DOUBLE TEXT RELATED READING INTO WRITING ACTIVITY: MEDIA MULTITASKING AND ITS IMPACT ON SHORT TERM AND LONGTERM LEARNING

The two texts involved in this activity concern a 21st century issue students and teachers need to confront: media multitasking while studying. The modern student has a very intimate relationship with his iphone and tablet and is loathe to be parted from them for too long; too long being ten or fifteen minutes. This fact negatively impacts both short term and long term learning in various ways; however, there are ways to tackle the problem. Complete the reading activities and then use notes you make while reading as well as the plan provided to write an essay where you discuss the effects of media multitasking on learning.

BEFORE YOU READ

·         Do you have a Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn account?

·         How often do you check your account? How often do you post?

·         Can you work nonstop for an hour with no break? What is the longest period you can go without taking a break?

·         Do you have your social networking accounts open in the background as you work? How does this impact your learning?

·         Read the title; what do you think the impact of media multitasking is?

NOW WATCH THE VIDEOS

A vision of students today  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGCJ46vyR9o

No, you can’t listen while you are texting http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2798930/no-t-listen-texting-research-finds-teenagers-struggle-multitasking.html

TEXT ONE: WITH TECH TOOLS, HOW SHOULD TEACHERS TACKLE MULTITASKING IN CLASS?

By: Holly Korbey

Published: MindShift; May 15, 2013

Level of Difficulty: **

Note to the Student: this is a difficult level two due, especially, to the writing activity, so don’t make it the first level-two-activity that you do.

QUESTIONS

1.       Let us imagine a student is playing angry birds off and on while doing his homework. How will his learning be affected in the short term and the long term?

2.       The cases of Alfred Sifuentes and Grossman’s daughter both prove that…………………………………

3.       What does “it” refer to in the phrase “What to do about it”? Be very careful.

4.       Read the section of the text titled “When does it work” carefully to the end. What is the problem the headmaster faces at New Tech Institute?

5.       The case of the math tutorial is provided as an example to prove that……………………………………

6.       Why does Allen feel the problem of tech distraction needs to be tackled not swept under the carpet?

7.       What negative effects of multitasking has Smith observed?

8.       What does Smith feel the underlying reason for multitasking is?

9.       Smith’s solution to the problem is……………………………………………………………………………………………

TEXT TWO: HOW DOES MULTITASKING CHANGE THE WAY KIDS LEARN?

By: Annie Murphy Paul

Published: MindShift; May 3, 2013

Level of Difficulty: **

QUESTIONS

1.       It emerged at the end of the experiment carried out by Larry Rosen and his colleagues that students………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

2.       Some experts are suggesting a new test which determines a person’s ability to resist a blinking inbox or buzzing phone. Why do they feel this way? Use your own words.

3.       Why is Rideout not concerned about how much kids are online or how much kids are multitasking overall?

4.       What does “Such steps” in the phrase “Such steps may seem excessive or even paranoid” refer to?

5.       Which sentence in the paragraph beginning “Such steps” is the main idea?

6.       In both the University of Vermont study and Rosen’s study, ………………………………..seemed to make no difference to the amount of multitasking that was going on. Use your own words.

7.       According to the St. John’s University study, the……………………the student, the………………..the media multitasking.

8.       Which of the following examples of multitasking would be alright and which would be a bad idea? Write “yes” or “no”.

·         Updating your personal blog while listening to a client describing his problem

·         Discussing your daughter’s wedding arrangements over the phone while driving along an empty interstate highway.

·         Listening to your iPod while working on assembly line sorting fruit

·         Emailing a friend on your tablet while stock taking

·         Knitting during a staff meeting

9.       Why does Meyer state that most young people ‘are deluded’ when they say they can multitask and manage just fine?

10.    For what two reasons does homework take longer if students multitask?

11.   The greater the differences in ‘expressive rules’ required during multitasking…………………….. the…………………………….the price the students pay.

12.   What interesting fact concerning remembering and forgetting is highlighted in the text?

13.   According to Russell Poldrack, what negative future impact does multitasking have?

14.   Is there a definite link between media multitasking and low GPA’s or not?

15.   What conclusion can be drawn from Rossen’s information age version of the marshmallow test?

16.   How does Rossen suggest the problem of media multitasking while studying be addressed?

17.   What is the underlying reason for the lure of technology? The desire…………………………………

18.   Kaiser suggests that parents should not panic or fly off the handle but should keep a watchful eye on the children. True or False?

WRITING TASK

Use the notes you made while doing the reading task and opinions you formed to write an essay on the effects of media multitasking on learning. You may use the plan below:

In your introduction: explain what exactly the problem is and state that the practice has numerous negative effects on short term and long term learning.

In your first developmental paragraph: discuss the short term impacts.

·         Assignments take longer to complete

·         More mistakes

·         When distracted, the brain processes and stores information in different and less useful ways.

      In your second developmental paragraph: discuss the long term impacts.

·         Subsequent memory will be impaired

·         Negative impact on grades and GPA

In your conclusion: suggest solutions.

·         Cultivate the ability to resist the lure of technology

DOUBLE TEXT RELATED READING INTO WRITING ACTIVITY: MEDIA MULTITASKING AND ITS IMPACT ON SHORT TERM AND LONG TERM LEARNING

This activity, like similar activities listed under ‘Level **’ writing tasks, aims to develop summary skills, the ability to annotate a text, the ability to draw conclusions, analysis and many other cognitive skills university students need in their departments. The students need to be able to understand the texts on all sorts of levels to be able to base an essay on them and add their own support. It is hoped that this and similar activities will prepare them for the more complex ‘research based writing activities’ on this blog.

TEXT ONE: KEY

1. In the short term, he will lose depth of learning and get mentally fatigued; in the long term, his ability to transfer what he has learnt will be weakened.
2. Schoolwork is more productive when attention isn’t split between homework and a buzzing smartphone.
3. The fact that our devices that once were an entertainment tool are also becoming our education and work tools.
4. Keeping students simultaneously connected and focused for 90 minutes
5. It’s important not only to teach kids how to use technology, it is important to show them how to be aware of what they are doing while using it too.
6. Because it is not going away. It exists. It’s permeated every aspect of their lives.
7. Reduced transfer of knowledge; more shallow learning
8. Many students aren’t being challenged and engaged enough to stimulate their brains in class
9. Teaching important concepts in depth so students find the learning more intriguing

TEXT TWO: KEY

1. Had spent only about 65% of the observation period actually doing their homework; OR, could not go for 15 minutes without engaging their devices.
2. Possible answer: The practice of multitasking while doing homework is detrimental
3. Because students are not doing serious work with their minds and don’t have to focus
4. Installing electronic spyware, planting human observers
5. Now that these devices have been admitted into classrooms and study spaces, it has proven difficult to police the line between their approved and illicit use by students.
6. Possible answer: the fact that they knew they were being watched (or monitored); the fact that the professors obtained students’ permission to observe beforehand
7. More, more
8. A. No, B. No, C. Yes, D. No, E. Yes (People who knit have the skill on autopilot)
9. Because most of their mental processes are unconscious, it is difficult to properly evaluate how they are operating. I have a question for you: why did I change the clauses round in the key? Now remember this for next time. Plus, good on you if you thought of doing so on your own bat.
10. Because of the time spent on distracting activities, because the students have to refamiliarize themselves with the material
11. The lower
12. Although we often assume that our memories fail at the moment we can’t recall a fact or concept, the failure may actually have occurred earlier, at the time we originally saved, or encoded the memory.
13. People prove much less adept at extending and extrapolating their knowledge to novel contexts; OR, it results in acquisition of knowledge that can be applied less flexibly in new situations.
14. There is.
15. Academic and even professional achievement may depend on the ability to ignore digital temptations while learning.
16. Consciously cultivating the ability to resist the lure of technology
17. Not to miss out.
18. True