Thursday, January 20, 2011

attention.

The idea of how we learn. thoughts of what effects us as we do. and as we don't, have been on my mind.

One of my quirks in the classroom is that I just get bored. antsy. maybe like, twenty minutes in... I could have the best intentions: notes out, my favorite pen on hand and ready (I'm a picky pen person...), and my phone and iPod off and in my bag (how often does that happen these days?) But 20 minutes. of that same professor. talking about the same topic.. something about it just hits a switch and reminds me that I just HAVE to know wether gelatin is the same as jello. I unzip my bookbag, grab my phone and text my advisor. Cha-cha. Whew! Thanks cha-cha!

Focus! Okay, so I snap back into gear.. What's she talking about? Some kind of artifact streamlining into importance? Maybe not. I wonder if, in the last 22 minutes of my life, I got tagged in a picture! Cause that'd be cool! Zpod comes out (that's what I named my iPod? Catchy right? Lindsey. LindZ! Zpod! Ha!) I check facebook with my facebook app! Mail with my mail app! I browse KSOL, look at pictures from Aunt Marge's 60th birthday, google the circumference and thickness of a penny as the teacher decides to be creative and have us pretend that penny's are artifacts that we just found! thrilling really.

So why are we like this? Why are we so distracted? Are we still able to learn what the teacher is teaching in our multitaskness?

I found a site with some articles on Technology and College Education. Typical attribute of Generation Y = non-existent attention span. I can't help but wonder if its due to the lesson I learned in my multi-media class about producing videos... The fact that I found reiterated in Six Tips on Making a Successful Video . "The golden rule in making a successful training video is to keep changing what is shown on screen.
This means that each scene needs to run for no longer than 7 seconds." I can hear my speech teachers lisp ringing in my ears now! (He taught the class for some reason?)

I was told at one time that the the cure for becoming better at focusing is reading a book. Why is it so hard to do? My roommates and neighbors joke that they don't know how to read. But when reality, its just that they don't know how to read books. Chuck Leddy, the writer of an article in the StarTribune says that "to engage with a book means inhabiting both the story and the world view of its author; it's an act of transcending." and that its "the opposite of "instant messaging."" He also explains how "ebooks", kindle comes to mind, could help the future of reading. Makes me wonder if its just the object of a book that is what turns people off when it comes to reading. Turning a page must be too slow paced compared to the ever increasing speed of the click of a mouse.

Until next time.


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