We keep adopting more and more technology at an astonishing rate. We’re texting, checking emails, making phone calls, have at least five different tabs open when browsing the web, and it doesn’t seem to stop even there. When we have a question about something we can get an answer in less than a minute when we Google it. We expect things to be fast and we expect answers to be given to us right away. We’ve become obsessed almost by being so dependent on our interaction with the World Wide Web and because of this, our cognitive functions aren’t being challenged in the way that they were back then when we researched, explored, and truly thought about facts and theories.
This compulsive interactivity is affecting and altering about ability to focus. Since technologies and the Internet are becoming so much more ingrained in our culture and in our lives, don’t you think it might be affecting the way in which we think? What about the way in which we learn? Teaching methods are constantly changing. We can see that in the way they are using technology to influence classroom practices. Does that mean they’re trying to cater to the new ways in which students think? Is it because they think technology will be more useful?
There’s no running from technology, so how are we to work with it? I cannot stress enough how important it is to set priorities. An easy way to begin doing just that is to focus on one task at a time. Check your email at set times throughout the day instead of continuously adhering to the steady stream of emails, texts, and information. Stay away from multitasking, and watch productivity go up and stress and anxiety go down. Another equally important thing to be aware of: if you have children, think before sitting them down in front of a screen.