Thing 1 is an article published in the Chronicle of Higher Education in March of 2013. The article is You're Distracted: This Professor Can Help by Marc Parry. In this article we are introduced to Dr. David Levy, a professor in the Information School at the University of Washington and his class "Information and Contemplation." The class attempts to scrutinize how people use technology, how fragmented attention and emotional connection factor in to technology use and what methods might improve technology-related productivity.
Here's a mini-experiment: think back to this morning. What did you do in the first 20-30 minutes after you logged in to your computer on campus? Were you concentrated on a singular task (getting through emails) or where there multiple tasks involved (reading emails, listening to VM, popping onto your cell phone to check a text, following links to new websites, checking weather forecasts, etc)?
Full disclosure: I read this article three or four times. The first several times I read it were interrupted by LOTS of distractions: emails, a Google chat that popped up, a phone call on my cell phone that could have gone to voice mail, looking something up on Facebook, and more. The last time I read it, I closed all my other browser tabs and windows, turned off the volume on my computer (so I wouldn't hear the familiar ping of a Google chat) and just read.
Some food for thought as you read the article:
- Do you align with either the "never-better" or "better-never" trains of thoughts? Never-betters: the internet holds vast potential; we can unleash and harness advanced human intelligence. Better-nevers: this whole internet-technology-social media world is destroying our capacity for concentration and contemplation (and the ability to spell).
- Is it possible to educate our selves to be more attentive?
- Do you find the tools you use are helping you connect more or disconnecting you?
- Does age or generational gap have anything to do with our ability to work attentively?
- If you meditate, do you agree with the findings of the study the National Science Foundation funded by Levy and colleagues?
Post your thoughts/comments about the article in the comments section below. Happy undistributed reading!
Interesting, but my main reaction is about how my own problems are very different than this. I didn't look away to email or deal with a text message, but three different students stuck their heads in during the time it took me to read the piece. I'm not persuaded that the problem of distractions is new, or that it's essentially tied to new electronic formats.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this article. And even while I was reading it and trying to tell myself to concentrate on it I found myself checking my phone, switching to my email, etc. at some point while reading!
ReplyDeleteYesterday, I did challenge myself to focus on email and clean out my inbox that I've been putting off. By focusing and not letting myself do anything else for that period of time (except for items that specifically pertained to me being able to reply to the email) it really did allow me to get it done efficiently. Even right now as I type this I have several different tabs open. I'm completely guilty of being a "multitasker" and allowing myself to go back and forth between tasks and web pages easily. It is a no-brainer to me to have my work email, personal email, Pandora, calendar, the article I was reading, and a web browser open, but it certainly tempts the mind to wander quickly. Yesterday when I focused on email, I closed all other windows except my email, and it really did make a difference. Although I do believe it takes more of a training of the mind, because even with the distractions out of the way, my mind still wandered to other tasks, my phone, etc.
Personally I think email is my biggest distracting device, so when I need to work on a project I don't allow myself to check my email until after I am done, or after a couple of hours at least. And after spending most of the day connected, I am rarely on email, even on my phone, at home or on the weekends so that I can be present for the other things I'm focusing on. I'm a big believer that technology and social media is here to stay and can be used for positive things and bettering ourselves and our world. Not that there aren't a lot of people that ruin its potential. I try to only use social media for positive sharing and try to be example for others to do the same!
In our new world of technology (which has many positives) we are constantly available to everyone at all times, and therefore not really ever completely present to anything or anyone.
ReplyDeleteSeems like common sense to turn off personal electronics in class or while doing homework in order to truly focus. Although through no fault of their own, since they have never experienced life without being completely electronically connected, it may be necessary to teach digital natives how to disconnect in order to focus on the present without having technology withdraw meltdown. Maybe classes like Marc Parry's would be a good idea for first year students.
Hello Everyone;
ReplyDeleteJust a quick note to let you know this blog requires some sort of "authentication" to post comments (that's so it doesn't get spammed!). When you post a comment, you'll see a drop down box next to "Comment as:" if you choose Google account, and you're already logged into your Coe email, it will capture your Coe email name. Or, you could choose "Name/URL" and just type your name. If you have any of the other accounts listed (WordPress, LiveJournal, etc.) feel free to select and then put in your user credentials for the particular account you've selected.
While sometimes I think all the technology we have available to us can be too much of a good thing, what it has to offer is so amazing. It is interesting to realize young people need to "learn" to balance their use, because really, that is all they know. It would be sad for sure to see the "art of conversation" go by the wayside any more than it already has. I see more classes like this becoming part of the norm, as we learn to live this new way.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this article! I think it raises some great points - and many I have seen in my own life. I have definitely noticed that my friends and I fall into the trap of playing with our phones over dinner/socializing, etc. I have had to make a conscious effort not to do this - I'm improving, but it still is frustrating that this has become so normal I have to try not to do it. I agree these technologies are not going anywhere, so I'll have to figure it out.
ReplyDeleteFascinating article! I have my students read articles by Carr and Sharkey as well as that Gopnik article, so this is something I've thought about and discussed with them.
ReplyDeleteI am really bad at multitasking, and this world seems to encourage it. When I try to multitask, I end up feeling scattered and ineffective. Right now, I have 8 tabs open on my laptop!! OK, some of them are tabs I forgot to close, but still.
Am I a "better never" or a "never better"? I think there are some awesome aspects of our digital culture--I love the opportunities to create that it offers: blogs, multi-media stories, video, photo slideshows. I love staying in touch--with friends, with publications, with my profession--so easily.
I also think it's helping to make it easier for people who are easily distracted to be distracted. It's not that before computers, everyone was reading long and difficult texts--they weren't! That's always been a small sub-set of people. But maybe today, it's easier (and really rewarding, somehow) to get distracted.
When I used to tell my sons to stop playing video games and do something else, they'd have a hard time coming down from the instant gratification-high of that kind of experience. I think that's also true for when we multitask. It's hard to settle down after it and read a long book (for example). Maybe I will promote Professor Levy's meditation technique--for my boys, my students, and myself.
I have tried various methods to focus my time and energy in the name of productivity or "getting things done" in the past. However, in the past year or so, I'm seeking to focus more so I can understand and learn better, knowing that there will always be things to do. My trouble is that I like responding and communicating via email so much it's hard to pull away from it during the day.
ReplyDeleteNot long after I got my first smartphone, I realized I could not handle receiving notifications for every little app I had. While I do use my phone as a crutch and time filler/waster, I intentionally only get notifications for text messages and calls - no email or social media. Even with this, I'm frequently on my phone to read or view something whenever I have 30 seconds that go unfilled during the day.
I have started to put my phone down (out of my pocket) and let myself "disconnect" from it while at home at work at times. I need to do this more.
I have "email time" scheduled each morning when I arrive at the office but almost always spend more time than scheduled on it. I have read that it is more effective to check and respond only a few times per day instead of whenever possible. As much as I'd like to do that, I still haven't tried that out.
I do believe we are becoming more and more distracted and hope to move back towards disconnecting for devices more and connecting with people more.
I keep getting distracted when I try to read this article. C'est la vie.
ReplyDeleteI love the perspective Levy adds to these debates by adopting a mindfulness approach. This week I have been very attentive to email use, and I notice that I tend to turn to email when I feel intellectually stuck. If I'm experiencing writer's block, for example, I'll switch over to email so that I can "feel productive" rather than grapple with the more arduous task at hand. While I was in graduate school, I used to turn off wifi entirely to write. I may experiment with that again this summer!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
I thought I was the only one with this problem!
ReplyDeleteI have always been easily distracted, so it's hard for me to blame the Internet. If you took my computer away, (a) it would be hard to write this comment, but (b) I would be frequently looking out the window to watch the geese proliferating on campus. Ooh, now the Physical Plant guy is chasing him in his buggy! Who needs the Internet, anyway?
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in college, I would have conversations while I studied. I could do that then, and can't now, so it may be an age/brain pliability thing. This may be neither here nor there, but it makes me hesitant to judge or advise my students on what they should do (or not).
Someone at Coe I greatly admire is Jeff Hoover. We've been colleagues for 25 years, and I've long been amazed at his ability to read, comprehend and respond energetically to texts of incredible density. I sometimes wonder if I could do that if I were better at concentrating. Then I look out the window at the geese until the feeling passes.
I think I live most of my life multi-tasking...nice way to say I have attention issues. However, I do think it important to totally disconnect from technology from time to time. This is particularly true when I am enjoying the outdoors, and can probably be described as my form of meditation. Having a total technology disconnect helps me to focus a little more on tasks at hand when I am tapped into the internet., etc.
ReplyDeleteI do find myself more and more distracted and just from things on the web since I don't enter into most of the other technologies that take up so much time and attention from the more tech savy folks. Never thought of trying meditation to get one back on track. Worth thinking about doing. I wonder how difficult it would be to get Mr Levy to visit our campus. I think it would be a wonderful thing to have our incoming first years be aware of the distractions that their technology creates. It is more common for our newer students to think they can successfully multi-task.
ReplyDeleteWhile I read this article, I was conscious of NOT checking my email; NOT checking my phone; NOT checking the weather...meaning I resisted the urge to do all!
ReplyDeleteI look forward to timing myself and even trying a software platform that will monitor and record my computer use. I can already imagine what I'll find out.
I like how Terri wrote that she reverts to multi-tasking when she is "intellectually stuck." I once read there are two types of online gamers--those who use games as a break and those who use them as an escape. Breakers say, "Two games then back to work." Escapers say, "I just can't do this right now. I'll just take a break and play some..." Needless to say, escapers get lost. I am pretty sure I'm an escaper...and I have the high levels in many iPad apps to prove it.
And like Jon White, I don't think this is new. Before I came to campus (which I was subconsciously avoiding), I did three loads of laundry; vacuumed the living room; and played several rounds of Yukon Solitaire. All of these were perfectly good reasons for not leaving on time.
I'm in trouble...
I really enjoyed this article and it hit home. I am extremely distracted when I start reading my emails so I tried the 15 minute exercise. The first time I spent over an hour on my computer because I just had to look at sale web sites or a YouTube video. Will keep trying. I also plan to practice the meditation suggested.
ReplyDeleteI find that I tend to check my email and use the internet on my phone while traveling in the car with my husband. This drives him crazy as we are no longer holding conversations during these trips. While I like having access to my email on the phone because it is easier to keep up with the quantity of mail received, I also resent students thinking that I should be responding to their emails at all hours. It is not unusual for me to get an email about an assignment after 10pm the night before the assignment is due. I think this comes from the fact that (1) I function during different hours of the day than most of my students, and (2) they are used to having people immediately respond to their electronic communications.
ReplyDeleteI tend to concentrate on one thing on the computer at one time, however, my mind wanders to the other things I could be doing and therefore my email does not always get the attention it deserves. I would benefit from trying mediation, but when I have tried this in the past, my mind has a very difficult time staying focused on my breath and starts making lists of things I should do. Probably where my son's ADD came from!
I think it would be interesting to have students take a few minutes to meditate before class started in order to disconnect from the other things in their world. I have found that when I arrive for class early, most of the students are busy communicating on the phones. Even though I have a no-cell phone policy during class, this disconnect does not always happen, so the couple of minutes of down time before starting the class topic might be beneficial (if all students arrive for class on-time).
While many of us agree that multi-tasking is not efficient how do we change our ways? The expectation that one should reply to emails within minutes or on the weekends is a constant issue in the workplace. Getting any of us to shut down the phone and computer is a big step.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit behind, but I did enjoy this article! One of the points made me think of my son and how often I see him doing homework with the Xbox, cell phone, and IPOD all running next to his IPAD assignment!
ReplyDeleteI actually did take an eight-week Mindfulness training class down at UIowa several years back. While I appreciate its potential, I never kept up with it long enough to detect or reap its benefits. The paradox is, of course, that that my high distractibility -- SQUIRREL! -- keeps me from practicing mindfulness. Yet, hope springs eternal and occasionally I attempt to take just 10-15 to focus on my breathing (and 90% of that time I'm working to bring myself BACK to that focus!).
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