Let's get our things started; and as we start reading and talking about, listening and watching and trying out all things technology-related, let's just say it - it's distracting.
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?
Challenge: pick a time in the next few days and track your email usage (like the assignment in the article) for 15 minutes. Are you concentrating on email or are you pulled away by other distractions? Do you think you would benefit from a more structured method for limited email distractions? Do you already have a process or method in place for feeling productive using your technology tools?
Post your thoughts/comments about the article in the comments section below. Happy undistributed reading!
