People really suck at multi-tasking, and don't like to admit it. Since smart phones have become a common device to carry, people's attention span seems to have shortened significantly. This is more noticeable in a classroom than anywhere else. When you're in a classroom bored, there's nothing better than pulling out your phone and getting lost in Reddit looking at strangers cats. The temptation is even worse when your laptop is in front of you, the professor won't even be able to see what you're looking at! But these distractions end up biting students in the ass, and prevent them from
This poses a good question though how can students deal with the lack of attention? Disabling my phone during class tends to help me. And when I have my laptop, I have installed a browser plugin that blocks sites I get distracted by during the times I specify. Both of these still take some control though, they can be unlocked at anytime.
It is probably best for most students to not bring their phone or laptop to class.
What is mentioned in this article seems like a very good approach. Being aware of what you are doing, and how much time you spend on sites can help everyone with their attention. Even as I'm writing this, I'm unconsciously tabbing to my web browser getting ready to browse the Internet. And since I am writing about it, I feel a little bit of guilt every time. Overall the problem seems to be focused on the students, Most professors want their students to pass their class, unless students start to change how they focus this problem will not be going away.
Source: https://chronicle.com/article/Youre-Distracted-This/138079/
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