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Constant Technology Use May Hamper Kids' Ability To Learn
hessian writes "Scholars who study the role of media in society say no long-term studies have been done that adequately show how and if student attention span has changed because of the use of digital technology. But there is mounting indirect evidence that constant use of technology can affect behavior, particularly in developing brains, because of heavy stimulation and rapid shifts in attention."
http://www.technologyreview.com/news/506466/given-tablets-but-no-teachers-ethiopian-children-teach-themselves/
while out?
seems to be generational but my younger friends (20's) are always checking their phones, even while I'm talking to them at dinner or a social event!
what the hell. since when was that good manners?
since never. but few seem to care.
additionally, look at the younger crowd as they walk on the public streets. if there isn't a pair of white wires coming out of their ears and their stand perma-pointed downward, then they are the odd one out.
this is directly related to attention span and constantly 'needing' to be connected.
time will tell, but I don't think this is a foward step.
--
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
there may or may not be a problem. Please update us every hour. Thanks.
Instead of parking them in front of your TV or your smartphone & Netflix, why not interact with them? Read them a story? Make pictures with glue and macaroni? DO SOMETHING.
I want to delete my account but Slashdot doesn't allow it.
I was just going to say that. From TFA:
“What we’re labeling as ‘distraction,’ some see as a failure of adults to see how these kids process information,” Ms. Purcell said. “They’re not saying distraction is good but that the label of ‘distraction’ is a judgment of this generation.”
also
The surveys include some findings that appear contradictory. In the Common Sense report, for instance, some teachers said that even as they saw attention spans wane, students were improving in subjects like math, science and reading.
I don't usually bag on teachers, but may be this is a sign that your methods are becoming--shock--outdated?
I found this link with Google: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/01/education/technology-is-changing-how-students-learn-teachers-say.html?pagewanted=all
The only time my son seems to focus is when he is in minecraft and that is because he likes minecraft.
http://michaelsmith.id.au
I use technology the whole time and my attention span is
awesome link.
Don't worry, in ten seconds, you'll click to a link to a completely different topic that will catch your eye and you'll forget this.
Ezekiel 23:20
Other sources seem to show that children exposed to technology might actually end up learning better than otherwise. http://dvice.com/archives/2012/10/ethiopian-kids.php
Or medication? I would blame the drug pushing pharmaceutical companies selling promises that the kid will behave if he just takes a pill...
“He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
I remember reading similar concerns when PBS came out with a radical new TV program called "Sesame Street." ;^)
It is much easier asking these questions than doing actual research and coming up with some answers. I think a lot depends on what they are doing with technology: if they are reading and learning or just goofing around and wasting time.
I taught college classes for a number of years. Eventually, it became very common for students to bring their laptops with them to class. Some of them followed my lecture notes and tried sample problems. Others read email, web sites, or played games with the sound turned off. As long as they weren't disruptive, I didn't try to stop them.
Of course, K-12 is very different than college, but when I was in high school, I carried a book with me to read when a class got boring. These days I carry several books on my phone in case I get some extra time. My grades were pretty good, so I didn't seem to suffer from not paying attention.
Essentially, the question seems to be: "Does the teacher have to keep the students entertained?" Perhaps it should be phrased: "Does the teacher have to keep the students involved?" Teachers that drone on endlessly, sometimes reading their lecture notes, will have problems. Those that interact with their students and have activities that involve the students will do much better. As always, anything that changes the current situation is suspect.
It has to be the smartphones and laptops everywhere! Because kids did none of these things back in 1998
It has certainly hampered my ability to take out the garbage or rake leaves in the backyard, as my wife will gladly tell you.
You are welcome on my lawn.
So does sitting in a near silent classroom listening to a teacher drone on and on and on, with little or no regard to if anyone is paying attention for hours a day, most of the year, 12+ years in a row.
I was just going to say that. From TFA:
“What we’re labeling as ‘distraction,’ some see as a failure of adults to see how these kids process information,” Ms. Purcell said. “They’re not saying distraction is good but that the label of ‘distraction’ is a judgment of this generation.”
also
The surveys include some findings that appear contradictory. In the Common Sense report, for instance, some teachers said that even as they saw attention spans wane, students were improving in subjects like math, science and reading.
I don't usually bag on teachers, but may be this is a sign that your methods are becoming--shock--outdated?
Traditional school is was pretty horrible in my mind. Most kids were lost or bored in math and science. Geography, history, etc, were just fact cramming: a free grade for those who could only learn by rote, pointless data for others. God forbid you picked a promising, but inappropriate book from the library: you were stuck with it for an hour or a day. Talk about a low information environment.
Bring on the internet, I say. It can't be any worse that the old system. It's already revolutionized work (I used to see 10+ books per cube, now 1 is about the most.) Time to do it for school.
Geography, history, etc, were just fact cramming
I actually noticed the same thing with math, and oftentimes, even science. Just memorize these equations and look for the patterns I showed you to figure out when you should used them on the test! Oh, and it's okay to forget them after that; your math teacher next year will have you memorize them again...
Filthy, filthy copyrapists!
TL;DR
Have gnu, will travel.
And this is a completely separate and much more important problem -- students do not understand the material, and have nothing but superficial similarities to guide them in application of those thoughtlessly memorized methods. They have fake knowledge that is applied in cargo-cult fashion, and provides nothing for future learning or improvements.
Contrary to the popular belief, there indeed is no God.
I'll make this issue more puzzling by pointing out how, in the US, many systems are cheating on students' test results because of the high stakes instituted by No Child Left Behind. I know that Atlanta and Montgomery, AL, schools have recently been busted because administrators were changing test results. And, in Montgomery, making extreme changes, say like a 7 on a skills test being changed to a 70. Likely the situation is worse in Southern states, where education funding problems are often worse. But I strongly suspect that the US is no longer gathering credible data in many districts nation-wide.