Technological advances have created amazing opportunities for people throughout the world to access and share information. These opportunities have helped to create a generation of young adolescents who want to make the most of each minute of the day, seizing opportunities to seek information and communicate at the same time. This generation is called GenM, or the "multitasking generation". GenM students believe they are adept at doing many things at the same time, or "multitasking". As research on this phenomenon begins to emerge, it is clear that educators must consider the implications of these GenM practices for their classrooms and help their students slow down and think critically about the things they read and write. This article focuses on current literature related to multitasking, including information on the characteristics of GenM learners. Pedagogical considerations for reading and writing instruction in the middle level classroom are explored, and suggestions are offered for translating traditional instructional methodologies into more multimedia-rich learning experiences for students. These strategies challenge students to learn when to slow down and critically examine the text or task at hand. (Contains 1 figure.)