Though Marcovitz and Son (2008) debate the two sides of technology's effect on student attention span, they both essentially agree that the students of today are "wired differently because of technology" (p. 9), and that this new wiring results in kids who want fast input and immediate rewards. Where these two educators differ is in how they view this phenomenon: Son is wholeheartedly excited at the educational opportunities technology affords while Marcovitz is wary about its effects, and worried that we aren't seeing the downsides of its constant use. As a digital immigrant who still sees much to gain in realtime interactions, I fall a little more under Marcovitz's way of thinking.
I will not deny the gifts technology brings us, and I'm learning a lot of wonderful applications that I plan to use in my classroom, but, like Marcovitz, I worry that "the kind of deep thought and attention to important matters is what is absent in the fast-paced world of educational technology" (p. 9). It seems to me that the instant-gratification engendered by educational technology is great for learning facts and processes but less great for encouraging the kind of thinking skills that, by their nature, require time.
My question is, have any studies been done about this generation's reasoning skills? Is it possible that students' intellectual development is being stunted by dependence on electronic media? Can we balance our use of technology with activities that foster unhurried reflection and grappling with conceptual complexities? To me, that seems to be the best way to blend the old ways with the new, and reap the benefits of both.
Marcovitz, D.M., Son, J.D. (2008). Is Educational Technology Shortening Student Attention Spans? Learning and Leading with Technology: August, 2008.
I agree with you Noelle, and am cautious to welcome a rewiring of brains unreservedly with open arms. I think that it is a cop out to assert that because entertainment offers instant gratification that students now can only respond to instant gratification. For one thing, instant gratification isn't a new invention. So I doubt that the young now are really any less likely to benefit from exercises that require thoughtful deliberation than generations past. They may make connections differently, or have different insights or ways of attacking problems, but frankly I expect the variation across the population to still be pretty broad in all ages regarding learning processes, just as they always have been.
ReplyDeleteI just don't buy the idea that people are really that radically different than in the past in the fundamental ways we think and function and anyone saying that we must grant kids today the instant gratification they crave is just cutting our kids and ourselves short.
I like the way Alexis referred to instant gratification as a "cop out," I completely agree. It is now implied that a lack of instant gratification gives students an excuse to not pay attention when subject matter becomes even slightly dry. Good discussion topic ladies. I would like to add to this by saying that I believe students and teachers who accept this as the norm will have great difficulties integrating subject matter. Tying information together is very difficult when students only care for the superficial short lessons. There needs to be deep thought in order to play the chess game all the way out. The truth behind the statement "History Repeats Itself," can rapidly be lost in the generations to come.
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