Let’s be honest. Many of your students probably have their phones in front of their faces a lot. If they don’t, they’re likely camped out in front of a computer screen watching YouTube. Their phone, of course, is still right next to them. (Although we can’t hold this against them completely, because there are probably adults you know that are the very same way.) The point is, it’s common knowledge that technology is helpful, unavoidable, and—more than anything—it’s changing the way we function as a society. But what are the quiet things that technology is up to that we don’t even realize? How is technology changing US?
Several studies have come to the conclusion that excessive use of technology is attributing to the scientific phenomenon known as neuroplasticity. That’s right: It’s actually rewiring our brains. This Mashable article gives more fascinating details about all the ways smartphones and computers are changing the way we operate from our cerebral headquarters. Because your students live in an age where being techy is necessary, realizing the new vulnerability their brains are facing will be quite important as you help this generation succeed. Maybe the short attention spans and lack of impulse control isn’t totally their fault? Maybe.
