Digital distraction

The traditional digital divide that was a question of having or not having access to technology is no longer the prevalent issue. With widespread access to technology the nuanced reality is the digital use divide. How we can and should use the technology available to us in education is an important question. However there are many criticisms and concerns that raise the question if we should use it at all. In

Oversold and Underused (2002), Cuban subjected the use of ICT in education to

critical analysis. As the title of his book indicates he argues that ICT fails to deliver on its promises to improve both the pedagogical process and learning outcomes in education. More recently he has commented:

Since 2010, laptops, tablets, interactive whiteboards, smart phones, and a cornucopia of software have become ubiquitous. Yet has academic achievement improved as a consequence? Has teaching and learning changed? Has use of devices in schools led to better jobs? These are the basic questions that school boards, policymakers, and administrators ask. The answers to these questions are ‘no,’ ‘no,’ and ‘probably not’. (Cuban 2015)

He is just one of many voices who have concerns about the widespread and fast paced adoption of technology in education. Professor Tom Butler from University College Cork also made headlines after giving a talk at Féilte (October 2015) where he stated, ‘Books are Better than Screens’ (Gartland 2015). Butler quoted Selwyn (2015, p.247) who said that “digital technology is hardly the benign, neutral presence in education that we are often assured it to be”.

Digital technology is not a neutral presence in education. Bring any device, digital or otherwise into a classroom, and it won't be a neutral presence. Likewise, bring any person into the classroom and the dynamics change. It is not neutral, but neither is it automatically good or bad. There are far too many variables at play to make a statement like that. Selwyn a well-regarded critic of technology in education argues that a big part of the problem is the language that we use. He believes that the language used is neither benign nor neutral (Selwyn 2016). He accuses it of having traits similar to language used in political speeches, real estate or advertising, infused with language that is ‘opaque, obtuse and often self-serving’ (Selwyn 2016 p.2). This ‘ed-vertising’ language is evident in a lot of hyped-up articles on educational technology that describe game changing 21st century tools for the future.

It is imperative to discuss the positives and negatives and be aware that the presence of technology has little impact, but how it is used makes a difference. Butler in the introduction to a paper entitled ICT in Education: fundamental problems and

practical recommendations raises some valid concerns about the effect of ICT on the

brain stating that “the negative effects of ICT use include sleep deprivation, distraction and multitasking, all of which directly impact on learning” (Butler 2015). Research has shown that the human brain cannot successfully perform two or more cognitive tasks simultaneously. It can only alternate tasks and sequence tasks and doing so hinders our progress (Sousa 2011). In other words, our ability to multitask is a myth. It seems young people, and a lot of adults, need to be made aware of the possible negative effects of technology and need to acquire the skills to manage and minimise these for themselves.

According to Powers (2010) in these early years of the digital era, without realising it, we are living with a philosophy of technology that tells us that it is good to be connected, and it’s bad to be disconnected. He proposes that digital connectedness serves us best when it is balanced with disconnectedness (Powers 2010). With students armed with iPads, how much connection are they expecting to have with teachers on their devices? More importantly, how does the teacher make sure to balance their own disconnectedness when teaching with iPads? How can teachers model good practice for their students? It is imperative for teachers to consider if and

how they foster connections with their students online in a 1:1 classroom and how that online connection will impact their real world connection.

Protalinski reports that the main social media platform being used is Facebook (2016). As of April 2016 Facebook has over 1.5 billion monthly active users, of which of over 1 billion are reported to be daily users (Protalinski 2016) If our underlying philosophy of technology is connectedness (Powers 2010) then we need to call into question the type of ‘connectedness’ Facebook provides. According to Smith (2010) Facebook aims to connect people at all costs and warns of the unbalanced nature she feels is found in the approach of Facebook founder Zuckerberg:

Zuckerberg uses the word “connect” as believers use the word “Jesus,” as if it were sacred in and of itself: Connection is the goal. The quality of that connection, the quality of the information that passes through it, the quality of the relationship that connection permits—none of this is important. That a lot of social networking software explicitly encourages people to make weak, superficial connections with each other (as Malcolm Gladwell has recently argued), and that this might not be an entirely positive thing, seem to never have occurred to him. (Smith 2010)

Turkle argues that individuals are drawn to life online because ‘the connections seem low risk and always at hand’ (2011, p295) and concludes that what appears to be a connected life can actually disconnect people from engaging in real relationships. The negative impact of mindlessly wandering into the world of technology and social media without critically reflecting on its impact on our lives is clear. Therefore, the teacher in a 1:1 environment needs to be open to on-going questioning and reflection on their own use of technology. It is important to be aware of the criticisms and concerns explored in the literature before embarking on technology integration. However, technology is only aspect of the research question that needs to be explored. Reflecting on pedagogical knowledge for 21st century teaching is essential as the pedagogical practice of the teacher will determine the use of the technology.