I cannot multitask. In fact, just as Travis Bradbury argues in his article, “Multitasking Damages Your Brain and Career, New Studies Suggest,” I actually find that trying to multitask makes me significantly less productive, which lowers the quality of my work. For instance, in order to capture my attention during a lesson in class, it must be engaging and interesting. If it is, my professor will have my undivided attention. However, if it is not, I will go on my laptop and either play an online game or complete work for another class. As soon as I do this, my brain will begin to filter out anything my professor says. At this point, anything I am doing on my laptop will have my complete attention. My brain has chosen this activity to be its main focus, and I won’t be leaving my digital bubble unless my professor calls my name or makes an intriguing comment.
That is not to suggest, though, that I ignore my professor every time I use my laptop. In fact, I’ll utilize my laptop to take notes if I think this is a topic that will be really interesting and useful. However, as I’ve already mentioned, I can’t multitask, so taking notes while listening to my professor has the drawback of preventing me from absorbing the material. I am only recording what I hear; I am not comprehending anything that I have written. Because of this, I would have to review my notes after class to focus only on remembering and comprehending the content.
In his article, “ Rethinking My Cell Phone/Computer Policy,” John Warner brings up the debate using computers in the classroom has on productivity. For this, I can understand both sides of the argument. This is because, out of respect for my teachers, I will always make an effort to concentrate on the lesson and refrain from using my laptop. Nevertheless, I will give in to my laptop’s diversions if twenty or even thirty minutes pass and I have either learnt nothing or have lost all interest in the subject. Instead of wasting time in class learning nothing, I could be more productive by concentrating on other tasks.
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