Shorter Attention Spans

Based on observation and word of mouth, I feel it is easy to assume that students have developed a significantly shorter attention span since the pandemic. If anything, shorter attention spans have been progressing since the spike in technology use. Is this comparable to the attention span of education, as well? After all, it has gotten to a point where we are educating students on concepts, jobs, skills, etc., that have not quite come to life, all because certain focuses are consistently adjusting, changing, and/or transforming. How crazy is that?

Moving forward, schools will definitely need to rethink classroom learning environments to better suit students' needs, both for the applicability of education and for students' sake. Under these terms, the environment should be conducive to creative and innovative learning styles. How can this be done, considering the rapid changes in academia (https://www.ilab.ceu.edu/blog-posts/the-future-of-education-how-to-prepare-students-for-a-world-that-doesnt-exist-yet)? Well, from my understanding, schools will have to offer more ways for students to gain real-world experiences that are applicable to their future careers. I can imagine it is difficult to do so, for a lot of what educators have to do is prepare students for what is not yet seen. Our education system, however, can at least give more opportunities for student involvement in the hopes that their attention spans do not deteriorate much further.

(I really liked this image. I, unfortunately, would need to buy a subscription to remove the logo, but, basically, the sign states, "Help! Academia couldn't hack it in 'the real world'").

This second image does such a great job of depicting how academia can very easily (and quickly) become irrelevant for "real-world" purposes. I do not say this in judgment, though, because I cannot fathom how difficult it is to stay on top of everything when everything is rarely the same as it was just the day before. To connect back to involving students in real-world opportunities, schools should provide this accessibility by, first, not limiting students to be inside the classroom and/or their devices for the entirety of their education. Potential circumstances could include interning for different companies, mentoring marginalized youth, or collaborating with one another in larger groups (https://rossieronline.usc.edu/blog/education-20-years/). 

 

The source mentioned above ends with a very important question to ponder, with all things considered. It asks, "The technology is here now, but will we have the culture and pedagogy that optimizes the true impact of student technology use?" I sure hope so. We have quite the journey to endure as future educators!