Research suggests that what many of us refer to as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) is really nothing more than a skill developed by some children that have been raised in the digital age. As a result, these research findings are revealing that the learning environment these students are placed in does not match their cognitive or digital learning style, which then affects motivation and achievement. Have some of these students rewired their brains to multitask? Can they can read e-mails, send instant messages and text messages over handheld devices, speak to one another in short sentences, and continue to watch movies and participate in multiple conversations, all while finishing their homework? When we try to place these students in the traditional learning environment, are we working against their cognitive or digital learning style? What are your thoughts about this theory for this new generation of digital kids? Do you see the differences in their learning? What suggestions do you have for reaching them? Give some suggestions and defend your answer.
As I write, my roommates and I are watching a movie and doing homework, quite representative of the multitasking that our generation, and definitely the younger generation, has become able to do. However we do multitask, I’m not sure that it allows us to be better learners, at least not our age group (the 20-ish age) because we’re on the edge of the group that grew up with such amounts of technology in our everyday lives. Younger children have a better grasp of this, which I believe is a learned skill that comes with living in an age where technology is inherent in every part of our lives. I don’t know how much of the ability is due to brain rewiring. A New York Times article that my mother sent me discusses how technology stimulates the brain by responding to stimulation with dopamine, just like you would respond to something else that pleases you, which would then prove the brain re-wiring theory. What the article also discusses is how even though the adults interviewed were multitasking it didn’t make them more efficient or productive. I don’t think that I am more effective when I multitask because to actually get quality work done and be efficient and effective I have to focus and I know that I am unable to focus with a million things going on, hence why I lock myself in my room to study or head to the library. I don’t think that I know enough younger kids to be able to tell whether they are that different from myself. My roommate’s younger siblings all do homework while doing other stuff on the computer, but whether they can read and comprehend while doing other things I’m not sure. I think that’s something I’ll learn by working with more kids on a continual basis.
If kids are actually able to multitask and get quality work done, then I think schools are doing a mis-service to students by providing a situation that does not meet their abilities to multitask. To adapt school to kids with the multitasking ability, it would make sense to have projects with multiple steps and provide each kid with a computer with internet access to allow them to research while taking computerized notes in class. I’ve found that I enjoy being able to look up things on the internet during class because it is a more individualized learning process, but not being a multitasker, I get behind in class following the discussion. However, kids with multitasking abilities should not have that problem and it might help their ability to connect prior knowledge to new knowledge. I want to have my students write articles for Wikipedia and blog about learning in class because I think that will help students connect their interest in technology with history and learn the skills of research and writing concise articles. I think that using technology helps students with their digital learning because they are so used to videos and pictures. Powerpoints should contain more pictures than words and students should be encouraged to find appropriate videos for class and create videos for class.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html
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