thinking - about any subject, content, or problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully taking charge of the structures inherent in thinking and imposing intellectual standards upon them.”[3]
Critical thinking, then, demands a discerning viewpoint, reversing the trend to believe just because you heard it on the news, from your parents, a professor, or even an “expert.” Critical thinking then is a process requiring patience, self-discipline, and immunity to frustration. To think critically you must be willing to sacrifice your own ideas (which takes courage to change), truly listen to the ideas of others (not a passive 
act), and admitting we don't know everything (and that our opinions can be flawed). Returning to the subject of critical thinking has certainly informed my professional approach; I now know what I know as well as know how little I know. The journey toward self-discovery and understanding media psychology has begun. And, if PSYCH 700 is any indication of lessons to be learned, then the journey will be both exhilarating and captivating.
Then v. Now-The Changing Landscape of my Professional Practice
All of what has been described above is not impossible, but critical thinking needs to be taught, beginning at a very young age, and practiced continuously. We all need to develop highly tuned filters; as information seeps into the brain, we need to employ the baloney detection devices, questioning always, and must consider the source, ask who stands to gain, determine any “agendas, “ and decide what facts are presented, all to critically assess whether the ideas presented are feasible. A quote from Henry Sidgwick further explains the dire need for critical questioning, “We think so because other people all think so; or because – or because – after all we do think so; or because we were told so, and think we must think so; or because we once thought so, and think we still think so; or because, having thought so, we think we will think so. “ Don’t mean to be circular, yet it seems his point stems from the idea that most people close their mind when faced with an idea or belief that diametrically opposes their own. As a professional educator, my career requires me to live according to the ancient Greek’s ideal of “an examined life.” [4]
Furthermore, "Critical thinking can be seen as having two components: 1) a set of information and belief generating and processing skills, and 2) the habit, based on intellectual commitment, of using those skills to guide behavior. It is thus to be contrasted with: 1) the mere acquisition and retention of information alone, because it involves a particular way in which information is sought and treated; 2) the mere possession of a set of skills, because it involves the continual use of them; and 3) the mere use of those skills ("as an exercise") without acceptance of their results.”[5] Then, the tenets of critical thinking must inform every assignment. My role is not to just provide facts as items to be digested and regurgitated on a test; instead, critical thinking must become “the hub around which all other educational ends cluster. “[6] The more often the foundational elements of critical thinking are implanted into the class curriculum, and Socratic questioning is implemented, the more proficient students become at developing the life skills necessary for their success. Still, it is vital that the skills learned in this introductory class continue developing, because “those who teach [must] have a solid grounding in critical thinking and in the teaching strategies essential to it”[7] or, neither teacher nor student will achieve success.
Likewise, a marriage must occur between critical thinking and social media. Whether you choose Facebook, Twitter, Blogs, RSS feeds, or other social media options, you must carefully navigate the waters of any Web 2.0 application. All 
information sources are fallible, as every communicator brings his or her own baggage to the development and processing of the message. What is exciting is my personal involvement in the current communication revolution; still, all of the applications and implications of new media is yet to be fully understood or incorporated. We know that anyone can post a tweet, blog, webpage, etc., thus, the imperative is to develop“social media literacy.” [8] Therefore, “Critical thinking on the participatory Web needs to be about what we upload, post, produce, and behave like as much as what we download, read, watch, and passively consume.“[9]
Teaching hybrid university courses, my knowledge and use of social media is crucial to my professional development. After all, I cannot teach what I do not know. Balance is important. Pressure exists to stay current and connected and electronic communication certainly stimulates the sharing of ideas through different conversations leading to collaboration and collective action, just as Clay Shirky described. Implementing social media into traditional forums must enhance learning and not be used without some specific purpose. Knowing the tools exist is not enough; knowing how the tools can be effectively introduced into the pedagogy leads my current study path.
Moving Forward-Ongoing Research
And Scholarly Development
empty mind with an open one.” My mind is certainly not full, but the tools utilized in the critical thinking class have taught me to question everything, probe deeper, investigate further. What seems to be “true” could easily be an urban myth. To paraphrase a joke that appears in an earlier blog, on the internet no one knows . . . who you are or what you really know. Is what is printed truth or lie?A scary quote from Adolph Hitler, taken from Mein Kampf, 1933, offers a summation of why a need exists for a careful dissemination of publicly consumed information: “The great masses of the people…will more easily fall victims to a big lie than to a small one.” New media offers opportunities and challenges. My responsibility is to keep myself grounded in reality and serve as my own gatekeeper. And as an educational shepherd, my role then is to inform not manipulate. No longer just a consumer, I have joined the ranks of social media producers.
[1] www.criticalthinking.org. A statement by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul for the
{presented at the 8th Annual International Conference on Critical Thinking and Education Reform, Summer 1987}
[3] www.critical thinking.org
[5] www.critical thinking.org
[6] IBID
[7] IBID
[9] IBID
images retreived from gogle images.com
