I think that
one of the hardest tasks, with a device in front of me during a meeting, presentation,
or table discussion is the ability to stay focused on what is going on in the
room. I need to focus on what is being said or done in order to fully absorb
the content.
With that said, I need
the device. Although I like the flexibility of easily pointing to text and
making notes about my notes on paper, I now have a very difficult time writing
with pen and paper. One reason is that my hand-writing no longer reflects the
Palmer Method I learned in school. Plus
my hand and wrist cramp up! Another reason is that when I take notes on paper, they
somehow disappear. So, when I want to refer to my notes at a later date, they
are nowhere to be found or hard to decipher. When I type up my notes, with
today’s built-in computer searches, I can type in a key word and find it on my
computer in no time. I can add to the notes as well – hyperlinks, additional
information, thoughts on the topic.
PLN preaches that reading, writing, talking, and listening
go together. So, as I read, I write. As I listen, I write. The question for
today is – where do I write? For some of us it’s a bound paper notebook. For
others, it’s a word processor. There are some of us that take notes directly
into Google Docs, even sharing the note-taking responsibility during a
conference. During professional development, and in the classroom, I think we
should encourage choice.
Now, back to the question of multi-tasking… If WE are having
difficulty with this, imagine what kids are experiencing, especially as the
content they are learning gets more complex. As educators, I believe that we
are responsible for creating life-long learners. If “kids today” are
multi-tasking, is it in their best interest to have them turn it off at the
door? Maybe, or, perhaps, they need to learn skills appropriate for the tools
available to them. Maybe, note-taking on a device that does not provide easy
task-switching is the answer. It works for me. Or maybe we
encourage them to use the device, if that’s their chosen form of note-taking,
and gently recommend that they turn off their email and browser.
I am a proponent of including a back channel during what are
typically passive events, e.g. keynotes and in-class movies, whenever someone is
talking at me. It allows me to engage with others in the audience – to make
comments without interrupting, to ask questions of the audience, to clarify my
thinking, to get questions out of my
head, while the speaker is speaking, to allow me to continue to absorb what is
being said, and to gain expertise from the audience. Are there times when I have
to put the back channel aside? Absolutely! But, lucky for me, the back channel or
a transcription of it, is usually available after the session.
In order to understand if multi-tasking is possible, we need
to experiment with it in PD experiences. That will give us the knowledge and
wisdom we need to teach our students the appropriate use of the tools that are
available to them. We need to set guidelines before their use, monitor how they are being used during the session, and re-visit the
use of the tool after it is used.
