PIC OF FLT WAS DISTRACTED WITH NEW FLT PLANS BEING RECEIVED ON PRINTER AND DID NOT NOTICE FO DSND THROUGH CLRED ALT.

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ON BDF ARR INTO ORD; WE WERE CLRED TO 13000 FT. FO DSNDED THROUGH CLRED ALT TO 12400 FT BEFORE CLBING BACK UP. UPON REACHING 13000 FT; I CALLED ZAU TO CONFIRM OUR ALT CLRNC. CTR CONFIRMED OUR ALT CLRNC OF 13000 FT AND THEN PROCEEDED TO CLR US DIRECT TO ORD AND TO MAINTAIN 11000 FT. CTR DID NOT SEEM TO ACKNOWLEDGE OUR DEV. HUMAN FACTORS ISSUES? PRIOR TO THE CLRNC; I HAD BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH DISPATCH OVER ACARS TO ESTABLISH A NEW ALTERNATE; ADVISE HIM OF EFC TIMES; AND DISCUSS FUEL CONSIDERATIONS. ALSO; WE HAD BEEN REASSIGNED BY THE CREW DESK. NEW FLT PLANS AND BRIEFING INFO WAS ALSO COMING OVER THE PRINTER. THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED BEFORE LEAVING THE HIGH ALT SECTOR. WHILE I THOUGHT ALL OF THESE EXTERNAL ISSUES HAD BEEN ADDRESSED; ANOTHER FLT PLAN CAME OVER THE PRINTER JUST BEFORE THE ALTDEV. I BECAME CONFUSED WHILE STUDYING IT UNTIL I REALIZED IT WAS FOR THE NEXT SEGMENT AND CREW FOR THAT AIRPLANE. I SAW THEN THE FO'S MISTAKE. I DON'T RECALL HEARING THE ALT ALERT. WHILE I RECOGNIZE MY FAULT AND RESPONSIBILITY TO ADHERE TO CLRNCS; I QUESTION THE NEED FOR IRRELEVANT MESSAGES TO OUR FLT SENT TO US; ESPECIALLY WITHIN 30 MINS OF LNDG.