issue #6 Student Attention Spans in a Digital World
Is Educational Technology Shortening Student Attention Spans
"If we teach today as we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow." - John Dewey
The YouTube video "Pay Attention" mentions a T-shirt with the slogan, "It's not attention deficit - I'm just not listening".
Technology is evolving, improving and becoming more accessible through a range of devices. Students of the digital age are able to access information at an ever increasing speed. This accessibilty means students are recieving and analyzing information constantly. Does this lead to shorter attention spans, yes and no. Information and stimuli are coming at students from all angles. However, students can remain attentive to multiple activities, they have mastered the art of multi-tasking. What appears to be short attention spans is really shared attention spans. So contrary to the yes answer, no, attention spans of students are not shortening, attention is divided among various activities. Education, educational methods and educational technologies must adapt to take full advantage of students' abilities to manage multiple tasks at once. Educators cannot keep students in desks with pencils and paper and expect them to listen passively to lectures now that technology has changed the way society operates.
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