Lesson 2

How well can you multitask?

Structure & Progression

Like Lesson 1, this roadmap is also designed with a linear and intuitive structure. Each node is shape and color coded to create a consistent user interface and manage learner expectations. Again, learning content is coded as a circular node where videos are blue, readings are red, and audios are green. Nodes that require student input are coded as a black rectangle.

The direction of the arrows creates a general top-down flow, but unlike Lesson 1, there is not one distinct evaluation as the terminal point. Students should begin with the multitasking quiz and record their results, but the may choose to complete experiments 1 and 2, or review the content in any order they like.

At the bottom center of the roadmap is an unlinked purple diamond node that points student to a discussion on Twitter.

Content

The content of the lesson will encourage students to critically examine the role of media multitasking, memory, and learning. Unlike Lesson 1, the learning content is not scaffolded by with the Collabrify Writer.

Pedagogy

In this lesson, the main approach is experiential learning. Immediately, students are required to complete a multitasking quiz that is highly interactive. There are also two multi-part experiments wherein students must perform some action and record their results in a collaborative Google Doc or Sheet.

The first experiment focuses on divided attention using a video known as "The Invisible Gorilla." Students must view the video and record their observations in a Google Sheet. Next, students must view a variation of the video in which the main concept is the same, but several subtle details are different. Again they must record their observations in the sheet. Students may compare the results of the divided attention experiment with their quiz results to make inferences about their ability to multitask when distractors are present.

The second experiment builds on the first by introducing memory and learning. In the first part, students are asked to play the memory game Simon without distractions and record their score. In the second part, they must play Simon while also listening to a short story (<10 min.) of their choosing. They must then record their score, as well as any details they recall from the story. In the third and final part, students are asked to actively listen to the same story without distraction. They must then record their results. Students can compare their results to determine how much the quality of learning is affected when attention is divided versus when it is focused. Further, they will analyze the effects on declarative and procedural knowledge.

Multimedia

As described in the above section, this lesson utilizes several videos and audio recordings in the experiments. In addition, the learning content consists of a podcast on the Soundcloud platform, as well as an article. Unlike Lesson 1, these content items are not framed by the Collabrify Writer.

Evaluation

In addition to the requirement that students make meaningful contributions to the collaborative notes and bibliography, they must also complete two experiments and record their results. The results are available to the whole class for analysis and must be used to complete the summative assessment in Lesson 3.