While people watch television everyday and can stay up for many hours if they are amused by what they see it makes me wonder why people can so easily go to sleep or simply do nothing in their classes. While things on television are very amusing and also entertaining many people do not find school to be the same. I have even seen people fall asleep in a few of the classes that I have had.
Postman says, “In searching the literature of education, you will find it said by some that children will learn best when they are interested in what they are learning.” While sitting is class one can will notice people next to them writing notes or doodling while they should be taking notes, following a teacher’s word, or doing some type of class work. Back then Postman says that people could sit and listen to others talk for 7 hours of lectures. Today people have trouble getting though a class that does not even last an hour. Many educational things are becoming less and less appealing because of the new technology that is being created that is seen to be more entertaining.
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It is true that one's attention span seems to be shrinking in connection with non-technologically related activities. One could say that this is because media updates itself quickly while everyday activities are repetitive.
ReplyDeleteEducation is like the bitter medicine one has to take in order to better themselves. Similarly, technology is the sweet, fizzy soda one can find almost anywhere. If one were to ask someone which they would choose, most would probably choose the soda.
However, too much of a good thing is not always beneficial. Thus, eventually one will return one's attention back to education and non-technologically related activities which will become interesting once more.
I agree to the post because on some days I myself have fallen asleep in classes because I was board and the teacher was talking in a really low tone. But on other days like Postman said have been alert and actuality learning what the teachers were saying because I was interested. If you are in a meeting for 7 hours and the subject they are discussing pertains to you of course you are going to pay full attention and learn every nook and cranny there is to learn. So I think if you are interested in school then you can do the whole 20 years of it easy but others who cant or aren't interested choose to do something else like doodle.....
ReplyDeleteYazlyn, I've missed reading what you write haha. You always come up with the best analogies. And it's so true. Taking the "bitter medicine" of education is something one has to do to become educated. But if a person doesn't care about that, why should we criticize them? Not everyone can be a theologian or an author or Postman. Also, like Osama said, the topic of the discourse often dictates how much attention will be paid to it. So if someone in high school only wants to be a fashion designer or a mechanic, they're likely to only pay attention in the classes that suit their future.
ReplyDeleteI also think that attention spans are shrinking without things using technology. Nowadays, people get bored with someone standing there lecturing people, and technology actually gets their attention. However, people do not stand there and lecture just to make you sleepy or bored with the class. They do it to teach others new things and how to approach these newly acquired learning experiences, and I think that everyone should acknowledge that. It's interesting how technological entertainment has really evolved. It's gone to where we need it to learn everything more easily, even though some people might say that the old-school lecturing gives them more out of what they learned. As weird as it sounds, it's not the worse thing that happened to the world. I think that this is trying to open up to learn certain subjects differently, so the it is beneficial. I agree with what Osama said about how we pay attention to something we want to learn. Even though it is not true in my opinion, I think that what we really want out of school is the things that is going to have something to do with our future. I don't think that it's true because anything that anybody learns, through the subjects that they take in school, can benefit them in any way.
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