The new modus operandi: techno tasking: recognizing students' ability to use multiple technologies simultaneously presents a new paradigm.

The ability of students to multi-task with technology carries major ramifications for classroom instruction and decision making.

Multi-tasking with technology has created a new way to process and use information. Techno tasking occurs when an individual uses two or more technologies at the same time. This is distinguished from multi-tasking where an individual can do several things at once.

In Growing Up Digital, author Don Tapscott points out that the students of today already are receiving and processing information differently from their parents. Idit Hare, author of Children Designers, sees today's children as different types of learners. Their attention spans are shorter so they can multi-task with ease. Participation is now interaction. The techno tasker is now doing and learning many things simultaneously.

All at Once

Most of us are not content to complete one task at a time. When we drive, we listen to the radio, talk on the cell phone, eat between appointments, groom ourselves and still have the ability to read billboards. Trips to the supermarket are continuous connections to the electronic and cyber world. The family minivan is now an electronic and virtual playground with VCRs, video games, cell phones, tape players, CD players and even satellite radio.

Multisensory participation with picture phones, computers and other interactive technologies has captivated our society. Teen-agers are continuously connected, instant messaging five or more friends simultaneously. While on the computer, these same teens are downloading MP3s, listening to music, doing homework, talking on a cell phone, checking e-mail and searching the web. Isn't homework enough?

Halfway through a Sunday morning jog, I encountered an elderly man sitting on a park bench along the jogging trail. He was engrossed in a crossword puzzle. About 10 minutes later on the return the same crossword puzzle demon was talking on a cell phone, smoking a pipe, sipping coffee and still working on the puzzle. A small laptop computer was also taking up some space on the bench. It became clear from this scene that teenagers are not the only techno taskers.

John Horrigan, author of a recent report by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, found that more than 30 percent of Americans are "highly tech savvy," people for whom the Internet, cell phones and hand-held devices are more indispensable than television and old-fashioned phones.

Teaching Implications

One could view techno tasking as another element of distraction. Sleeping and doodling were other attractive options for students before cell phones and laptop computers. However, radio, television, movies and rock and roll were all considered distractions by many. Now they are part of mainstream society and used as educational tools.

We are living in electronic and cyber times. There is no longer a debate about the use of computers, digital cameras, videos and calculators in school. The issue is how to use them in teaching and learning.

For years, educators and parents have been concerned that students are easily distracted and unable to complete in-depth assignments. For years, students have complained that school moves too slowly and does not interest them. Is it the subject or is it the speed of the transmission of information? Is it possible that students are really bored and are capable of doing more than one simple task? is it possible that schooling is not challenging to the techno tasker? Is it possible that an attention deficit is really an asset or even a legitimate human mutation?

What are the implications of techno tasking for educators? Should students be encouraged to multi-task using technology? How does the teacher plan for this? How many technologies could or should be used at one time? What kinds of lessons will maximize student learning with a multi-technology platform? What types of learning are best facilitated by this model of pedagogy ? How distracting is techno tasking to the instructor, especially in universities where hand-held devices, cell phones and laptops are allowed in classes? When does multi-tasking become a problem? Should homework become an exercise in techno tasking? Teachers, administrators and other policymakers need to address these questions in cyber times.

Multiple Methods

The web quest is one method of capturing students' ability to techno task. The web quest is the type of activity that educators use to integrate technology and curriculum. In a web quest a student is presented with a set of closed and open-ended questions. The instructor provides websites to find specific answers with links to other sources for additional information. The teacher's role is to review websites, plan, guide and facilitate.

A web quest on the war in Iraq would include a search for specific facts about the country and the region. The quest would include questions about the causes and consequences of the war. Students would be guided to sources to find information to justify their positions. Because research no longer is limited to reference books and texts, this teaching technique enables students to access multiple sources of information quickly and easily. The teacher must help students filter information, provide methods of analysis and provide guidance to evaluate websites and use information.

The web quest allows the techno-tasker to use audio, visual and print simultaneously. Several windows can be available at the same time. E-mails and IM can keep students and teachers connected during the web quest. Live video streaming also can keep everyone connected and on task. The teacher does not have to wait until class is over to provide feedback and encouragement.

In the web quest, the teacher must set appropriate goals with multiple methods of achieving them. The teacher's role changes from the keeper and broadcaster of information to the facilitator of learning. The teacher provides the students with opportunities to learn and the criteria for making decisions about the accuracy and relevance of information. Evaluation of websites and information must be taught.

In Arlington Heights, Ill., 3rd graders are asked to judge the authenticity of websites and the accuracy of information when presented with a reference site about "Whale Watching on Lake Michigan." Students are taught to search for clues about the site and its contents. Much like students in the 1950s were told not to believe everything in the newspapers, students in the 21st century must be taught not to believe everything they see on the Internet. The techno tasker must be an information connoisseur with the teacher serving as a guide using multiple paths to achieving goals.

The field trip or excursion is another opportunity for the appropriate use of techno tasking. Picture phones and digital cameras connected to phones or hand-held devices provide instantaneous connections to the home, school, students, teachers and field trip guides. Data can be immediately stored or transmitted. One can actually look, listen and learn at the same time at a number of different levels. The field trip is real and virtual at the same time.

Staff Meetings

School executives can use techno tasking as a means to improve productivity at professional meetings. The key is the planning and structure of meetings. If the guidelines are reasonable and allow for techno tasking, much can be gained. (See related story below.)

During administrative and staff meetings several participants would be connected to the internet and research topics that arise during the meeting. These searches provide valuable information and immediate answers to questions of fact. The discussion can be enriched by these searches. Principals can be contacted immediately via e-mail and can respond without leaving the meeting to take a phone call.

Text messaging is another form of instant communication that is helpful and does not distract the group. Teachers can use e-mail to contact parents or record grades at some point during the meeting. Text messaging and e-mail can relieve the anxiety staff members feel when they need to know where their children are after school. These quick electronic messages are not distractions. They ease anxiety and can keep a staff member focused on the business at hand.

Business Use

Business leaders who are ignoring the electronic culture are not unlike educators who dismiss the ability of students to multi-task with technology. Today's administrative assistant works with several computer screens, handles multiple phone calls simultaneously with a headset and uses faxes, recording devices and other office machines on a regular basis. Workers and managers need to recognize that techno tasking is a viable way to function in everyday business situations.

Business meetings have been filled with techno taskers for years. While the sales manager is discussing the latest strategy, staff members are checking their laptop computers for e-mails, surfing the Internet, making plane reservations and answering cell phones. Meeting leaders must be aware that spouses, relatives, clients and friends are connected during the meeting.

Some managers now are banning cell phones and prohibiting web access by individuals during meetings. Are these devices distractions or is the staff able to tune into both the meeting and to the technology? One could assume that techno tasking would be a natural for younger business executives. Yet they are not the only ones who are bored and disconnected at business meetings.

At a recent seminar, a colleague in his 50s admitted: "I have a hard time sitting through meetings with all of the technology at my fingertips. Meetings are too slow. I could participate in the meeting and still be productive with my laptop and cell phone or hand-held device. I would use different types of technology to enhance productivity during meetings, but I don't want to be rude."

The business leader who accepts techno tasking may conduct a more productive meeting. Meeting planners need to discuss this with participants when setting the agenda. The key to constructive techno tasking is the recognition of the types of activities that contribute to productive meetings.

An Opportunity

Techno tasking is a phenomenon, not an answer. Our culture is changing and we need to adapt to it by adopting the best methods to teach and to do business.

In professional football, plays are relayed to the quarterback through a wireless microphone while the coaches analyze digital pictures and computer programs to determine whether opponents tend to repeat certain plays. A player can view the replay on the Jumbotron while listening to his coach call the signals for the next play.

If techno tasking is enabling for the National Football League, then why not recognize that participation and interaction are now available on many levels simultaneously in the school setting as well? The predominant method of teaching today remains the presenting of information through lecture and testing recall. Students in the digital age are bound by pedagogy, not technology.

The digital age encourages active participation. The techno tasker is not only a student but also a worker and a consumer. Business leaders need to adapt to changing consumer patterns and to adopt policies that reflect a changing workforce. Educational and business leaders must recognize new ways of communicating and use them to enhance productivity.

RELATED ARTICLE: Techno tasking at our administrative meetings.

Pagers vibrate, cell phones serenade, computers hum, personal digital assistants buzz and PowerPoint flashes. It's not a new-age coffee shop or a busy airport lounge, but rather a school district administrative meeting. In fact, it's our administrative meeting in the Arlington Heights, Ill., School District 25.

Technology is building new paradigms within institutions. Computers, cell phones and other hand-held technologies are changing individual habits and even our social relationships. We can solve a problem and complete multiple tasks simultaneously from many locations.

The virtual meeting, like the virtual classroom, has transformed our notions of time and space. Meeting focus and behavior are changing. The administrator has the tools to manage a building-level problem during an offsite meeting. At times during a meeting an agenda item may not involve a particular individual. By having a laptop computer with Internet access, the meeting participant can switch to another task while staying in touch with the conversation, ready to switch back to active participation when appropriate.

Active Meetings

Virtual behavior has consequences in the real world. Do administrators use technology in a productive manner? Are we ignoring the new social situations created by adopting new technologies?

New technologies transform our patterns of behavior. Computing is no longer about computers but about the way we live and do business. In my district, the minutes of the general administrative meeting are created during the meeting and some e-mail summations are also sent during the meeting. If one or two of the 25 or so administrative team members cannot be present, the minutes are available on his or her computer at the conclusion of the meeting.

During administrative meetings, an elementary school principal, Chris Fahnoe, uses instant messaging and e-mails to keep in contact with office staff and tech support staff. He tracks discipline referrals and parent phone calls. He responds to general e-mails from staff and even completes some "to do" items based on discussions at the meeting. Before, during and after, Fahnoe is able to access the Internet and research what he needs. Other administrators have been able to answer questions during discussion using online resources such as the Illinois School Code. They read blogs and check news groups on discussion topics.

Assistant Superintendent Mike Fustin uses his PDA during administrative meetings to keep tabs on personnel issues and appointments that are constantly in flux. Bob Inglesby, the district's educational technology coordinator and facilitator, sees techno-tasking as an opportunity. "In my role ... the vast majority of my work can be accomplished from a computer with Internet access and a cell phone for voice communication. This is why I can effectively work from home ... or a well-equipped meeting room," he says.

With the increased dependence on network services, timely responses to problems that arise have become a priority. Inglesby can complete various tasks efficiently and effectively during meetings. He has been able to manage remote servers and other devices with Virtual Private Network capability and remote control software such as Apple's Remote Desktop and Netopia's Timbuktu Pro. A wireless Internet connection enables him to access his desktop computer, district network, web and e-mail servers, network routers, the firewall/content filter and e-mail spam filter. This capability allows him to monitor these devices, make configuration changes or access stored documents when problems occur without having to leave a meeting.

A Cultural Challenge

Langdon Winner, in his book The Whale and the Reactor: A Search for Limits in an Age of High Technology, challenges us to think about the consequences of adopting new technologies. Winner believes we could be guilty of "technological somnambulism" or sleepwalking through a paradigm shift. Will we accept Winner's challenge or will we wander trance-like, oblivious to the new social situations created by new technologies?

Techno taskers must be willing to address changing social relationships by structuring meetings to fit the needs of participants while accomplishing the meeting's objectives.

Techno taskers also must answer the question posed by sociologist and critic Lewis Mumford, author of The Myth of the Machine, who once said: "As we make things work, what kind of world are we making?"

--Alan Simon

Alan Simon is superintendent of Arlington Heights School District 25, 1200 South Dunton Ave., Arlington Heights, IL 60005. E-mail: simon@ ahsd25.k12.il.us. The author retains copyright to this article.