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In my time as a student I have written many essays, and I finish them most in about an hour, at least the ones were my phone is not involved. This essay took me all weekend. Not because it was challenging but because every five minutes stopped typing and checked Mainstream. I believe that technology is distracting students in a very powerful yet subtle way. The urge to use technology in class is affecting students by taking up their attention. So many outside distractions make it hard for the teacher to compete with social media for the students attention.
The worst part might be that students don’t e the effect that technology is having on their attention spans. They don’t see technology as a roadblock for education. People might say that technology enhances education because it gives more information faster, and that is true except for the fact that students are misusing the power of technology by going off track and essentially missing the lesson being taught. The internet is a great and expansive place, and that is why sometimes students rather explore it then listen to their teachers.
All these sites and APS are taking up the attention of students throughout the world. This is hon. in a Canadian study which proves that computers are helping lower the users grade and his or hers classmates as well. The experiment showed that students who were using computers during the lecture had lower grades than those who were using pen and paper. The worst part is that students around the computer user were also affected and they too had lower grades. A professor at NYU said that “screens generate distraction in a manner akin to second-hand smoke. He teaches Media Studies and was an advocate for the use of technology during class. The tipping point for him was when he realized that the distractions spread. He no longer allows the use of technological devices unless the assignment requires it. He also stated that when technology was removed from the environment, it was like a breath of fresh air. His students are only concentrated on him and he no longer has to compete for attention. This has lead to fewer multi-tasters and a more concentrated class over all.
The first step in fighting an addiction is admitting you have one. That is one of the main issues with technology in the classroom because students don’t realize the way that technology is hindering their education. The Canadian experiment asked the computer using participants if he considered themselves hindered and they mostly responded by saying that they didn’t believe that the computer would affect their test scores. It did. The difference in grades between paper users and computer users was B+ to B-.
Those who were distracted by being around a computer user didn’t even realize it. They suffered test scores just as bad as those who had the computer in front Of them. Technology is sneaky in the way that it distracts. It may not be obvious at first but it will be apparent when the test scores come back. Technology is also a great tool for conducting research and other school related activities and that is true but only when it is used correctly. The fact that people see the internet as a tool is good.
The problem is that it is also filled with non academic websites that can distract the students. I’m not against technology and I do find it helpful, but I can say that I am personally held back by its outer influences such as Mainstream and Backbone. Larry Rosen Ph. D conducted a study that showed that most students got distracted about three minutes into the study session. This clearly shows that technology changes the amount of concentration we can give one objective at one time.