Learn more, do nothing

Learn more, do nothing

Learning in Action (cc 2.0 http://www.flickr.com/photos/wisemandarine/2411122894/)

The New York Times reported this week that researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have found that rats don’t learn from experience until they take a break from the experience.  The break gives them time to process and create persistent memories.  Furthermore, the researchers believe that their findings almost certainly apply to the way humans learn. Uh oh…

Why uh oh?  Because many humans are increasingly connected to our ipads, blackberrys, smartphones, and laptops, keeping our brains engaged continually throughout the day.  And while all of that ubiquitous connectivity offers us the possibility of reaching heretofore unreachable levels of efficiency and productivity it seems that it might come at a price:  The Times reports that “when people keep their brains busy with digital input, they are forfeiting downtime that could allow them to better learn and remember information, or come up with new ideas. ”

Having recently started a new job, I can attest to the fact that there’s nothing like a silent drive or a brief nap to process and organize a great deal of new information.  My 45 minute commute home might be the most productive part of my day, as that’s where all of the sense-making is happening.  Strange as it may seem, sleeping has also been incredibly productive as I awake many mornings with a number of ideas synthesized from the previous day’s conversations, observations, and readings.

So as we come to the end of another summer and start getting geared up for the busier days of Fall let’s take a moment to remember:  There might be no better way to learn than by stopping, unplugging, and doing absolutely nothing.

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Time to Say Good-Bye

It’s been a good ride, but it seems I need to hop off of this bus to put my efforts into other areas.  Due to my workload and priorities right now, I will no longer be able to remain as a contributing author to this blog.  I feel very honored to have been asked to be a part of this wonderful effort, and I look forward to following the blog as a part of my personal learning experience.  I truly admire my fellow authors and can’t wait to see what they have to say next!

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