Between my wife’s side and mine, we have more than 30 nephews and nieces. During the Christmas weekend we spoke or texted several of these relatives and inevitibly heard that many of this year’s gifts are tied to electronics. While I am as enthralled with technology as most, I am beginning to wonder whether our effort to stay current may have caused us to miss the exit on the technology highway.
There is more and more research that shows that compulsive multitasking (texting,while cruising facebook, while doing your homework) impairs your ability to think. If thinking means concentrating on one thing for a long enough time to develop an idea about it, then I am afraid that the mentioned missed exit might be named Ideaville. Once upon a time, the efficient multitasker was lauded as skilled. Today, we are probably better off by occasionally disabling our wireless networks, so that we can focus on one thing.
Our task as educators is to harness the power of technology to enhance the learning environment. We can’t be trapped by the false belief that the more connected you are, the better you will perform.
One Comment
Well said. I have felt like we’ve missed the “slow” sign for a few years now. I’m glad you put it into words. Thanks.