Technology is constantly evolving in our world today. As individuals, we are capable of doing everything by the touch of a single click, including reading journals, solving math equations, and googling answers to our own questions online. This allows us to have so much more access from a machine rather than our own thinking. So, it’s quite common for educators to keep up with society as they adapt to the way students are learning from modern technology. The internet has its benefits and consequences, but I am a strong believer that we should limit ourselves when using technology for learning. Forcing yourself to read online, as well as multitasking, is much more challenging and equally draining for an individual.
In the article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” Carr expresses how easy it is to find information using the internet with all the resources available to us. Although, we cannot depend all our thinking on the internet. Carr and other colleagues claim that it’s hard to stay focused while reading online due to many distractions the internet has to offer. Carr expresses from other colleagues who have stated that, “The more they use the Web, the more that have to fight to stay focused on long pieces of writing” (“Is Google Making Us Stupid?”). Distractions like video ads, music, and notifications that instantly pop up that take your attention away in a snap of your fingers. For example, as I am writing this paper, referencing back to the article I am easily distracting by the ads that are shown and even the notifications that pop up on my screen as well.
While you think you may be the only one who gets distracted when working online, Carr discusses this phenomena in his article stating, “Now my concentration often starts to drift after two or three pages. I get fidgety, lose the thread, begin looking for something else to do. I feel as if I’m always dragging my wayward brain back to the text. The deep reading that used to come naturally has become a struggle” (“Is Google Making Us Stupid?”). In his statement, Carr focusses on the point that reading online can become so boring and can make us become easily distracted with everything the internet has to offer such as social media, checking mail, and just searching the web rather than concentrating on the reading. Coincidentally, distractions could easily get confused with multitasking when working online.
I notice as I read different articles, Olivia Goldhill provides clear evidence similar to Carr’s evidence. Goldhill says, “That switching comes with a biological cost that ends up making us feel tired more quickly than if we sustain the attention on one thing.” (“Neuroscientist say multitasking literally drains the energy reserves of your brain”). She states that switching in between activities and tasks becomes more exhausting rather than productive. She even includes evidence that our brain uses oxygenated glucose which is burning out the same fuel needed to focus for single task. So imagine multitasking in between three different tasks and becoming ultimately overwhelmed—but really it’s your brain chemically over working itself to get everything you need done. Therefore, multitasking continues to make ourselves worn out and equally draining. It is suggested that a break is only needed in between tasks.
Completing two tasks at once is quite challenging when results do not come out as best as they could. Goldhill’s article she says “you can’t do two demanding, even simple tasks, in parallel.” This statement explains that we cannot focus or concentrate on doing two tasks at once because there’s no full attention on the one task that is needed to be done. For example, driving and texting is quite impossible and illegal, because not only is it a distraction, but it’s also putting yourself and others lives in harm’s way. We mentally cannot focus on the road and text because our attention should be fully focused on one thing at a time to get efficient results. Although, driving and texting is illegal and a major distraction, listening to music and driving is different because there’s no physical harm in it, because it doesn’t negatively affect the way we are completing a task. 
In the article, “The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens” Jabr discusses the difference between reading on screen and paper. Jabr makes a good point—that we do read left to right in books while seeing the text as a whole with less distractions whatsoever. It’s a book, it’s in our hands, we turn the pages, our mind is constantly taking information in. For once, we are not overworking our brains with distractions and multitasking. When reading on paper it appears that we have a better way of imagining the text out as well as having a mental map of the text. Turning off all electronics and isolating yourself from distractions is a way for individuals to read a book to get less distracted. In contrast Jabr discusses the effects of reading online. Most digital screens do not always display as a paper book interfering with the way the text is presented to individuals. Individuals will scroll through a digital text, then begin to click on different pages as well as taking the time to go to the search function. Jabr states, “but it is difficult to see any one passage in the context of the entire text.” (“The Reading Brain in the Digital Age: The Science of Paper versus Screens”). Jabr means that sometime it’s better to see the text as whole instead of bits and pieces. Screen display a virtual page where one moment it’s there then gone and on paper we are able to retrace our footsteps.
As society is evolving and becoming more engaged in modern technology, many people suggest we should adapt our education system to the digital age. I’m here to say that we shouldn’t. The internet changes the way we think as our minds become more dependent on it. We lose sight and beauty of information that is physically around us to where we can’t think for ourselves anymore. When reading online, we tend to have a short attention span while becoming distracted by everything on the internet. As humans, we also tend to multitask with several things at one time. In result, we begin to lose focus of what we want to accomplish. With a physical book at hand we are able to see the full picture as well as not losing focus. Reading online and multitasking can completely over work our brains as distractions. However, as we know it, technology isn’t going anywhere, but only evolving as it is the future. Strategies that educators can conduct for students when using technology for reading online would be to limit ourselves from our phones and turning notifications off as we have a better focus off the text.
Ad from “Is Google Making Us Stupid?”
Driving while texting by: Brian Clausen