Course design, continued thoughts

Later: OK, the 2 Ds of ADDIE are Document, Design. We're learning not just course design, but getting a toolbox of design elements we can use. So I'm excited. My project will be some kind of tutorial on APA for Post students from the Writing Center. (not the website/workbook project for the French textbook I'm contracted to do, which would be way too big for this week anyway). I'm so grateful to be able to jump into this course, which I can audit (even if I do have to do comp time at night). It's occuring to me in my haste and diminishing attention span that I'm producing 'late blooming parentheses.'
But to return to the ostensible subject of this blog: the impact of technology on reading/writing/thinking skills, I just came across another article on how technology use reduces brain size in adolescents. What are we doing to our students when we encourage online learning? Would it matter if students were younger students doing hybrid or blended courses, or using Blackboard in a completely face 2 face class? Or would that brain plasticity just be caused 'normal' Internet use among young people: social networking, gaming, mobile apps--and texting in class
:-)? I'll read the article and get back to you... Most have read In the Shallows, about the lack of attention span among even adult readers used to more 'deep' reading time. It seems to me that the critical thinking required of online instruction would help mitigate this trend, although brains have plasticity, can be altered even at my advanced age, which is both exzciting and scary. Who knows what different kinds of reading, writing, and thinking we're accustoming ourselves and our students to? I've seen references to 'popcorn brain.' Pretty soon I'll fill in with proper APA format to cite these things, and do my job right.