In the past few weeks, I’ve come across more than one article discussing the presence of mobile devices in the classroom. Some teachers have very clear rules about switching off mobile phones in the classroom, and some do not allow devices of any kind to be used when a lecture is in progress. But there are also quite a few teachers who have a more open attitude to device use in class, as long as it is not disruptive to the group as a whole.
The disturbance Clay Shirky, who teaches the theory and practice of social media at New York University, talks about how he recently decided to impose a complete ban on laptops and other devices in his classroom. He found that the level of distraction from the use of laptops, tablets and mobile phones was becoming difficult to control. He notes that the quality of engagement and conversation in the class become much higher once the phones and tablets were put away. It was, in his words, “as if someone had let fresh air into the room.” He further describes the challenges faced by the teacher who is competing against an entire machinery — hardware and software — that is “designed to distract” because “attention is the substance that makes the whole consumer Internet go”.
Losing concentration The distraction-by-device factor may be somewhat possible to control inside a classroom, where the teacher’s orders rule, but what about other places — in our hostel rooms, at our study tables and in discussion groups at the canteen? How do we draw ourselves away from those flickering screens, the beeping mobiles, the pings on our tablets and the status updates on open Facebook and Instagram feeds? Most of us keep our browsers open while we are working on documents or reading a soft copy of a document. We open the laptop in complete earnestness, planning to finish an assignment, and before we know it, we’ve allowed our fingers to click here and there, scrolling down a dozen screens in pursuit of a momentary interest and a whole hour has just vanished! (Confession: I found myself going off to check various open windows no less than five times between the start and end of this paragraph!)
It takes a lot of discipline to put our devices away when we are by ourselves — or even when we are with others. And then, it takes even more discipline to stay on one screen when we’re immersed in our computers. It may begin with a valid reason — that you need to check something periodically for your assignment. But then it turns into a search without purpose, where you flit from site to site for no reason other than idle curiosity.
The lurking danger The most dangerous aspect of all this is that we do not even realise we are being distracted. When there is noise or physical discomfort, we find ways to deal with it so that we can continue our work. But when the distraction comes from inside our heads, it’s much, much harder to control. It takes us a while to even recognise it as distraction, as taking us away from something. Sometimes, it seems as if being distracted has become the normal state. It’s common to find people checking their messages or answering their phones right in the middle of a conversation. When we are working on our computers too, we routinely “multitask” across several open windows.
By focusing on several different things at the same time, we fail to give our full attention — and, therefore, our best — to the main task at hand. While multitasking may be useful and even necessary at times, it is not something that is desirable when we are doing a task that requires concentration. Reading class notes, listening to a lecture, writing a paper, taking part in discussions that lead us to understand challenging concepts — these are activities that demand our full attention and intellectual engagement.
Finding focus Distraction is hard enough to fight even without our electronic devices. All of us know how difficult it is to keep our minds on something that we are not very interested in, or that we are forced to do (like listening to lectures!). But maybe this natural inclination to let our minds wander is being fuelled by the presence of these digital devices that pull our attention away from the here and now? This is a distraction we can work to fight, if we become conscious of it. Once we are aware of it, we need to ask ourselves some simple questions: What is it that we need to be focusing on right now? Why do we need to check our messages every few minutes? What will we really gain by staying online during the time we are working on something?
The answers to these questions are (usually) surprisingly simple.
I’d suggest that even if you have a teacher who does not ban laptops, tablets and phones from class, you do it yourself. And when you’re alone, working on that assignment that refuses to get done, try finishing your reading, gathering your notes together, and then consciously shutting down all windows but one — the one you actually need to be working on!
The author teaches at the University of Hyderabad and is the editor of Teacher Plus. Email: usha.raman@gmail.com
