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Un-peer-reviewed / un-published research, but potentially interesting as support of the U Utah study. Summary: "What we found is on average most people perform better when focusing on one single task," said Ms. Ulmer. "But this one group of people-the high media multitaskers-performed best when they are in a multitasking environment. The high media multitaskers actually excelled in the multitasking room."

APA's 2006 summary of numerous research papers finds (1) humans are not able to multitask and (2) multitasking reduces efficiency. Their conclusion: avoid multitasking on complex tasks. Excerpt "Although switch costs may be relatively small, sometimes just a few tenths of a second per switch, they can add up to large amounts when people switch repeatedly back and forth between tasks. Thus, multitasking may seem efficient on the surface but may actually take more time in the end and involve more error. Meyer has said that even brief mental blocks created by shifting between tasks can cost as much as 40 percent of someone's productive time."

Stanford's summary of their 2009 study. Excerpt: "Again, the heavy multitaskers underperformed the light multitaskers. "They couldn't help thinking about the task they weren't doing," Ophir said. "The high multitaskers are always drawing from all the information in front of them. They can't keep things separate in their minds." The researchers are still studying whether chronic media multitaskers are born with an inability to concentrate or are damaging their cognitive control by willingly taking in so much at once. But they're convinced the minds of multitaskers are not working as well as they could."

Video demos of the Motion Math apps: http://youtu.be/5UDWKpq9Xoo http://youtu.be/97t9mZQV0aE http://vimeo.com/33657502 http://vimeo.com/27732712 http://vimeo.com/15358368

Semi-independent research on the use of Motion Math in a classroom shows significant results in both math performance and self-efficacy. It's important to note that this research was partially funded by Motion Math, and it's not a peer-reviewed study. Still, though, the results are intriguing. The Wired review of the study: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2011/12/motion-math-education-research/ The GameDesk writeup: http://www.gamedesk.org/projects/motion-math-in-class/ The GameDesk full study: http://www.gamedesk.org/reports/MM_FINAL_REPORT.pdf

An interesting article out of Stanford that cites research supporting the idea that flipped classrooms should be flipped!

What research says about technology integration.

"Many parents worry that "screen time" will impair children's development, but recent research suggests that most of the common fears about children and screens are unfounded. "

"The technology is being put to seemingly good uses, but some researchers disagree."

Multitasking feels good because of your brain chemicals, not because you're good at it. Excerpt: "Research has shown that when you multitask 'successfully', you activate the reward mechanism in your brain which releases dopamine, the happy hormone. This dopamine rush makes you feel so good that you believe you're being effective and further encourages your multitasking habit."

Articles and research.

A good article about one teacher's experiences with and criticisms of the "flipped classroom". This teacher focused on creating a learning environment that was student centered and put the ownership for learning on the students. Def. take some time to read this article if you are interested in and/or trying to "flip" any of your classes.

Selected key quotes from the article: "As I shifted my classroom from teacher-centered to student-centered, my students began to do lots of their their own research. Sometimes this resulted in them teaching each other. Sometimes they created a project with the knowledge they were acquiring. But the bottom line was that their learning had a purpose that was apparent to them, beyond simply passing the unit exam." "As this new way of learning played out over time, my students found they didn't need me to locate or create videos for them. Instead, they learned how to learn, and they were able to find their own resources. For me, this was a much more important skill than following my directions or using the resources I told them to use." "My students differentiated their own instruction. They worked at their own pace, since they chose their own resources. They could do extra work at home if they felt it necessary." "I talked to every student every day. I could look at their work, have them articulate their thinking process, and see where they were struggling. I could spend time helping those who really needed it."

This is the place to start if you are considering using ePortfolios with your students/classes. Dr. Barrett is an authority in the field of ePortfolios in the classroom. There are a ton of helpful resources and research articles related to ePortfolios here.

"This is the workspace for an online course Introduction to E-Portfolios in K-12 Schools, developed by Dr. Helen Barrett." https://sites.google.com/site/k12eportfolios/home

Additional resources from Helen Barrett: http://electronicportfolios.org/ Be sure to check out the following sections located on the page that opens from the above link: 1. "Electronic Portfolio Development" 2. "Frequently-Asked Questions" 3. ePortfolio Google Groups (might be a great way to connect with other teachers using ePortfolios!)

This is a must watch/view resource! A very informative and interactive Prezi Presentation all about ePortfolios which includes helpful visual aids and links to research articles. From the creator: "A short presentation designed for those who are unfamiliar with e-Portfolios. It defines, illustrates and identifies the impact of e-Portfolios on learning with a focus on the 5-18 age group."

Video summary of the 2009 study.

Excerpt: "They found that heavy multitaskers-those who multitask a lot and feel that it boosts their performance-were actually worse at multitasking than those who like to do a single thing at a time. The frequent multitaskers performed worse because they had more trouble organizing their thoughts and filtering out irrelevant information, and they were slower at switching from one task to another."

Abstract: "Driver distraction is a significant source of motor-vehicle accidents. This chapter begins by presenting a framework for conceptualizing the different sources of driver distraction associated with multitasking. Thereafter, the primary focus is on cognitive sources of distraction stemming from the use of a cell phone while driving. We present converging evidence establishing that concurrent cell phone use significantly increases the risk of a motor-vehicle accident. Next, we show that using a cell phone induces a form of inattention blindness, where drivers fail to notice information directly in their line of sight. Whereas cell-phone use increases the crash risk, we show that passenger conversations do not. We also show that real-world cell-phone interference cannot be practiced away and conclude by considering individual differences in multitasking ability. Although the vast majority of individuals cannot perform this dual-task combination without impairment, a small group of "supertaskers" can, and we discuss the neural regions that support this ability."

Excerpt: "A recent happiness study from Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert found that the more our minds wander, the less happy we are.... In short, being mentally "present" and focused on the task at hand really does matter - quite a lot, in fact."

Study found that most people multitask poorly, while a few people might be "supertaskers." Abstract: "Driver distraction is a significant source of motor-vehicle accidents.... concurrent cell phone use significantly increases the risk of a motor-vehicle accident.... using a cell phone induces a form of inattention blindness, where drivers fail to notice information directly in their line of sight.... real-world cell-phone interference cannot be practiced away.... a small group of "supertaskers" can [multitask]."