It is true that Gen M is wired to many different forms of technology all at once. The same applies to myself: I have the TV on while I'm typing on my laptop and messaging both on Facebook and Blackberry messenger. Is this a good thing honestly? Its probably okay when writing my own personal blog but I wouldn't be doing all these things if I had to write a serious, well thought-out paper.
I am pretty open minded and accepting when it comes to technology: I am willing to embrace it within the classroom. But as the article mentioned, technology often promotes 'continuous partial attention' and that for me is difficult to accept. It is difficult to truly understand important concepts and ideas without one's the ability to pay attention fully... and that skill comes with training the self for many years. Thus, concentration is yet another thing a teacher must teach to students as that is what will be encountered in colleges and universities.
I think balance is crucial. Certain things like using mobile phones and social networks like facebook and twitter during class can negatively impact the potential for learning during class. So the teacher who desires to use technology must find a way to achieve this balance and use technology to promote, rather than take away from, learning.
I don't know how you can do anything with the TV on. I get so distracted and I just do not get anything done. However, I agree with you, facebook is going to be the death of me because it is waaaaaay too addicting.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the younger parts of Gen M have evolved to be able to function differently than us. We can multitask okay and have 'continuous partial attention' but we there are definitely boundary. But we're also to the point where a lot of us can't concentrate in silence--without distractions. Meaning, we need background stuff going on. Will humans somehow evolve to thrive with distractions? I dunno.
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