College Students Withdraw for 24 Hours
New research conducted by the International Center for Media and the Public Agenda (ICMPA) and students at the University of Maryland suggests that a strong bond exists between college students and their media. In fact, that bond is so strong, the study says, that deprived of this electronic connection, young media consumers reacted like addicts.
During the study, students were asked to go “media-free” for 24 hours, but they were allowed to pick which 24 hours in a nine-day period. After this experience, they were asked to blog about it and relate their good and bad experiences that resulted.
The following are some of their comments:
“I noticed physically, that I began to fidget, as if I was addicted to my iPod® and other media devices, and maybe I am.”
I have grown up in a community where I was constantly surrounded by a need to stay connected. Whether that is through television, cell phones or whatever. The reliance is kind of disturbing, but in the modern American environment it is a necessity to have constant connection in order to survive.
“Studying was a million times more productive without the media distracting me with texts, calls, Facebook, email, games and other random Internet sites.”
“I found that I was able to pay more attention in class on Monday, instead of checking my Blackberry® constantly to see if I got any messages or emails. . . not having my computer in class was less distracting since I was not tempted to check my Facebook every second.”
These comments are just a sample of the sorts of realizations that suddenly became apparent to students. Quite a few observed that they “unexpectedly became aware of aspects of their life which they had been oblivious to.”
As educators, what knowledge can we take away from this survey? Like it or not, technology is ubiquitous. It surrounds us 24 hours a day. From the bathtub to the beach, and the boardroom to the classroom, it’s difficult to find space that hasn’t been invaded by electronics and media. For this reason, students seem to forget that they can, indeed, make a choice to turn it off and unplug. It is simply a part of their lives, like the air they breathe.
Perhaps first we should foster the skill of extending the focus for longer than a two-minute sound bite. Beyond that, we must realize that no matter what our perception, today’s students live in a media-rich world where distraction is the status-quo, and in which we must distract to be heard.
How, then, do we teach students the value of reading a book, talking to friends uninterrupted, or simply taking a walk and becoming aware of their natural surroundings? How do we integrate learning technologies like ODYSSEYWARE into a learning environment that strikes a balance between on and off-computer projects, and should we? Do these things matter in a wired world?
As with all innovations, there is a rush toward this ever-present technology. A part of me wants to believe that as we stop talking about technology and it takes its place among the innovations of the past, becoming invisible, the pendulum will swing the other way, toward an appreciation of those things disconnected.