Technology misuse in the classroom has become so pervasive that we must rethink whether our energies should be spent fighting it or whether to work with students on a new paradigm. Yet struggles around technology are also the most obvious symptom of a much larger problem of many students’ inability to focus and the value many of them hold for multitasking.

Based on the recent text: Distracted: Why Students Can’t Focus and What You Can Do About It by James Lang, this session will address the pervasive problem of distracted students, including how to use research on the effects of the technology students use as a distraction (cell phones), or as classroom tools (laptops).

Lastly, in this presentation, attendees will explore the various methods of how to foster better attention from students in the classroom and begin to “shift our thinking away from preventing distraction” (Lang, 2021).

This is an elective session for a certificate of completion in Fostering Proactive Learning Environments.

In order for attendees to personally track their current registrations and attendance at certificate of completion workshops and events, the Center for Teaching Excellence requires that all registrants create an account in our registration system and login to register for all workshops.

If you have an existing training account with the Division of Human Resources, Office of Organizational and Professional Development, you do not need to create an account. You can login using your HR training username and password. By logging in to register for CTE events, your complete training record for both CTE and HR trainings will be available with a single account and login.