In high school, there is no doubt that many kids text during class even when they are repeatedly threatened with the fact that their phones will be confiscated. Even so, many kids continue to use their phones without their teachers knowing. How is this possible? Sometimes when a phone vibrates it is audible enough that the teacher would know, and obviously the ringer can't be on... Or can it?
With TeenBuzz, kids know when they have received a text. The teacher is left completely clueless. I remember in high school constantly hearing a high-pitched ringing noise and looking around to see the smug faces of all my peers. Obviously someone was using their phone, but it was hard to pinpoint who. Most importantly, the teacher remained completely oblivious because their ears' hearing ability was significantly lower than ours. Thank goodness for that, so many kids would have wound in up detention.
As we age, our senses decrease. It's almost as though kids have super-hearing senses. There are many cases where humans, indeed, have super senses. For example, this man named Daniel Kish uses his super-hearing skills to make up for his inability to see.
That article was so incredibly fascinating! Daniel Kish is an incredibly inspiring person. I cannot believe that the brain can evolve and adapt so readily. This is definitely something which I am going to be reading up on more. I wonder if there could be any way to enhance the primary visual cortex so that when the people are using their skills of echolocation they would be able to get a better read of what is around them.
Kish's ability is amazing, I would like to read and see more of his skill. I remember being told as a child that as one sense decreases, like sight, another compensates and sharpens its sense, like hearing. Is this an example of that phenomenon or is it just a myth?
I am very happy that Daniel Kish has managed to make himself into a "super-hearer" as a result of his blindness. I think it's awesome that instead of dwelling on his disability, he chose to help find an alternate solution for him to live his life! It is very inspirational. Also, I hope to one day teach 5-12 graders-- I am hoping that my students will not use the special ringtone on me!
I also know about that tone that only young teens can hear. Someone tried that in one of my classes and when we all started becoming annoyed and telling the student to turn it off to the complete bewilderment of our teacher. I have also heard in another class that with people who are deaf or blind the areas of their brains dedicated to hearing or vision respectively, eventually those areas become specialized to other senses and abilities.