Attention Management as a Fundamental Aspect of 21st Century Technology Literacy: A Research Agenda

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The purpose of this paper is to raise awareness about the importance of attention in today’s stimulus-rich environment and to argue for attention management as a fundamental technology literacy skill that needs to be integrated in technology and engineering education. The paper presents evidence about the costs of distraction and multitasking, reviews theoretical frameworks that explain the functioning of human attention and the possibility to train it, and introduces an empowering perspective for enabling students to master their own attention. A simple method for attention training is presented and data that validates the concept of integrating attention training into higher education is presented. Introduction We live in a culture of distraction. Information technology and online communication bring more streams of information than ever to our fingertips and compete for our attention. Perhaps nowhere else is this as true as in the higher education classroom, where technology is actively used whether invited by educators or not. In any given class, educators compete for students’ attention with Facebook and text messages as well as sanctioned educational technologies like slide presentations and educational software. Research shows that humans’ cognitive capacities are limited; that competing streams of information, multitasking and task switching present serious challenges that may jeopardize learning and task performance and have dire effects on culture, society, and the economy in the long term. Attention management – the ability to direct attention volitionally to certain stimuli and away from others – is becoming a critical skill in today’s technology and stimulus-rich classrooms, offices and lives. How do we prepare students to manage, distribute, and assign attention? The purpose of this paper is to bring awareness to the importance of attention self-regulation and discuss it as a fundamental technology literacy skill. The argument presented here is that attention training should be considered a fundamental part of technology literacy and should be integrated in higher education. The paper begins with a discussion of technological competency that shows tool operation is a necessary, but insufficient aspect. It then discusses the challenges posed to human attention by today’s information and stimulus-rich environment, and then proceeds to review theoretical explanations from the fields of psychology and education as well as possible solutions. Attempts to implement attention management training in higher education are discussed, and data is presented about students’ acceptance of this type of education. Finally, the paper outlines directions for a research agenda about attention education. Technological Competency: Beyond Tool Operation The Center for Public Education report “Defining a 21 Century Education” identifies technology as the primary driver of changes in our society and names technology literacy as one of the most important literacies of our age . The strategic importance of technology is recognized by the National Science Foundation, which considers technology essential, not optional, for STEM education 2 and recognizes that for the first time in history, “’online’ will be