Technology and Multitasking

Google apps for education

This has been another "hands-on" session and we worked in pairs to design activities using two google apps.

• google forms

• google slides

We had a go to create our own forms and slide presentation and tested them on our classmates and afterward had discussed the possiblitites they offer for collaborative work.

This is an example of collaborative work with Beata Palinska. I was impressed about how you can work to create a presentation (similar to ppt) with someone who is physically not in the same room.

 It was nice to use the chat and come to an agreement on content, layout and work share.

A presentation on Madrid. Click here

How does technology contribute to the learning process?

Once again we can't give for granted the value of using technology in our classes. We should look at the teaching practice from a broad perspective. There seems to be lot of controversy in the use of Technology. We looked at the digital era from opposite views. For those who are totally in favout of using Technnology, teachers should let the lesson go and stop controlling students progress. According to them it is simply a question of a setting the correct task and everything else falls into place.

We watched an interesting experience carried out by Sugatra Mitra in a slum in Delhi: The hole in the wall

What Sugatra Mitra organized for the kids was a SOLE, Self Organized Learning Environment. This is called minimally invasive education

Learning takes place with the correct combination of :

broadband connection + collaboration+ encouragement

How much can our brain take in at once?

Is multitasking really effective?

There seems to be a narrow relationship between using New Technologies and multitaskis

We discussed  how multitasking (or the time we spend online) may affect the way we think.

The term Neuroplasticity came up and the watched some videos with experiments that would bring some light on the topic.

Clifford Nass describes the effects of Multitasking on our brain.

Here is a recommended book on the use of ICT in the English classroom

A book on brain science and how attention will affect the way we live, work and learn.

Other interesting webs:

Hepell Stephen, a leading voice on The use of ICT in education.

Carr Nicholas, The shallows. Book review

Nass Clifford The myth of multitasking

Salmon Gilly's Five-Stage Model of E-learning.