Technology and Attention Spans

After reading the article on technology and attention span, I have to say that I do not wholly agree with either position. To me, they are too "all or nothing." I don't believe that the use of technology has to be distracting and overwhelming, as the first writer describes. However, I also do not believe that every assignment should be done with technology, eliminating books, as the second author proposed. I think that it is possible to offer a steady balance of technological based projects and traditional pen/paper projects. This set-up really allows the teacher to cater to more students and offer assignments for many different learning styles. While most kids use technology for their own entertainment, I know that not all students enjoy technology based assignments. This too is simply because different kids learn in different ways. As John Davidson quoted, "They can process information much faster than most of us. Because of this, we as educators must change the way we teach and what we teach." I agree with this statement, but think there are multiple to do this; it doesn't require an all-digital curriculum.

I was left with a major question after reading this article. I would like to know what experience these men have within a high school classroom. I noticed that both men are involved in the world of education, but at the management level. To me, their arguments lacked any real knowledge of students. The first article did not account for the fact that students can focus for long periods of time if they are engaged by the assignment. The second did not take into account the fact that many students enjoy reading real books and creating tangible products. It seemed that both men need to speak with students in order to realistically assert their positions.