Technology and Brains
Introduction
The supply of learning material is continually expanding; with Google in our ears, on our phones and at our fingertips. In the modern western world, the Internet is arguably a vital part of learning, if utilised correctly. Some may argue that the appeal of learning from books is dying in our technology-rich world, but with technology may come distraction. The underlying position of this blog is that a healthy mix of different resources for learning is vital to the continuation of improving learning and grades amongst university students. This third and final blog of the series will tie in technology and its future use in education, as well as an insight into the way the brain works which might inspire people to ‘follow the instructions’.
Technology's Part in Teaching
As technologies are continually progressing, it would seem that the reliance on these technologies for collecting information is increasing in our schools and universities too. Rather than having to put your hand up to answer the question or being chosen at random to answer when you are too nervous to speak in front of the class, students now get given an iPad each or use their phone to anonymously answer the question with a funny name attached. How is technology improving the classroom experience? Well, firstly, I suggest that technology in general is helping to evolve teaching into something more. With technology, teaching can become less like the rigid, singular-modal style of teaching that some of the interviewees in the second blog experienced, and more in tune with the flexible approaches to learning advocated by Fleming and Mills, and Gardner. With technology, education becomes more of a participatory experience for the students. The ability for students to quickly search up a word they don’t understand, or for visual learners to find diagrams to explain concepts that they zoned out of in class, are possibly excellent steps in the perceived quality of education. In my previous blog post, Mr L also touched on the constraints of time and attention to each students’ needs. I believe that the use of technology in the classroom could be of great benefit here too, as if students are encouraged to further their studies independently online, then this could perhaps mean less time is needed for the teacher to repeat the same material. A study (page 35) in the UK actually found that teachers are finding technology to be a time saver: “The proportion of headteachers who stated that technology saved them time was lowest for supporting flexible working (76%), supporting pupils with SEND (72%) and timetabling (72%)”. If technology is well managed in this way, then the teacher can perhaps engage the class in deeper discussion about the basics he or she has covered in the main body of the lesson.
What has just been mentioned actually comes down to technological determinism. This is the idea that technology is invented by and for society, and then that society adapts to use it if they want. Different cultures adapt at different rates, but in Scotland we are increasingly experiencing the use of technology in schools which previously relied on textbooks for information. Computers were solely found in computing labs! Before computing labs, it was paper, and before that it was chalkboards. It was maybe not as clear cut as that, but you can see the advancement of technology quite clearly in schools. So where does this take us for the future in learning with regards to technology? I believe that the use of tablets and laptops in more lessons is the start of the next wave in teaching. COVID-19 boosted this technological drive as it flipped the education system on its head and forced schools across the world to work online for most of the school year. This arguably would have been a shock for many, but it is a shock I think was needed if we are to continue to provide a participatory and engaging form of learning. It might start with one class a week using tablets, to all subjects having the assistance of tablets. Eventually, we may even move towards a paper, and waste-free form of teaching! Imagine that. The technology is there, it is up to the schools, and the society in which they exist, to use it to their advantage.
Bench Press Your Brain
Although the brain is an organ, it should be treated like any other muscle in our body. When we go to the gym and lift weights to get stronger and grow bigger muscles, we start by lifting light weights and can get tired from that pretty fast. Slowly over time, we can increase the amount of lifting we do, along with increasing the weights; getting stronger and stronger. The same can be said about the brain. When we need to learn a new subject, we start by learning the material in our preferred manner; reading from a book and taking notes, or listening to a lecture, or creating flashcards. For most of us, we need to repeat the learning process several times to really have a good understanding of the subject and to feel ready to answer questions on the matter. At least this is the ideal way of studying. I, like many, jumped into my exams without being fully prepared. The repetition of learning information is the work of the 80 billion neurons that make up our brain. These neurons work by sending signals to each other through connections that start off as being weak. The more we repeat the task of revision, the more connections our neurons make and the stronger these sparks become. An article from Frontiers by Young Minds illustrates this with an analogy of walking through a forest. If you try to walk through the forest with no path, you will be moving slowly at first, pushing your way through the branches and bushes. But as you go through the new path that you’ve started to make, the path becomes clearer and wider. This is how the brain works with its neurons. In some cases, when the neuron connections are very strong, you can abandon that task for months or years and still be able to perform it to the same standard as when you first created the strong neurological connection.
As mentioned in the first blog, Derek Muller or Veritasium on YouTube defends this point nicely. In his video called “The Biggest Myth in Education”, he suggests that learning style is far less important than once thought, and instead memory is the most important factor when attempting to learn new information. In his video, we see that memory techniques work best amongst the participants when trying to recite a list of objects. One person mentions: “As you were showing me, I was making a list so as I saw more, I would just add it to the list and I would repeat the list as I was looking at them so I could say it out loud”. This is a common memory technique and one that can be used to strengthen those connections in the brain as mentioned above. Here is the video if you’d like to watch it yourself:
Struggling with Learning?
If you find yourself struggling with your studies in high school, further education or life in general, there are thousands of resources out there as well as people to talk to. Here are just a few that I have found to be useful.
High School Students
Teachers are there to support you and help with all things school; Learning Support staff have handy tips and tricks; YouTube has thousands of tutorial videos helping you with anything you can imagine; your own high school website will often have resources for different subjects.
Further Education Students
Lecturers are there to help you with all things related to the course; Universities have full departments with staff happy to help you with anything. Here at University of Dundee there is the Academic Skills Group who conduct workshops and provide online resources as well as one to one sessions for academic skills and writing advice. Whether it’s an essay in first year, dissertation in fourth year or your PhD thesis, they are there to support you for any of it. At your University library, there is always staff there to help you during the day and can point you in the right direction.
Round Up
Technological determinism is not a new phenomenon and it is certainly not one that is expected to wane any time soon. In history, guns were developed as the new and easiest way to defeat opposing knights on the battlefield. Soon, those knights without such technology had to adapt and adopt guns too, as it was the only way they stood a chance against those knights who already had them. The same can be said for technology in schools; the technological devices we use in schools are increasing, and so too is our need for them. It is perhaps only a matter of time before schools introduce a fully technological work day. Throughout this series of blogs, I have introduced learning styles and how a preference often makes people believe they cannot learn through other modes. However, this final blog indicates that it is repetition that is necessary for strengthening neural connections (and therefore, knowledge) in the brain. Students are free to utilise whatever learning method they prefer, but their learning capabilities all come down to how often they study and exploit learning techniques to recite information back when required. If you are still struggling with your learning, don’t be afraid to ask the people that are there to support you, it might just end up being the best question you ever ask. I hope this series of blogs has been insightful for all readers, catching a little bit of everyone’s interest.