The Challenge of Attention
See if you can read through this entire blog post without being distracted by e-mails, hyperlinks, instant messengers, or the phone in your pocket.
I bet you can pretty easily, if you choose to.
I also know most of the Stew readers are adults, many of whom raise similar questions of how the digital world is changing how attentive we are, how we consume and produce information, and how we communicate with others. I also believe that many in the blogging community choose to focus their attention on longer–by digital age standards, at least–texts and essays.
Paul Barnwell 
What a great idea about the seminar class. It establishes a clear expectation about the use of technology during class time. Do you think this would work in a high school setting?
Thanks for the link Emily!
Hey Marcus,
I understand your perspective, but I think as adults who might have the attention-thing figured out, more or less, we have to be careful when teaching kids and using the tools available to us. I currently am annoyed by students in my digital media class, because, as usual, they have a really hard time focusing on editing their projects when they constantly jockey over to YouTube or Twitter. I don’t want to block the sites, but I might have to.
I’ll have to check out the productivity clock.
Thanks for commenting Rebecca! Being the same age as you, I completely agree with your perspective. I don’t feel short-changed at all to have grown up on the cusp of the information and connectivity onslaught–I think it’s more of a challenge for teachers and students today to capture attention and figure out what the best tools are for teaching and learning.
This is a tough topic for me (mainly because it doesn’t bother me).
As a teacher I expect attention and participation in the lesson. It is the ground rule. However, students check text messages throughout the period whether it is in my lesson or the class activity. I never draw attention to it unless it begins to significantly distract the student or the students around them.
In a case where a student checks a message and is quickly back on task, I have no problems in that instance. It is only when disruptions are prolonged that I take issue with lack of concentration.
I personally have no problem being attentive and responsible for myself when I am in a meeting or listening to a lecture. So I am generally irritated when I feel like I am being policed for something I can control. I have been known to ignore the “Turn in Cell Phones” sign at testing locations and it has never been a problem…my phone is off and in my pocket. I never pull it out until I am safely in my own car.
But while reading on the internet it is normal for me to have 5-10 tabs open. So I am easily distracted and it is tougher to focus. A productivity clock is sometimes helpful for me. http://productivityclock.com/
It is crucial that your students know and understand your expectations upfront.
It is also crucial to know your students…are they capable and mature enough to handle those small freedoms?
I was completing my undergraduate studies when sites such as Facebook were just emerging. At that time I viewed the internet more as a resource for educational purposes, not really an onslaught of distraction. Now in graduate school, I find that I can lose focus very easily while doing homework, as I now view the internet not just as an educational resource, but also a place to waste time. I can’t even imagine what it must be like to be a child or young adult today, where quick access to so many technological products is omnipresent.
-Rebecca 🙂
Great post. It is a problem.
Absolutely! We should worry greatly about the obsession with portable electronics. They should not be allowed in the classroom. Even the best classroom teacher is no competition for the ipod. Sq
We should, shouldn’t we? And if there is any objection, try to look after the possibility to accommodate it.
Interesting technique with the seminar. I mostly took literature/humanities seminar classes during undergrad that required close reading of hard copy texts, and it’s hard for me to imagine having much use for my cell phone in this setting.
Sounds like you’ve got some decent norms established–that’s a big part of this discussion as well. During faculty meetings, sometimes many teachers, including myself once in while–I’ll admit it–get out their phones. Largely because norms haven’t been clearly established.
Here at our University faculty employ several methods to assist students with technology distractions.
In one of our larger classes (1200 students), there is a no technology zone, it is in the front of the auditorium, no phones and computers are allowed for note taking, but not for “surfing”. Students can sit and the back of the auditorium and do what they want with technology, with the exception of talking on cell phones.
In seminar classes, faculty use the technology to their advantage by having students actively search and report during class. If your computer or phone are visible then you are fair game to be called upon to find and report on questions the faculty may ask you. This discourages random surfing as you might be called upon to find something and if you are not paying attention. This could prove to be embarrassing, if you ask the faculty to repeat the question.
We also have a couple of faculty who use Twitter as a back channel for conversations around the subject at hand. This is monitored by a TA.
In my personal teaching, I try and include technology in my teaching, sometimes it can still be a distraction, but as you pointed out so can doodling, day dreaming and note passing.
“Do you worry about being disrespectful during meetings or presentations if you pull out your phone?”
Whenever I deliver the training (in-house, public) and lecturing (to students, teachers, lecturers), I always explain that “we” have the rule of the game that everyone in the classroom or training venue should follow. It’s explained after the introduction session ends.
The convention is that everyone should keep their mobile devices, including mobile phones of course, in the silent mode. Not only that, if they are expecting urgent call then they have to notify me as the training lead, and pick up their phones outside the venue.
What does it take to fully engage you in the classroom or during a presentation?
– Interesting lecture or presentation in the sense that the contents are in for me (beneficiary aspects)
– Engaging way of its delivery by the lecturer or the presenter by involving majority of attendees or participants
– Turn-off or put it in silent mode of all electronic devices I bring inside the room or venue unless it’s requested and needed
Thanks Greg!
Look forward to reading your post. Will it even be worth attempting to present or teach in-person if the new norm becomes “get my attention if you can?”
The whole etiquette thing bothers me a bit too.
Nice post Paul. I too have been paying attention to the two articles you alluded to in your piece. I’m actually working on a post similar to yours. So thanks for taking care of that for me.