A Little Bit of Digital Wisdom
Good Evening Owls [from
Chicago]
I hope everyone had a fine, festive, fall day... PSLs for ALL!
Takeaway #1
Whenever I do a reading that
talks about generations, I can’t help but return to stage theories of adult
development. To me, an understanding of adult development informs the
complexity of technology integration within adult learning. Especially in the
chronological or sequential space, akin to Erikson (1963) or Kegan (1982), I
can conceptualize an argument where learning becomes more difficult due to
factors beyond the generation of adults, relating to how adults create meaning.
Question from Takeaway #1 –
Do we think there’s a component of identity formation, built over life stages,
that would better inform how adults progress towards digital wisdom?
Takeaway #2
I was surprised to see
neuroplasticity brought into this week’s discussion. Perhaps there’s an ancillary
argument regarding the cultivation of digital wisdom as an outcome of brain plasticity
over a prolonged period of time. My thought is, though novel, it’d be hard to
demonstrate how a brain’s plasticity would inform adult learning outcomes – I just
can’t conceptualize a test that would test this hypothesis. Additionally, I’m
not confident it’d inform TD theory, or create context for a learning outcome –
though I’d have to think about this over more coffee.
Question from Takeaway #2 –
Lets assume brain plasticity would inform adult learning outcomes from technology
integration, how would we test this? I’m a little stuck on the Research Methods
component of this…
Appreciate the assistance, hope everyone has a great rest of the week.
Hoot, Max
References
Erikson, E. H. (1963).
Childhood and society. New York: Norton.
Kegan, R. (1982). The
evolving self. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
I absolutely believe that life stages drastically influences who we are and what our priorities are. I will attempt to summarize some key points from Shaw’s (2020) book on multigenerational differences with an example of parenthood, one of life’s most transformative events. I say that from the experience that was framed to me before I became a mother – Once you are a mother, you’ll never not be a mother again. When your identity changes and the tasks around you change drastically (getting everything ready for dinner is not the joyful event that it used to be when there is a screaming child that needs attention while dinner is burning on the stove). Shaw specifically highlights lifestages, rather than sheer age, as a huge variable in our priorities, commitment and outlook. I do think there are at least some similarities in meaning-making and values-based actions between generations as huge events like World War II or 9/11 had on Traditionalists and Millenials, respectively. As you ask about identity formation and life stages, as it relates to technology acceptance, my inclination would encourage you to look at it as a function of time and values. A parent with kids in the house will generally have less time available for discovery learning involved in getting familiar with new technology. However, once the kids are out of the house, the function of time improves, but the values assessment is still at play – does the technology offer the right balance of efficiency and connection that would encourage long-term use? For now, I’ll look forward to the days of more time, and I’ll let you know what I find!
ReplyDeleteShaw, H. (2020). Sticking points: How to get 5 generations working together in the 12 places they come apart. Tyndale Momentum, the Tyndale nonfiction imprint.
Hoot Hoot!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting approach to topics this week! Being a former psychology teacher I have an appreciation for you tying in Erikson’s Stages of Development and Brain Plasticity! Those were certainly not concepts I expected to see.
ReplyDeleteWith regards to your first question, I think there are many factors to be considered. It is interesting to consider the perceptions on technology to be integrated to simply the stages of life and how someone’s focus may be different at different stages, however I think the answer is much more complex. A study published in the Frontiers of Psychology journal, suggests that older users are not necessarily against technology even stating that many were eager to learn, but rather have reservations due to a lack of self-efficacy (Vaportzis et al., 2017). Based on this study and my own opinions I feel the lack of technology use amongst older generations has many individualized factors that influence it. There are certainly some older users who embrace technology. It makes me ponder what our generations will be like when we are older.
I believe your second question can be answered using the aforementioned study as well. The study mentions that with proper support and practice older users were able to “[reach] a performance level similar to that of younger participants (Vaportzis et al., 2017, Introduction).” Older age does not prevent users from successfully using technology, however perceptions may prevent some from trying.
References:
Vaportzis, E., Giatsi Clausen, M., & Gow, A. J. (2017). Older Adults Perceptions of Technology and Barriers to Interacting with Tablet Computers: A Focus Group Study. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 1687. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01687
In response to question # 2 - a Randomized Controlled Trial! I am already thinking about the research methods. You could have a learner intervention group where the intervention involves technology (like an app) and a standard practice (or control group) intervention. You could use validated/standardized questionnaires as a measuring tool of...comprehension, perhaps? Or, you could get really clever and test both groups with an fMRI (Yale Medicine, 2022) maybe using virtual reality for the learning intervention - another use of technology! The control group could watch a video of a lecture, or something like that.
ReplyDeleteI think this would have to be a longitudinal study with periodic testing. Are we looking for differences in grades? Is that the outcome we are looking for?
If I sound like I know anything about what I'm talking about, then it's simply that I have read a lot of scientific protocols. I am no neuroscientist. My institution is almost finished building a gigantic new neuroscience building, so that says something to me about where investments are going.
Now we just need to get some funding and borrow an fMRI!
Korte (2020) referenced a study that found increased attention span in an elderly population that used computer games in a particular way. I'm sure there are more examples out there looking at some kind of technology and how it impacts learning behavior/neuroplasticity.
The cumulative impact of technology and learning would be interesting as well. Both positive and negative. As in, be on the lookout for unintended consequences related to tech and learning.
Korte, M. (2020). The impact of the digital revolution on human brain and behavior: Where do we stand? Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 22(2), 101-111. https://doi.org/10.31887/dcns.2020.22.2/mkorte
Yale Medicine. (2022, August 13). Functional MRI of the brain. https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/functional-mri-imaging-the-brain