The LVolume 21, earningNumber 3 Spring 2018 A publication for parentsT and teacherseam working together for children’s education ATTENTION in the age of distraction ISTOCK In 2018, the average attention span of a human is 8 seconds … shorter than that of a goldfish IN THIS ISSUE Breaks from technology a key to health Connectedness, brain hacking and banning cellphones It’s possible to slow down EDITOR’S NOTE On the importance of … squirrel! … paying attention Phil McRae Technology breaks are key to our health Editor Cory Hare The Learning Team hile modern technology may be increasing our con- generational differences and distraction, said several ave you ever found yourself W nectivity, growing evidence suggests that it’s also studies have demonstrated that the mere presence of an H feeling the constant need to leading to a loss of connectedness and making us distracted. electronic device is distracting to us. check your smartphone(s) for the latest email, tweet, This was the overarching theme of a public talk by Michael One study had people conversing with each other and text or update? Rich and Larry Rosen, two of the foremost researchers on rating each other’s trustworthiness. When there was a According to a 2015 research study by Microsoft, the impacts of technology use on people and relationships. phone nearby (any random phone), people rated each other our attention span has been reduced to that of a gold- The speakers shared their insights before a gathering of as less trustworthy than when a similarly sized notebook fish, less than eight seconds, by the numerous clicks, about 125 people at Barnett House in May 2016. was nearby. hyperlinks and constant demands of our digitally Rich, a Harvard pediatrics professor who studies the ef- “The phone is really the problem, not what’s in the drenched mobile lives. Eight seconds is approximately fects of media use on children, shared the findings of an phone, but it’s the phone itself,” Rosen said. the amount of time it took you to read up to this American study revealing that half of teens and a quarter of Another study tested student performance while stu- point in my editorial. If you are still with me then let's parents feel addicted to technology. This same study found dents were studying with a phone ringing in the back- continue. In the year 2000 we had a 12-second atten- that 41 per cent of teens and 75 per cent of parents feel that ground that they couldn’t answer. Predictably, the students tion span; as our screens have increasingly colonized the other party is distracted by electronic devices. Finally, retained less of the study material and were more stressed. our lives, our attention span has steadily diminished. 72 per cent of teens and 48 per cent of parents feel a need to When there was a phone nearby that wasn’t ringing, stu- Since we have only so much attention to go around, respond immediately to incoming electronic messages. dents performed worse on difficult tasks but did just as well it has become a valuable resource in our digitally sat- “Think about how that disrupts our relationships and on simple tasks. urated era. It has, in fact, become a new field of study our connection with each other,” Rich said. “Devices that Rosen recommends telling kids that they “can have a phone known as “attention economics.” This edition of The increase our connectivity functionally disconnect us.” around, only when they’re doing something very simple.” Learning Team explores how human beings manage Rich also shared data from another recent U.S. study that He cited other evidence that media use itself is associ- information and the implications of our new habits of painted a picture of distracted parenting. The study revealed ated with poorer health in children and youth, even when mind on society and on learning. that 73 per cent of parents use electronic devices while eating accounting for exercise and nutrition. It is an important conversation to follow as the with their children, which results in 20 per cent fewer verbal First among his recommendations for fostering health: French government recently (December 2017) banned interactions and 39 per cent fewer nonverbal interactions. time away from technology as this trains the brain to stop all mobile phone use in schools for students 15 years of That same study showed that 30 per cent of playground producing anxiety-laden chemicals and instils much-need- age and younger. In France this ban is being discussed parents are distracted by screens, leading to a threefold in- ed calmness, he said. It also enables children to practise as a matter of public health, where distraction from crease in the likelihood of their children taking physical risks. creative thinking and face-to-face communication skills. smartphones has been blamed for negative impacts on “One of the things that we might want to think about is not “It’s really important to ensure that your kids ... actually student achievement and declines in outdoor free play. stimulating ourselves every second of every day,” Rich said. look at your face and learn what cues mean,” he said. You may hear people argue that children are multi- To dial down the stimulation, Rich advocates for tak- For young children, Rosen recommends that technology taskers and able to easily navigate the world’s many ing a “digital Sabbath” one day each week. The suggestion be used at a ratio of about 1:5, meaning five hours away from digital distractions, but multitasking is a myth. A tends to draw shocked reactions (including throughout the technology for every hour spent using it. As children get large body of research has documented the finite abil- Barnett House audience), but Rich said he’s had many hy- older and their need to use electronics for school increases, ities of human beings, old and young, to take on dif- perconnected people test out the idea. that ratio can gradually shift toward an upper limit of 5:1. ferent activities simultaneously. What we are learning “When they try it, they feel liberated,” he said. “We need “It never goes to zero, meaning all technology all the is that human beings can only switch from one task the space to find ourselves and to centre ourselves and to time,” he said. to another—a process called switch-tasking. We may be present with ourselves and for each other.” try to pay simultaneous attention to many things, but Electronic presence is distracting in fact we are only paying a “continuous partial at- Cory Hare is the managing editor of The Learning Team. tention” to that which is before us. This is not a great Rosen, a research psychologist from California State This article was originally published in the ATA News on strategy for learning, nor is it a productive one for in- University whose specialties include multitasking, June 14, 2016. teracting with others and building relationships. As Dr. Sherry Turkle, MIT professor and author of Alone Together, states, “Teenagers talk about the idea of having each other's ‘full attention.’ They grew DISTRACTED OR ADDICTED? up in a culture of distraction. They remember their parents were on cellphones when they were pushed Growing Up Digital (GUD) Alberta is a 10-year, collaborative research project that examines the scope of the physical, on swings as toddlers. Now, their parents text at the mental and social consequences of digital technologies on Alberta’s children and youth. dinner table and don’t look up from their BlackBerry when they come for end-of-school day pickup.” Many questions about the impact of the atten- People are having a hard time being away from their tion economy and digital distraction on children are phones. They are living their lives through a screen instead of starting to bubble up across Canada. Some of my more immediate questions are: To what extent are actually taking in what is happening around them through smartphones, apps, websites and social media being their own eyes. uniquely engineered to subconsciously hook and hold — Alberta parent our attention (a.k.a. brain hacking)? How will the growing economy for our children’s attention affect their habits of mind and learned abilities to critically reason and/or read deeply as they grow into adult- hood? To what extent is digital distraction leading to more incidents of physical and emotional neglect? Are there epigenetic effects (inherited changes in gene expression) if parents are so negatively distracted from their babies that it results in new toxic stressors? Is distraction to be found on a continuum towards digi- of parents feel tal addiction? of parents feel 22% their children 30% “addicted” to are “addicted” to technology of grandparents We are all guilty of being alone together. their own technology with with the areas of greatest 36% believe their Time to pay attention. social media as the area of dependence being watching grandchild is “addicted” Be present. greatest dependence. videos and video games. to technology. Dr. Phil McRae is an executive staff officer with the We live in a digital world and using this technology is a great advantage to everyone. I believe that we need Alberta Teachers’ Association and an adjunct professor proper instruction in understanding this technology in the education system that I wish existed in my time. in the faculty of education at the University of Alberta. — Alberta grandparent 2 The Learning Team, Spring 2018 In the classroom I think schools and 68% believe their child’s use of technology at school parents play an is ABOUT RIGHT.