Distraction Attention Worksheet

Distraction/Attention worksheet

 

Describe your overall ability to pay attention when it comes to school work (<100 words) On a scale of 1 – 10, indicate how addicted you are to your phones

When I’m in an environment that’s quiet and alone, it’s easy for me to focus on school work. But most of the time, I don’t have the motivation to do school work, so it’s hard for me to pay attention. If I have music around me, I can do the work. Also, if I give myself an incentive and say that I can do something or treat myself after, then I can get work done more efficiently. On a scale of 1-10, I’m at like an 8.

While reading “My Distraction Sickness” please note how long it takes you to get through the piece (Google says it’s a 45 min read); also, count the number of times you get distracted (for whatever reason) and tally them at the end.

“My Distraction Sickness”: 28 minutes Distracted Tally: 20

Describe the tone of all three articles, how do they differ? (<100 words)

“My Distraction Sickness” tone started off kind of warm by explaining the narrator’s experience. The article felt more like an appeal to pathos even though it used statistics. The warning tone was easier to digest because of how kindly and openly it was presented. “In Defense of Distraction,” Anderson definitely used a  more aggressive, straightforward tone to get his point across. It felt more informal, and the word choice almost made it comical at times. I think the use of personal interactions with others contributed to that. “The Distracted Student Mind” was very informative. It used specific research and statistics to prove technology’s effects on children. It felt more informative. Even though it was highlighting the negatives of tech, it didn’t feel pushy.

What are Sam Anderson’s primary arguments in defense of distraction? (see part III of In Defense of Distraction) Do you find them convincing? Why or why not

His main argument is that focus in itself is a paradox. It needs distraction in order to survive as a concept. As it is almost impossible to avoid distraction, one must learn to harness the power of distraction to flourish. The brain was made to change and grow, so maybe we need to start thinking about how we can positively make that happen. I didn’t find these arguments to be that convincing as I think it goes without saying that distraction can be helpful if we just learn how to use it to our advantage. But I just think it’s almost getting too hard to do that because of tech. The brain change and some of the changes of tech have been positive, but do these positives outweigh the negative? I think his point is strong, but I’m not sure the way he argued for it was enticing enough for me.

After reading all three articles, what are your thoughts on this “epidemic of distraction”? (<50 words)

I think the lack of attention span in Gen-Z and generations after is concerning. Tech is only becoming more and more a part of daily life, so I don’t think this problem will be rectified soon. This isn’t to say that tech hasn’t been helpful but to recognize the chances of this becoming an even bigger problem. I doubt enough people will start to care about it enough for society to take charge of changing these things.

Please annotate “My Distraction Sickness” – highlight at least three instances for each of the following rhetoric concepts:  Invention Style  Memory  Pathos  Ethos

Did this on the actual piece itself