Are College Students Too Distracted by Technology? Essay

Introduction

Technology is known to have greatly influenced the learning process of college students. Modern classroom settings have encouraged students to make use of their devices such as handsets and laptops to assist them to continue their studies. Technological advancement has made learning faster and more efficient for students as they have easy access to all relevant study and revision materials and connect with their professors. However, research has found that most college students are too distracted by technology during their classroom lectures.

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The use of laptops and cell phones are prone among college students. This has been adopted by most students to make their learning more efficient and faster. They can take notes using their devices and do research. This, therefore, improves student's performance as they are accessible to study materials more easily. However, during classroom lectures, research shows that students spend most of their time playing computer games, socializing on different social media platforms, online shopping, and other irrelevant activities using their laptops and cell phones.

Typing notes on laptops are much easier compared to literally writing them on books by hand. However, this affects students as they are easily distracted. Soon they will begin to lose focus in class despite the presence of laptops. Therefore, including laptops makes it more daring for students to stay focused during their lectures. There are so many technological devices that cause distraction and divergence of focus during classes. Despite instructions given by lectures allowing not the students to use their cell phones in classrooms, they still find their way slyly checking their phones and chatting on social media. There is so much destruction caused by technology to college students than good it offers. Therefore it must be used appropriately to realize its positive impact on our studies and to make students not to be victims of technology.

New section

Technology has been a major enabler for corporation and individual alike. However, to the students, technology has been more than a blessing to them because they are now in a position to conduct research through the online library, carry out group discussions online, complete their assignment and submit online, share their learning resources seamless online and use complex computer packages to proofread and format and ensure that their assignment are error free and plagiarism free. Even though technology has been an enable to the students in their academic pursuit, it is also a curse because it distracts the students from concentrating on their core academic tasks. By examining the perceived ease of use and student intentions to use technology in college, the researcher argues that college students are too distracted by the technologies they are allowed to use in school.

A Lot of Screen-On Time Reduces Time Spent Learning

Students spend a lot of time chatting, sharing video, or just posting contents online. Some students can spend the whole day browsing internet videos and stories that are not related to their learning or education. While it is the duty of the parent and other good swishers to ensure that the students are in school. There is also government problem such as no child left behind aimed at ensiling that every student is educated (Riden 131). While these goals have been accompanied by the inclusion of state of the art learning facilities with computers and other assistive technologies for education, the technologies are interfering with nth student's learning (Jiang et al. 170-177). For example, students who are left to research in the school's computer lab are often distracted by video and pictures. Students do not find adequate time to study and prepare for an examination or internalizes concepts because they are often immersed in online videos and pictures.

Internal and External Distracters

In a research involving 200 students Rosa and Santos found that students use Smartphone more than any other technology in school (71-74). However, during lesson they use both laptops and cell phones and the distraction caused by these cell phones range from text gin, ringing, chatting, or browsing the internet for pictures, videos and d texts that are not related to the course content. The researcher also found that 90% of the schools have free Wi-Fi through which they can browse the internet over their laptops and cell phones in an unsupervised environment (Jiang et al. 170-177). Ringing cell phones and music form laptops are the most commonly cited external distracters reported by 80% of the students. Nose from laptops also distracts the students while texting and chatting by neighboring students was the most commonly reported external behavioral distracters for a larger percentage of the students.

Impact on Concentration and Learning

The use of phones in the classroom affects the student's ability to concentrate and learn negatively. While the presence of the other technologies in the hostels and within the college compound are extreme distracters to most students who study in the school's library or rooms within the schools (Buck 36-42). For example, it is difficult to concentrate in a noisy room where other students are speaking loudly on the phone while some are watching detective videos. Most students argue that it is difficult to find a quiet room even in the library because there is always a student interacting with technology in a distractive manner. Technology has also reduced students interact on pertinent and constructive issues and topics. For example, all over the schools, students are seen walking with their thumbs testing and their faces glued to the screen. Students have become victims of technology as they are enslaved to their smart phones. Most students cannot concentrate in the classroom for more than 10 minutes without checking on their Smartphone's for status updates. Additionally, student are either engaged in making short videos that do not contribute anything to their learning

Alignment of Instructional Methods with the Learning Objectives

Most technologies used in the classroom are not aligned with the learning objectives. For example, instructional methods involving the use of power point presentation and other audiovisual technologies can be a big distraction to the students if they are more entertaining than educative. Most students usually concentrate on the entertainment aspects than on the educational aspect of the technology use (Basch, MacLean and Garcia 144). The teachers have a duty to ensure that the technologies they adopt during the lesson are aligned with the learning objectives. The technology should be used to enhance learning and help in reinforcing concepts and not entertain the students. The selection of technology should be informed by the learning objectives.

Conclusion

College students are highly distracted by technologies such as cell phones, laptops, home theatres, television, play station, and other entertainment devices. Even though technology can enhance student learning by giving great resources, opening new opportunities for discussion and research, enabling collaboration and creativity as well as saving money, it has its downside. The impacts of technology on students learning has been documented in to include distraction as the students spend a lot of time watching videos, engaging in useless discussion as well as spending a lot of time playing games. Technology is a powerful tool for learning but without supervision and moderation, the students might spend a lot of time engaged in non-constructive activities upswing the technology that was meant to promote learning. In relations to the destructive impact of technology on college students learning, it is recommended that specific time should be set for students learning using technology. Students learning using technology should be supervised and directed. Finally, student's technology time should be regulated to ensure that they do not spend too much time with technologies such as smart phones, computers and other assistive technologies that can be used for the wrong purposes.

Works Cited

Basch, Corey H., Sarah A. MacLean, and Philip Garcia. "Attitudes And Behaviors Related To Distracted Driving In College Students: A Need For Interventions In Adolescence. "International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health 0.0 (2017): n. pag. Web. 10 Nov. 2018.

Buck, Glenn H. "Classroom Management and the Disruptive Child." Music Educators Journal79.3 (1992): 36-42. Web.

Jiang, Kang et al. "Effects of Mobile Phone Distraction on Pedestrians' Crossing Behavior and Visual Attention Allocation at a Signalized Intersection: An Outdoor Experimental Study." Accident Analysis & Prevention 115 (2018): 170-177. Web. 10 Nov. 2018.

Riden, Benjamin S. "Review Of Difficult Students And Disruptive Behavior In The Classroom: Teacher Responses That Work." Education Review // Resenas Educativas 24 (2017): n. pag. Web.

Rosa, William, and Sarla Santos. "Introduction of the Engaged Feedback Reflective Inventory during a Preceptor Training Program." Journal for Nurses in Professional Development32.4 (2016): E1-E7. Web.