In a world where there is so much information out there to discover at a moment’s notice, how can educators compete with the instant gratification of the technological environment when we are asking students to sit and listen?

I hate to be another person to blame things on COVID, but it is partially responsible for the lack of attention in our classrooms. When the first lockdown began, students were told, at least in my state, that whatever grade they had when lockdown began was what they were going to receive for the semester. Students could improve their grade, but they could not be penalized for not completing work. This created a disaster. Students that had an A did not bother to try to do their work most of the remaining time. We were expected to get on and create assignments everyday regardless of whether or not the students cared to do the work.

Thus began the era of at home learning. It did not begin well and definitely did not set the proper protocol for further at home learning. What it did do was add to the apathy of everyone involved. We had computers and smartphones and were able to stay at home in our jammies all day. This was great! Well, it really wasn’t. The following year when we expected students to do a combination of at home and in person, the work ethic, let’s just say, was not what was expected by school administration.

The world as we know it was changed forever. This was the beginning of the end of education as we knew it. We have spent the last six years trying to make up the lost time. Let’s just say the results have not been stellar. The students that were seniors entered into college with a semester deficit. Younger students are at an even bigger deficit. Not only did they missed crucial in person learning, but they also missed face to face socialization. Here in lies one of the bigger issues.

People just do not know how to communicate without technology. I am not saying that technology is a bad thing. In a lot of ways it is great. I, too, love to be able to learn new things when I am curious about them. Pull out the cell phone or laptop and do a little search. I have to admit that this is nice. I no longer have to go to a dictionary or encyclopedia. Go look it up was a phrase my father used quite often. He would then say to add that word to my repertoire. I did learn a bunch that way. When I had a question, I had to ask in person. If I wanted to tell a friend something, I would have to tell them in person when we had free time or I could write a note that could be taken away by a teacher. The point is that I was forced to communicate with others. Kids today can all be in the same space and never speak. Don’t believe me? Just go to a restaurant and look around. What was meant to be a bonding activity is now a be together but ignore each other activity.

All of this leads to my point. We have a shorter and shorter attention span. It is causing us to lose the moments in our lives where real learning exists. There is a new “trend” of getting back to a quieter more purposeful time. People are creating analog bags in order to separate themselves from their electronics for a period time each day. I really like this idea. What I don’t like is that it is a trend. People are now watching social media to get ideas of what kind of bags and activities that people are selecting and then they go out and purchase the items. This defeats the purpose of this idea. Unplugging and doing things you enjoy does not require the items or ideas of another.

The goal of all of this is to build back our attention span and to learn to think deeply again. Read a book, solve some puzzles, color, crochet, or bake. All of these activities engage your mind as well as give you time away from screens. The question becomes, how do we get people to buy into the idea of giving up screens for part of a day or a whole weekend? Scary, I know. I forgot my phone at my parents recently and I will say that it is more difficult to function, but it is not impossible. How did generations before now do it?

The thought that phones aren’t a necessity every second of every day sounds like torture for a lot of people, especially younger people. This really interferes with learning. They are so distracted with TiK Tok and Snapchat that it takes over their lives. Gaming is another problem with the lack of attention spent on learning. At any given time in class I can see students watching something on their phones or playing games. They feel that they don’t need to pay attention and often times their grades reflect that. It is hard to convince them that in the “real world” there will be times that phones are not allowed. When they see that they are behind, some students will ask if they can still do the work. I tell them that they can, but it won’t necessarily be at full credit. I also tell them that it could have been done had they “locked in.” as they say.

Another thing that causes students to feel that they really don’t need to work in class is that they see adults doing the same things as them. We do not always set the best example. If you disagree, attend a teachers’ meeting. People are doing the same things as the students would. It is sad really. Would it really hurt us to be in a meeting without our phones? NO, it wouldn’t. We all need to pay more attention to others when they speak.

My state of Illinois is purposing a bill that will prevent students in all Illinois schools from bringing their phones to school. This may be one issue that I agree with him on. I know that it will be difficult at first, but it will get easier. I survived school without a phone in my hand as did many generations before me and a few after me. Will this fix the problem with attention span? It is a step in the right direction. With fewer distractions, students will be able to focus on their work.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with technology. It is helpful and has made life a lot easier. I do believe that there are plenty of situations that require electronics, but life can exist a few hours a day without them. We all need to get in touch with our deeper thoughts. We can pick up our old hobbies or find new ones. It can improve our minds, our bodies, and our lives as a whole. While I am not willing to completely give up my digital tools, I do feel that we all need to Touch Grass, quite literally.

Good luck with your journey into a more thoughtful and peaceful life in your non-digital pursuits.

Until next time,

Cat