The Kaiser Family Foundation Report ran a study on the media consumption of 8- to 18-year-olds. They found that students today spend about 7.5 hours consuming media and pack about 10.5 hours into that time frame with multitasking. Students have many options for media interaction; cell phones, TVs, the internet, iPods, etc. They have also noticed parallels between heavy media usage and poorer grades, contentment. Students who were heavy users, more than 16 hours of media consumption per day, had lower grades and tended to report more behavior problems. The study did not control for other factors, like age, gender, race, family relationships, etc. so it does not imply causality. Media consumption has increased in the past few years because of mobile and online media; teenagers can have access to the web anywhere they go.
This finding does not surprise me; my students are very internet and computer literate and spend many hours online. They love being on Facebook, Google Chat, Pandora, etc. My students spend more time online than in school and use their cell phones to access the internet anywhere they go. My students are not supposed to have cell phones in the classroom but they spend a lot of time texting in their desks (and thinking I won't usually see them). I collect 4-5 cell phones every day from the students who think they are much more sneaky than they really are. My students needs a lot of information to stay interested in the topic, since they are used to multitasking and taking in huge amounts of info.
When I teach, I like to incorporate real world situations that apply to what we are studying; I use examples that my students understand and relate to (usually). When they are engaged in the problems, they learn the subject without realizing it. I also like to keep tabs on the media that my students are consuming so that I can stay knowledgeable about what they are doing and they feel more comfortable talking to me.
Halyna, I thought it was interesting that there is a link between heavy media use and lower grades. In this age of pushing technology on students, it seems that we are always wanting them to use the most recent, state-of-the-art technology. However, when they explore on their own, they need guidance so that their exploration is useful, and not a waste of time. I also collect multiple cell phones every day, have to work to keep students on task when using laptops, and have noticed that my students, even from low-income households, have more access to technology than I did at their age. Nice work incorporating technology into the classroom!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the so-called multitasking in class is a reflection of boredom, disinterest, nature abhorring a vacuum, disengagement, etc. If the students are highly engaged in the material, does the "multitasking" drop off? In which case, is the multitasking a reflection on us as teachers and/or the curriculum we are asked to teach?
ReplyDeleteI don't know the answer to this (well I have my suspicions). I do think the ability to focus on complex problems for an extended period of time is a problem-solving skill, and also essential to doing good science.
jd