Week 1 Free Choice
Does Multitasking Lead To A More Productive Brain?
Does Multitasking Lead To A More Productive Brain?
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NPR Podcast on Science Friday
Clifford Nass, author, forthcoming "The Man Who Lied to His Laptop" (Penguin Current, 2010), professor, communication, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
Adam Gazzaley, M.D., associate professor, neurology, physiology and psychiatry, director, neuroscience imaging center, University of California, San Francisco
According to Nass and Gazzaley current research indicates that multitasking leads to a decrease in deeper thinking when people are multitasking. With each switch of task there is a cost in understanding because the brain has to refocus each time a person switches tasks. This generation may not experience the joy of deep thinking.
Multitasking research is difficult to conduct. College students, even when offered money, could not even give up a week without technology because they felt that would “destroy” their social life.
What I call Constant Connection Syndrome (CCS) is an addiction the researchers explained is caused by pleasure chemicals produced by the brain in anticipation of new and better information. Evolution favors alert and curious minds.
Current Research: Is multitasking trainable? What are the social implications of not giving someone your complete attention? What are the best techniques for setting tech parameters that do not impede work performance and social interactions?
Research Based Tip For Students: Instrumental music is ok to use during homework because it is processed on the side of brain where words are processed so it does not interfere with reading, writing, or arithmetic and may reduce stress.
1 comments:
- Robin Larrabee said...
- Laurie- I think what you say,"This generation may not experience the joy of deep thinking" is very evident in the high school classroom. Their understanding, and their wanting to understand is cursory at best. I think high school students would react the same way about ruining their social lives. I see so many who cannot even make it one class period without trying to text. Our lives are so different!
- November 24, 2010 4:30 AM
Step Aside, Alpacas Comin’ Your Way
I enjoy stepping into a universe of possibility and without hesitation give an A to any student who is interested in exploring new territory. Middle school students arrive at school daily seeking opportunities to experiment with newfound ideas, thoughts, and brains bathed in developmental hormones. It is my job to encourage exploration even when I do not see the connections.I know from experience that I have little or no clue about the jigsaw puzzle of life that student is populating when I first meet them. As a science educator, I just need to give them the freedom to learn the concepts about science through avenues that peak their interest, not mine. If one student wants to learn about the genetics of selective breeding by researching alpacas and another by researching poisonous snakes, I see beauty in diversity and let it happen.MAC Response to Classmate (R2C) #1 - Robin
“The eye sees not itself, but by reflection, by some other things.”“And since you know you cannot see yourself so well as by reflection, I, your glass will modestly discover to yourself that of yourself which you yet know not of.”-The Tragedy of Julius CaesarI found the reading to be very interesting, in a “Secret” sort of way. You get what you give. I agree on a personal and professional level, to an extent. If I started all of my students with an “A” the parents would be outraged and my administration would scrutinize me. Unfortunately, it is still all about measurement, but I can try to incorporate this on a different level with my students. Attitude, mood, response is all about what you give, and the reflections show that.Excellent quote Robin. I added reading The Tragedy of Julius Caesar to my list of things I want to do for me, after I graduate from FSO. Your enthusiasm for the play has whetted my appetite. What do you mean by a “Secret” so of way? High School teachers in our current educational system have no wiggle room in our standardized assessment crazed society. You are absolutely correct about the parents being outraged; fear of their child’s economic future clouds the field. I am sure you incorporate “giving the A” through the use of your own chemistry. Response to Classmate #2 Week 1 William
Who IS teaching Computer Programming?In the summer of 2008, I was fortunate to be selected to attend a summer workshop designed to explore cross-curricular applications of the programming software Alice. Many may be familiar with Dr. Randy Pausch, famous for his “Last Lecture” speech, book, and many appearances. Alice was designed to eliminate syntax errors for beginning programmers by utilizing a drag-and-drop interface. Another primary purpose was to increase interest in computer sciences. Alice exceeded abundantly in both areas, and my introduction to it reminded me how much I enjoyed the challenge of solving problems using computer programming.My rekindled interest led me to examine what opportunities in computer science were available for high school students in NC. The results I found were, to say the least, disappointing. Most school systems in my local area that had any computer training in their curriculum were aimed at web design or marketing. When I finally found a school system in my area that actually advertised a computer programming course, the school year ended with massive budget cuts and that one system eliminating the course from its catalog. Am I missing something here? Doesn’t almost every business anyone can go into rely on the workings of a computer and some form of software package that is best suited for that business? I was horribly disappointed to find that a state that is so “dedicated” to education (and getting out of the bottom 3-5 in national rankings) would ignore such a critical field that can only stand to grow and has such diversity in opportunities within the field.My first attempt to increase access to students (outside of class in a club environment) did not receive the support I had hoped, but provided me with important lessons learned. If I do not obtain a technology certification or teach programming in a classroom environment, I have determined that through some extra-curricular activity, I will make learning basic programming skills available to students who are interested without having to fend for themselves.MAC Response to Classmate (R2C) William #2Glad to see you back in the loop. Keep your eyes on the mountains and you will arrive at the peak having connected the learning of the past few months.
Mazda Senku, 2005
EPORO robot recharging under a Solar Tree
Solar Tree: Coming in 2030 to a city near youYou are absolutely correct that modern US education is blind and out of touch with the working essentials of the modern world. It is a travesty that our schools are not introducing computer science to all our students in this information age, where computers are everywhere, from cars to robots under solar trees. You will enjoy your “outside the box” classes and so will your students.
