Understanding and Teaching the Rewired Brain
Frequent use of technology may alter our intelligence, attention span, self-esteem, memory, critical thinking processes, empathy, and social relationships by rewiring our brains. By examining and learning how technology is changing the way students' brains function, educators can adapt to keep students motivated to learn.
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Course Name: Understanding and Teaching the Rewired Brain |
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Course Number: EDUC 718C |
Semester Credits: 3 |
Course Description
Understanding and Teaching the Rewired Brain includes information about how technology is rewiring the brain and strategies for engaging attention, memory, thinking, and social behavior with technology. Additional topics include the effects of television on children's thinking, how information overload affects decision making, the impact of technology on rewiring social behavior, improving thinking by integrating the arts into other subject areas, and the benefits of educational video games. Strategies for mentoring students in the responsible use of technology are included, as are teaching examples, k-12 lesson ideas, and a teacher-friendly technology glossary.
Goals
- how technology affects students’ brains
- to focus on the rewired brain as the organ of thinking and learning
- to integrate technology in the classroom
- how students and teachers feel about how to use technology in the classroom
- to overcome major obstacles to using technology in schools
- what teachers should be able to do with technology
- how technology affects student achievement
- how technology is affecting students’ ability to remember information
- the changes teachers need to make in the curriculum to accommodate the rewired brain
- the role educational video games play in enhancing teaching and learning
- to recognize how technology is affecting social behavior and what can be done about it
- to mentor students in the responsible use of technology
Course Contents
- Views and status of technology use in schools
- Brain wiring for spoken language
- Impact of technology on spatial and language development
- Addiction to electronic engagement
- Complexities of attention
- Memory systems
- Encoding into long-term memory
- Technology and thinking
- Thinking and learning
- Building the social brain
- Effects of technology on rewiring social behavior
- Educators and technology
- The age of the Internet
- Content curation in the 21stCentury
- Prevalence of social media
- Mobile learning
- Blended learning
- Activities and tools glossary
Evidence of Learning Outcomes
Upon completing Understanding and Teaching the Rewired Brain, the student will demonstrate an understanding of the effect information technology has on language, attention, memory, critical thinking, social behavior, how to integrate technology in the classroom, and mentor students in the responsible use of technology.
How to Register
Understanding and Teaching the Rewired Brain is completed in either an online or via emailed PDF format. It is open for anyone to register at any time during an open semester. After completion, students receive graduate, non-degree semester credit on official transcripts from the University of La Verne.
Registration is fast and simple and can be done online or over the phone. Courses are offered on a rolling basis during three standard semesters, and you can begin whenever you are ready! Students may enroll in up to 15 credits each semester. The registration dates are:
- Fall: September 1 - January 31
- Spring: February 1 - May 31
- Summer: June 1 - August 31