Digital Learning Blog

Book Bytes: Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology: Teaching, learning, and the science of memory in a wired world

January 12, 2024  / Digital Learning  / Tags: Online Teaching, Book Bytes

Book Bytes:  Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology  

Video (5:24)

Title

Miller, M. D. (2022). Remembering and forgetting in the age of technology: Teaching, learning, and the science of Memory in a wired world. West Virginia University Press.

Free ebook at FGCU library

What is the topic?

Is our dependence on technology to remember everything impacting our ability to remember anything? In the 21^st century, we are all using technology to help us remember important information for our very busy lives.  Our phones remember important calendar dates and times, phone numbers, images, how to navigate to and from places, and even translate languages.  Google is the repository for much of our foundational knowledge while YouTube teaches us how to do everything from a messy bun to building a log cabin from scratch! How do we help students to focus and remember important course content when there is so much competition for their attention?

Why is the topic important?

As educators, we know that memory is critical for student success.  21^st century educators struggle to capture student attention and without attending to course content, there is no memory.  Miller offers concise, nontechnical explanations about the major principles of memory and attention—often debunking commonly accepted myths we hold about memory. Once we understand how memory and technology can work together, educators can be more successful in teaching and utilizing strategies that help students be more successful in remembering important course concepts and content. 

Who can use this information?

• • F2F instructors
  • Online instructors/faculty
  • Instructional Designers

Top three takeaways

• • Know the facts about memory (debunk myths/strategies to remember things).
  • Be clear about what and why certain content should be remembered in your course.
  • Teach students skills for setting boundaries in technology use (both inside and outside class).