Teaching the iGeneration THE “PSYCHOLOGY OF TECHNOLOGY” San Domenico School September 17, 2013 Larry D. Rosen, Ph.D.

Teaching the iGeneration ABOUT ME Father Professor Researcher Author Geek

Teaching the iGeneration TODAY’S TALK Different Generations Use Different Amounts of Technology Multitasking Madness Your Brain! Resetting Your Brain

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+

Teaching the iGeneration TEACHERS AND PARENTS ARE FINDING OUT THAT iGENERATION AND GENERATION “C” STUDENTS ARE VERY DIFFERENT

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

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

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?

Teaching the iGeneration THE iGENERATION AND GENERATION “C” SEEM TO BE TECHIES FROM BIRTH

Teaching the iGeneration THE DIFFERENT GENERATIONS ALSO COMMUNICATE “DIFFERENTLY”

Teaching the iGeneration PREFERRED WAYS TO COMMUNICATE GENERATION 1 st CHOICE 2 nd CHOICE 3 rd CHOICE Baby Boomers Face-to- Face Phone Generation X Face-to- Face Phone Net Generation Face-to- Face TextingPhone iGenerationTextingIM/FB/PhoneFace-to-Face

Teaching the iGeneration HAS THIS LED TO

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)?

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?

Teaching the iGeneration CAN THEY REALLY? TEXT MESSAGE INTERRUPTION STUDY 4 university classes; n= minutes video lecture Interruptions: no texts, 4 text, 8 texts What is your major and why did you choose it?

Teaching the iGeneration 8 TEXT GROUP DID WORSE THAN 0 TEXT GROUP 72% IMPACT OF INTERRUPTIONS

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”

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?

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

Teaching the iGeneration FOCUSED DISTRACTED SAME FOR COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS AND MEDICAL STUDENTS

Teaching the iGeneration AND … THE MOST OFF-TASK STUDENTS HAD THE MOST OPEN WINDOWS!!!

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

Teaching the iGeneration WHAT’S GOING ON IN YOUR BRAIN?

Teaching the iGeneration LET’S 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?

Teaching the iGeneration Apple Fruit Red Crunchy Sweet iPod

Teaching the iGeneration Orange Peel Tangerine

Teaching the iGeneration LIMITED TO 5 TO 9 ACTIVE BRAIN AREAS

Teaching the iGeneration SO … WHAT DOES A WORKING BRAIN ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE? DO WE REALLY ONLY USE 10% OF OUR BRAIN?

Teaching the iGeneration

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 night’s sleep

Teaching the iGeneration WHAT DO TEENS DO IN THE HOUR BEFORE SLEEP?

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%)

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

Teaching the iGeneration “NORMAL” SLEEP CYCLES Synaptic Rejuvenation Default Mode Network

Teaching the iGeneration WHAT HAPPENS IF SLEEP IS DISRUPTED? Instant dreaming Lack of consolidation/pruning Less time for creative thinking

Teaching the iGeneration WHY DO YOU NEED TO SLEEP? IT IS GOOD FOR YOUR BRAIN!

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?

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