Not to beat the old horse into the ground with the “Is technology actually really bad?” argument, but I would like to start this blog post off by saying a lot of the tools we need to operate in our work comes with detriments. The eye strain, for one; the headaches; the back aches from sitting still for hours on end; and, yes, the distractions.
Many teachers ban phones and laptops being used in class unless explicitly stated otherwise, much like John Warner remarks in his article, “Rethinking My Cell Phone/Computer Policy”. Warner ultimately doesn’t want students in his classroom using their devices, but he ponders if lifting this “ban” will result in a more engaging audience. If you give a student the choice to put time into checking your phone during class time, or putting that time into actually paying attention to what the teacher is saying, and the student chooses the latter, there’s a chance that you’re doing something good with your lectures (or perhaps it’s just the student who’s fidgety and the problem isn’t your lectures at all, but who knows?)
Honestly, I’m neutral towards the banning of devices in classrooms. I can distract myself plenty with my own pair of eyes, a wall of drying paint, and an open imagination. I can focus, too, with the same amount of effort. I want to believe that what I’m thinking is pretty singular, and that what’s coming out is just as focused, nuanced, and comprehensible rather than a train wreck.
I find multitasking exhausting. Whether or not multitasking does damage your brain, I work by going off one by one down a to-do list. But I will say, even as I write this post, I seem to be getting distracted with what I have to do next after this blog post assignment, what I have to do tomorrow, and if there’s anything I’ve forgotten in the past few days.
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