Distraction: noun
- 1.a thing that prevents someone from giving full attention to something else."the company found passenger travel a distraction from the main business of moving freight"
Growing up in America today is to be a part of a society that is rapidly and constantly changing. The fact is you are surrounded by technology and information and spend a large portion of your time interacting with it. But what is it doing to your brain?
As we saw from the video in class, our brains are not wired for multi-tasking. Some tasks require more concentration than others and when we switch between many tasks we lose focus.
Specific Instructions: For this post think about something you do that requires your full attention. Then think about your habits with technology while trying to concentrate. Do you listen to music while doing homework? Is that bad? Do you respond to texts while doing homework? Then go online and find evidence to support your response. Please include the link to the site you use in your response. -5 points if you respond with no link. Do not copy other people's posts, ideas or links. You will get a 0 for plagiarizing.
If you missed the video in class please watch the first 8:40 minutes of this documentary:
Sample post:
I like to listen to music while I do homework. It helps me to relax and focus. After reading this article (https://gradeslam.org/blog/does-listening-to-music-help-with-studying) I learned...
I like to answer texts and check my social media networks as I do my homework. It usually helps me too relax while incorporating the small amount of leisure time I have into the amount of time I spend on school work. However, after reading the article on https://childmind.org/article/kids-shouldnt-use-phones-during-homework/ regarding why kids should not have their phones while doing school work, I found my reasoning to be illogical. According to recent studies, students who leave their phones close to them while working are more likely to become distracted for long periods of time, thus never really fully completing their work due to lack of concentration. Students, like myself, are especially at risk for immediate distraction when these phones ping with alerts from different accounts children have which they use to keep in touch with the world of social media. I now know that leaving my phone near me while studying so that I can answer texts and alerts faster will not enhance my ability to do my best on the assignment. But, it will damage the attention span I have for tasks that require my full concentration, such as my homework.
ReplyDeleteGood work Catherine, just wow..."In the study, undergraduates asked to leave their phones in another room did better on cognitive tests than those who were asked to silence their phones and leave them face down on their desk or in a bag."
DeleteI like to be watching TV as I am doing my homework. It made homework more pleasant and not as boring as just sitting in silence and writing everything. I went online and researched more into this topic and found this website, https://www.beyondbooksmart.com/executive-functioning-strategies-blog/distracted-by-technology-focusing-attention-on-homework. It talks about how multi-tasking or watching TV when you are studying causes you to have much lower test results The website explains that multi-tasking is not got for us because our brains are not wired to do two different tasks at the same time. Therefore I cannot watch TV and do my homework at the same time, without failing to retain part of the very important information the homework was supposed to help me retain. This eventually causes me to have lower test grades, or at least forces me to have to study harder for these tests.
ReplyDeleteGood research: "Students who were less distracted had higher GPAs than students who switched back and forth fairly often and those who regularly check Facebook or text messages. Students who had strategies for studying also had higher GPAs according to Rosen’s findings."
DeleteI know that when most people think of texting while doing homework, they think of it negatively, but it can actually be helpful. When I do my homework I text not just for the sake of texting, but to get help, or ask a question. As much as parents can be helpful, they are not in the classroom with us. If you are looking through your notes and realize that you do not understand something, your parents cannot always help you. Most of our parents have not used many of the things we are being taught now in decades. For example, my mom worked as a secretary for a court, which means she has not used algebra in decades and is not very good with it. However, our classmates will remember things from class, have the notes, or know what the homework is. When I text while doing my homework, I will be texting people about that homework. For example, if I do not understand the directions I will ask that person to explain them to me. I checked out https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/on-education/2009/10/29/could-texting-be-good-for-students and they said that texting can actually improve the language skills of teenagers.
ReplyDeleteWhen I am texting while doing my homework, I just try to do so for educational purposes only. For example, doing a multi-step math problem requires my full attention. So, when I am doing that problem, I should not be texting a friend about my weekend plans. I will save that texting for when I have free time. If I am texting someone, it should be to get help with that problem if need be. I also do not listen to music while doing homework, because unlike texting a classmate, listening to music cannot help me.
interesting find Claudia. Important though "The research does concede that too much texting can hurt students' performance on most formal types of essay writing."
DeleteI am, admittedly, very easily distracted by even the smallest things. For this reason, I try to do my homework with as few distractions as possible. However, I've always felt that listening to music as I worked (whether on a project, cleaning my room or anything else) helped me to focus on the task at hand. Something about listening to my favorite songs helps me to unwind, and de-stress. According to this website( https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/can-music-help-you-think ) however, only certain music helps you to focus on studying. Apparently listening to music can help you study for subjects that involve vocabulary and language arts, and the music you should be listening to should be of the classical genre, which helps to calm nerves. Listening to loud music (e.g. the Ramones or the Beastie Boys, two of my favorite bands to listen to), can distract you by preoccupying your brain. So, music can help you focus, but not the kind of music i choose to listen to.
ReplyDeleteI do keep my phone next to me when I am working on my homework. My music is on my phone, and I listen to it while I work because it helps me focus. I find that having my phone next me does distract quite a bit, though. Text messages, news notifications, and game updates cause me to loose focus, and I often stop to play a game or check an update. Besides this, I do agree with Claudia that having a phone with you is helpful because it allows you to contact friends for help.
Excellent Meaghan. Choose the right music for each setting. When you need motivation put on the Ramones, when you're focusing on school work, listen to some Mozart.
DeleteI sometimes listen to music to drown out distractions that may go on around me while I am doing my homework, projects, or just studying for a test. When I listen to music it is usually something calming, like for example I mainly listen to classical music when studying when I'm in a loud area. It is stated that music can impact your mood, so if someone listens to relaxing music, then that will get them in a relaxed state to study. It is also shown that if you can focus with music (which I can do pretty well) then it is good to listen to a song that is calming with almost no words so it won't distract the person from their task (https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/149570/Do-Or-Dont-Studying-While-Listening-To). When I finish a part of of a project or homework for a subject, I will go on my laptop and look at the recommendation bar on YouTube. This helps me get out of a stressful state I'm being put in because of the work. I'm usually on YouTube for at least fifteen minutes and then do maybe two more subject assignments. It is stated that it is good to take fifteen minute break so that it is easy to go back to work afterward (http://creatingpositivefutures.com/effective-study-breaks/).
ReplyDeleteAnother thing I might use while doing work is looking up things as words, people, and much more that I might not know on Google. Google helps me find out something fast, so I don't have to waste time going to the library or waste my parents precious time on my insignificant question. Google is a fast way to find the information I need without the need to stop and ponder what the answer could be. Though I go to Google for help I am trying to remember the small facts, because it is scientifically stated that we don't remember the information, but rather the source it came from
(http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2015/05/does_google_help_students_lear.html).The last technological thing I might use is the imessage on my iPhone to text friends if I need help with something on the homework, or if we have an assignment together. I will not use texting for any other reason until I have finished all the work assigned to me that day. I do text about 159 text messages a week, which many people would say is bad for me, but studies at the CSU show that texting helps stretch teens language skills. Its just that if you text too much then you can hurt your performance in grammar (https://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/on-education/2009/10/29/could-texting-be-good-for-students). These are my habits with technology when doing important work/assignments.
Great work Jacqueline.
DeleteMusic is an important part of many people's lives. Some people heavily rely on music to get through otherwise monotonous tasks, such as commuting. Personally, I like to listen to music when I do homework. It fills the silence and generates and positive mood. While researching, I found this website: http://www.mindthesciencegap.org/2012/10/08/does-music-help-you-study/ which explores the advantages and disadvantages of listening to music while studying. Music can be relaxing and increase focus. On the other hand, listening to music with lyrics can negatively effect a person's reading comprehension and ability to absorb information. Studies have shown that students who study in a quiet environment perform better on tests than students who listen to music while studying. Through this, I've learned that listening to music has benefits and drawbacks, but it all depends on an individual student's personal experience and learning strengths.
ReplyDeleteInteresting source Nicole: "scores were significantly higher for tests taken in a quiet environment or with steady-state speech."
DeleteI like to listen to switch from certain homework assignment to a different homework assignment because it makes me feel as though I get a break from the previous assignment.I also respond to text messages and listen to music because I feel less restless when I do these activities. After reading this article https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/creativity-without-borders/201405/the-myth-multitasking, I have learned I have when I do this I am less efficient and likely to make more mistakes.I have also learned that doing these various activities is energy sapping and can affect my ability to focus for long periods of time. Through my research, I have learned that multitasking is a myth and that it is really a stop and start process that is in no way beneficial to me or anyone else.
ReplyDeleteLoved your source and I want to try that exercise in class. "That start/stop/start process is rough on us: rather than saving time, it costs time (even very small micro seconds), it’s less efficient, we make more mistakes, and over time it can be energy sapping. "
DeletePeople have different opinions on listening to music while studying. There are studies on this topic. They have found that listening to music is positive affect on you. It can help with memorization, anxiety and attention. This study was called the mozart effect. Kids no longer listen to mozart so this study in relation to pop music is different. They have found with pop music it has effect people different ways. WHen listening to liked and disliked music it affects them the same but it isn't as good as studying in a quiet room. From personal experience when i study i listen to classical music inside of pop because the lyrics of pop music distracts me.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.edutopia.org/blog/dont-listen-music-while-studying-david-cutler
https://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/149570/Do-Or-Dont-Studying-While-Listening-To
Good work Kelly. Edutopia is a great resource for learning with technology.
DeleteWhen I was in middle school, I used to listen music while doing each of my assignments, but I stopped doing that after a while, because eveone told me that it was just a distraction to listen to music while I tried to work. After I read the article on https://www.freshu.io/destiny/5-reasons-why-you-should-listen-to-music-while-doing-homework, I now know that I shouldn’t have listened to what everybody was telling me, because listening to music might’ve actually been beneficial to me. Studies have proven that listening to music while doing assignments helps students and can actually aid in memorization while studying information. Another reason that listening to music while doing work is beneficial, is that it can improve a students focus on their work and increase their amount of productivity.
ReplyDeleteGood Roisin, but be careful, "beneficial effects of certain type of music". For example, music without lyrics is shown to have positive benefits for studying. Music with lyrics can be a distraction.
DeleteI like to listen to music while I do my homework. I think this stems from the absorption of the technology around us, and wanting to always be involved with it. Some research points to music as a way to extend learning ability and these studies show that listening to music helps us remember facts. Some people might negate by saying that listening to music with words can distract kids from focusing on their work because it causes them to focus on the words, but in the article https://www.freshu.io/destiny/5-reasons-why-you-should-listen-to-music-while-doing-homework, it states why listening to music is good for the brain. For me, I just listen to music that I know really well. I don't get distracted by the words.
ReplyDeleteGood Quyn. There have been some studies that show that music you are familiar with can pose less of a distraction.
DeleteWhen doing homework or studying, I listen to music because it keeps me relaxed instead of stressing out about what’s due and what needs to be done. Sometimes, I get distracted by checking social media so I have to put my phone away from me so that I will correctly get my work done. When reading the article “Does Listening To Music Help With Studying?,” (https://gradeslam.org/blog/does-listening-to-music-help-with-studying) the writer states that “when you listen to music while studying, you are engaging in two activities at once - i.e. you'remultitasking. Thus, while music may increase your energy levels and raise your mood, thereby improving your mental processing abilities, your brain must still allocate some resources to digesting the music,” and “it can also create interference with other mental activities involved in studying. Lyrics, for example, activate language centers in the brain, which are also involved in reading and writing. This can create cross-interaction between the lyric processing and the reading/writing activity.” These quotes state that even though listen to music can uplift your mood, it is also a form of multitasking, which can be distracting. Also, when reading “Ready? Set? Concentrate!” (http://success.oregonstate.edu/learning/ready-set-concentrate), the writer states that “[When multitasking,] the result of this movement is that performance suffers on both tasks, and people who are multitasking are less likely to remember information later (Dzubak, 2008). There may be other areas of our lives where multi-tasking is useful; however, studying and problem solving require deep concentration, and interruptions and distractions make it harder to focus and decrease your chances of recalling information later.” They are saying that when you multitask, you are not really getting anything accomplished because you are flipping between two different tasks and this is not helping you acquire the information that you need to know.
ReplyDeleteWell done Kylie. Good source: "Lyrics, for example, activate language centers in the brain, which are also involved in reading and writing. This can create cross-interaction between the lyric processing and the reading/writing activity. "
DeleteWhile I'm doing my homework, I often find myself listening to music, watching TV, and checking social media. Even though I know that I need to be paying full attention to my homework, I still expose myself to distractions. Although technology has many positive uses for a majority of people, adolescents are subject to a reliance on technology. One of the negative affects of technology is that it causes people, students in particular, to be bored easily. We're living in an age where everything is literally in the palm of our hand, so it's common for us to be doing multiple things at once. Because of this, when it comes time to focus and do homework, we're not contented with doing only one thing. According to an article on http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/11/05/498477634/learning-in-the-age-of-digital-distraction , "we talk about in the book is the need for us to re-train ourselves to become comfortable with sustaining our attention on a single goal and for young people,". Essentially, this means that in today's world, with all the technology that is provided to us, we need to re-train ourselves to not get bored when we have to focus on one specific thing.
ReplyDeleteI like to listen to music while I do my homework and study. After reading this article I see that it’s not much help. It can be a distraction and it can draw my attention away from my work. It is not possible to concentrate on two things at once. Many people say that they can perform multiple tasks all at once. It has been proven that multitasking is impossible.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2016/11/10-1