Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology: Teaching, Learning, and the Science of Memory in a Wired World PDF
Preview Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology: Teaching, Learning, and the Science of Memory in a Wired World
Remembering and Forgetting in the Age of Technology TEACHING AND LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION James M. Lang, Series Editor A list of titles in this series appears at the end of this volume. REMEMBERING AND FORGETTING IN THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY Teaching, Learning, and the Science of Memory in a Wired World Michelle D. Miller West Virginia University Press Morgantown Copyright © 2022 by West Virginia University Press All rights reserved First edition published 2022 by West Virginia University Press Printed in the United States of America ISBN 978 -1- 952271-46-5 (cloth) / 978 - 1-9 52271 - 47 - 2 (paperback) / 978 - 1-9 52271 - 48 - 9 (ebook) Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress Cover design by Than Saffel / WVU Press For my mother, Dr. Darla Ferris Miller CONTENTS Introduction: Machines, Memory, and Learning 1 1. W hat Technology Does to Us (and for Us): Taking a Critical Look at Common Narratives 19 2. Why We Remember, Why We Forget 45 3. E nhancing Memory and Why It Matters (Even though Google Exists) 87 4. Memory Requires Attention 133 5. Th e Devices We Can’t Put Down: Smartphones, Laptops, Memory, and Learning 171 Conclusion: How Memory Can Thrive in a Technology- Saturated Future 211 Notes 227 Acknowledgments 253 Index 257 INTRODUCTION MACHINES, MEMORY, AND LEARNING Our minds are made of memories, and today, those memo- ries have competition. Where we once depended on human memory — our own, other people’s, the collective knowledge of a society passed down orally and in books — we now turn to digital records. Computers ranging from tiny wearables to vast AI- driven networks are what we rely on to remember, to remind, and to reminisce. For most of us, these machines have seam- lessly integrated themselves into every corner of our lives. We are at a point in history where it’s impossible to talk about human memory without also talking about the digital memory mechanisms that run alongside our own. And make no mistake, we do need to be talking about memory. For one, there’s simply more to know today than there ever has been before; name almost any subject area or professional specialization, and there’s a vast and exponen- tially growing knowledge base that goes along with it. There are also greater rewards now for people who’ve cracked the code for acquiring and using knowledge, who know how to
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