Hyperconnectedness & its Physiological Impact

After reading Alone Together by Sherry Turkle, I have many questions that I am seeking answers to.  My first wondering is if our young generation is so caught up in the digital world and are constantly connected, is it a good idea to have them constantly connected in the classroom also?  What are the physiological, social and emotional, and finally the educational impact on the students? It is these categories that I am attempting to find research on.  This post will discuss technology and the physiological impact on our digital natives.

In Marilee Sprenger’s journal article entitled  “Focusing the Digital Brain” (2009) states that we need to be aware of the problems that the digital brain poses and the demands of the 21^st century on our student learners’.  She further states: “We adults’ must help all students assimilate technology into their lives in a way that will enhance—not eclipse—skills like sustained thinking and connecting to fellow humans”.   This comment really hits home with me.  I believe that this is the fine line that l am trying to understand.  Sprenger brings up the point of multitasking and how it cannot be done effectively as the brain is able to only do one thing at a time. The connectedness that our students are craving and the work that is required of them uses the same part of the brain and their solution is to multitask and neither job is done thoroughly.  She continues on and states that this hyperconnectedness causes stress and the release of adrenaline and cortisol which affects a person’s immune system; cognitive functioning and can cause depression in the digital natives.  This thought was also echoed in Turkes’ Alone Together book.

In chapter 3 of Gary Small’s book iBrain entitled “Addicted to Technology”,’ points out that the same part of the brain that is triggered when a person is using drugs, alcohol or any other addictive substances, is the same part of the brain that has people craving their digital devices and the high they get from using it.  Students’ constant need to be connected is developing new neural pathways in the brain strengthening the right side of the brain that deals with creativity and weakening other parts of the brain that is not being used as often such as the left brain which deals with functions such as logic, critical thinking and language.

Lynn Helding’s 2011 journal article: “Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants: Teaching and Learning in the Digital Age” examines the cognitive function of the digital native and the “shattering of attention spans”.  She also makes known the definition of a new coined term of “learned attention deficit disorder” which simply is heavy use of technology is causing ADD or ADHD in people who do not have a predisposition for it.  This ties in with Smalls’ notion of addiction of technology and needing the information more often and faster.

This makes me nervous as an educator.  If studies are indicating that overuse of technology is detrimental to our digital natives, it only seems logical that we should be spending more time in schools teaching students on the proper use of technology and the proper amount of time spent on it, yet none of this is happening.  Turkle states that it’s too early to know the full effect of the impact that technology will have on us as it is in its infancy stage, however, she continues to say that we have a vast amount of information on child development, brain research and social behaviour and we should use that information to guide us through our new digital world. I like her way of thinking.  We don’t need to wait years to see what will happen, we need to pace ourselves now and aim for balance.