I recently had the opportunity to visit the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA where I attended the Learning and the Brain conference titled “Modern Brains: Enhancing Memory And Performance In This Distracting Digital Age.” The presenters connected and explored the relationships that exist between biology, cognitive science, technology and education. For me, it was a rare chance to look at educational technology through the lens of a neurobiologist. The next few posts will concentrate on various themes presented at the conference.
Dr. Gary Small, MD, gave the opening keynote. He most recently wrote “iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind.” He spoke about a new kind of generation gap which he calls the brain gap. Digital natives have brains which have mastered modern technology, but lack the empathetic skills honed by face-to-face contact with others. By contrast, older digital immigrants adapt more slowly and are reluctant to try new gadgets but they possess the skills and intelligence to excel in face-to-face social interactions requiring empathy and the ability to read the body language of others.
The good news is that both can be addressed. The skills of the older generation can be strengthened through focused and prolonged professional development programs focusing on the use of newer technologies. For our younger generation, we can best help them by asking them to unplug once in a while ask that they take part in educational, family and social events without their cell phones or computers in tow.
Dr. Small also commented on the growing disconnect between the social networking environment that exists outside of school and the closed access of the environment that is found inside of school. To illustrate just how pervasive social networking has become, he showed us this YouTube video:
A thought to leave you with: Is there a safe and effective way to leverage the popularity of these pervasive social networks to improve the delivery of educational services to our students?
