Constant Partial Attention.
I have fallen in love with that term. It so captures the essence of today's high school student.
Smartphones are their watch, calendar, calculator, and of penultimate importance - often their primary social connection. As if all the drama of high school was not vaunting enough, now the old school face-to-face or point-to-point communication is replaced with the instant social media delivery to the multitudes. At-risk students fall further behind without the resources to maintain equilibrium in a BYOD world. As digital natives, they are so used to what they consider successful multi-tasking that engagement with traditional content delivery is now a new on-going challenge.
Or is it?
Not so very long ago we teachers bemoaned the "Sesame Street" generation as having uber short attention spans, having to be constantly entertained and being -- look! A bunny!-- too easily distracted.
I am an old guy. 56. My AdvApps (Advanced Applications class) tease me about being a digital immigrant. Yep. I freely choose to go where they live. I think blended learning will take me personally there.
After piloting it with a select group of students and LOTS of work up front, Gibson Southern is going 1:1 with Chromebooks next year. This is going to remove the barrier of the difference of financial differences with our students - an even playing field. GSHS will be using Schoology. This Learning Management System will remove the barrier for students who struggle to keep up with the pace of a class by giving them access to class content at times outside the traditional school day. At the other end of the spectrum - advanced students will be able to explore an expanded amount of content especially through threaded discussions with classmates and/or instructors.
I cherish my interaction time with students. Nothing can replace the incredible knowledge of a content area, the one-to-one help, the concern for their students, and the practical know-how of a master teacher. E-learning will enhance it.
"Brick and mortar"? Time for "Click and mortar".
Your comments on Constant Partial Attention reminded me of an explanation about the detriments of multi-tasking that I came across recently. The video is by Epipheo, and its only a few minutes long. I really encourage you to view it. (available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKaWJ72x1rI ) Considering the topic, I found it somewhat ironic that the animation style consists of constant changes in both scenery and drawing types.
ReplyDeleteWith that in mind, I have to agree when you point out that only a few years ago teachers were making the same complaints about Sesame Street viewers that teachers today are making about smartphone users. Maybe it's not ideal to split your focus or constantly shift your attention between multiple tasks, but like it or not, it is reality. The ability to effectively manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment is already expected in modern workplaces. It's rare to find a job anymore where you sit down and focus on doing only one thing all day. So I think the real challenge lies in helping students to develop both skills. They need to learn how to shut out distractions, buckle down, and concentrate exclusively on the task at had, and they also need to learn to effectively (or effectively as possible) multi-task. Most importantly, they also need to learn when each style is appropriate.