Teaching the iGeneration THE PSYCHOLOGY OF TECHNOLOGY San
Domenico School September 17, 2013 Larry D. Rosen, Ph.D.
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Teaching the iGeneration ABOUT ME Father Professor Researcher
Author Geek
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Teaching the iGeneration TODAYS TALK Different Generations Use
Different Amounts of Technology Multitasking Madness Your Brain!
Resetting Your Brain
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Teaching the iGeneration WE ARE IN THE MIDST OF 6 DIFFERENT
GENERATIONS GENERATIONBIRTH YEARS Silent/Traditional Generation1925
1945 Baby Boomers1946 1964 Generation X1965 1979 Net Generation1980
1989 iGeneration1990 1999 Generation C2000+
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Teaching the iGeneration TEACHERS AND PARENTS ARE FINDING OUT
THAT iGENERATION AND GENERATION C STUDENTS ARE VERY DIFFERENT
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Teaching the iGeneration WHO USES MORE TECHNOLOGY ? BABY
BOOMERS 8 HOURS A DAY GENERATION X 15 HOURS A DAY NET GENERATION 21
HOURS A DAY iGENERATION 21 HOURS A DAY GENERATION C 10 HOURS A
DAY
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Teaching the iGeneration WHAT TECHNOLOGIES DO THEY USE 2 HOURS
OR MORE A DAY? BABY BOOMERS TV GENERATION X MUSIC COMPUTERS TV
GOING ONLINE NET GENERATION MUSIC TV GOING ONLINE TEXTING
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Teaching the iGeneration iGENERATION MUSIC TEXTING GOING ONLINE
FACEBOOK IM/CHAT GENERATION C TV VIDEO GAMES WHAT DO YOUNGER
GENERATIONS USE TWO OR MORE HOURS A DAY?
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Teaching the iGeneration THE iGENERATION AND GENERATION C SEEM
TO BE TECHIES FROM BIRTH
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Teaching the iGeneration THE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS ALSO
COMMUNICATE DIFFERENTLY
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Teaching the iGeneration PREFERRED WAYS TO COMMUNICATE
GENERATION 1 st CHOICE 2 nd CHOICE 3 rd CHOICE Baby Boomers
Face-to- Face PhoneE-Mail Generation X Face-to- Face PhoneE-Mail
Net Generation Face-to- Face TextingPhone
iGenerationTextingIM/FB/PhoneFace-to-Face
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Teaching the iGeneration HAS THIS LED TO
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Teaching the iGeneration WHICH TASKS ARE EASY OR DIFFICULT FOR
YOU TO MULTITASK? 1.Eating and playing a board game? 2.Reading a
book and listening to music? 3.Surfing the Internet and listening
to music? 4.Reading a book and watching TV? 5.Reading a book and
talking on the phone? 6.Reading a book, texting, Facebooking, and
listening to music (with the TV on)?
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Teaching the iGeneration BABY BOOMERS 3-4 THINGS GENERATION X
4-5 THINGS NET GENERATION 6 THINGS iGENERATION 7-8 THINGS
GENERATION C 4-5 THINGS HOW MANY THINGS DO PEOPLE THINK THEY CAN DO
AT THE SAME TIME?
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Teaching the iGeneration CAN THEY REALLY? TEXT MESSAGE
INTERRUPTION STUDY 4 university classes; n=175 30 minutes video
lecture Interruptions: no texts, 4 text, 8 texts What is your major
and why did you choose it?
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Teaching the iGeneration 8 TEXT GROUP DID WORSE THAN 0 TEXT
GROUP 72% IMPACT OF INTERRUPTIONS
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Teaching the iGeneration DID ANYONE DO BETTER AT DEALING WITH
INTERRUPTIONS? Those who IMMEDIATELY read and responded to a text
message got a C Those who waited for a few minutes to read or
respond got an A! This is called Meta Cognition
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Teaching the iGeneration HOW DO STUDENTS DO AT STAYING ON TASK
WHILE STUDYING? ARE THEY DISTRACTED? --------- AND WHAT ROLE DOES
TECHNOLOGY PLAY IN THEIR FOCUS AND ATTENTION?
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Teaching the iGeneration OUR STUDY OF STUDYING: A CASE OF
DISTRACTED LEARNERS 279 students observed studying [middle school,
high school, college] 15 minutes observe every minute o On-task or
off-task? o What is on computer screen? o Daily use of technologies
and media o Studying strategies? o Preference for task switching
School performance/grade on test
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Teaching the iGeneration FOCUSED DISTRACTED SAME FOR COMPUTER
PROGRAMMERS AND MEDICAL STUDENTS
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Teaching the iGeneration AND THE MOST OFF-TASK STUDENTS HAD THE
MOST OPEN WINDOWS!!!
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Teaching the iGeneration WHAT PREDICTS SCHOOL PERFORMANCE? Who
Has a Higher GPA? Those who stayed on task more Those who had
strategies for studying Those who prefered NOT to task switch Those
who used LESS media each day Those who did not check Facebook ONCE
during 15 minutes
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Teaching the iGeneration WHATS GOING ON IN YOUR BRAIN?
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Teaching the iGeneration LETS TRY SOMETHING TAKE OUT A PIECE OF
PAPER I AM GOING TO SAY A WORD AND I WANT YOU TO WRITE DOWN THE
FIRST WORDS THAT YOU THINK OF READY?
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Teaching the iGeneration Apple Fruit Red Crunchy Sweet
iPod
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Teaching the iGeneration Orange Peel Tangerine
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Teaching the iGeneration LIMITED TO 5 TO 9 ACTIVE BRAIN
AREAS
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Teaching the iGeneration SO WHAT DOES A WORKING BRAIN ACTUALLY
LOOK LIKE? DO WE REALLY ONLY USE 10% OF OUR BRAIN?
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Teaching the iGeneration
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THE BRAIN NEEDS SLEEP Doctors recommend 9 hours per night for
preteens and teenagers! Average teen sleeps 6.1 hours per school
night; 10.3 on weekend Sleep Debt = 12 hours per week 80% of
teenagers say they rarely or never get a good nights sleep
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Teaching the iGeneration WHAT DO TEENS DO IN THE HOUR BEFORE
SLEEP?
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Teaching the iGeneration AND THEY SLEEP WITH THEIR PHONE ON!
WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR CELL PHONE WHEN YOU GO TO SLEEP? Leave the
ringer on (44%) Put ringer on vibrate (31%)
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Teaching the iGeneration WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SHOW ABOUT TEEN
SLEEP DISRUPTION? Is it the light? NO IT IS NOT! Is it couch potato
activities? NO (in fact a little nighttime TV helps!) Is it their
computer use? NO Is it their homework? NO SO, WHAT IS IT? Constant
multitasking in last hour Smartphone use in last hour Cell phone
interrupted sleep
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Teaching the iGeneration NORMAL SLEEP CYCLES Synaptic
Rejuvenation Default Mode Network
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Teaching the iGeneration WHAT HAPPENS IF SLEEP IS DISRUPTED?
Instant dreaming Lack of consolidation/pruning Less time for
creative thinking
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Teaching the iGeneration WHY DO YOU NEED TO SLEEP? IT IS GOOD
FOR YOUR BRAIN!
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Teaching the iGeneration MANAGING YOUR DIGITAL TIME A-B-C
Method A ware of options (distractors) B reathe calm/reset brain C
hoose good options WHAT DO YOU FIND DISTRACTING? Music? TV?
Smartphone? What else?
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Teaching the iGeneration HOW TO RESET YOUR BRAIN Nature Breaks
(live or virtual) Tech Breaks Music/Art Exercise
Meditation/Biofeedback Laughter Hot Bath Talking (live) to a friend
(3:1 ratio of positives) Practicing a foreign language Playing a
musical instrument
