Today's Technology in Music Education was truly one of the most inspiring and thought-provoking seminars that I have experienced as a university student. Throughout the seminar, we were made aware of various concerning technology and it's implications on our health.
A multitude of facts included:
- From the year 1930 to 2010, the average length of a shot filmed for television (in seconds) decreased from 10.5s to 4s.
Learning this statistic resulted in me pondering how this decrease in attention translates to the music classroom...
Further research indicated that the 'smartphone phenomenon' as it is described by Archie Modequillo (2018), only contributes to this reduced attention span. Interestingly, a study published by Budd (2017), revealed that older Americans have a greater attention span resulting in a greater ability to focus and learn due to a more resilient attention span. The research also revealed however, that younger Americans can process information more quickly and can quickly transition from one task to another.
These cognitive differences, according to Budd are a result of the smartphone. Furthermore, research from the Hokkaido University in Japan pointed to the notion that even performing a task with a smartphone nearby results in slower progress than those who had a memo pad rather than a phone. Similarly, researchers at the Florida state university found that a single notification on one's smartphone hinders one's ability to focus on a task. Unsurprisingly, the article recommends playing an instrument to improve focus and deep concentration. From my own experience working towards my AMusA in 2018 and now my LMusA in 2019, practicing an instrument has significant benefits as it engages many areas of the brain including the auditory, motor and visual cortices (Collins, 2018).
In this week's seminar, James suggested strategies and tips for utilising technology to it's fullest potential while also maximising productivity and minimising stress throughout each day. Mindfulness and meditation is a skill that was recommended and that I've started practicing after the week 6 seminar.
I have been absolutely astonished by the power of mindfulness and meditation.
It have been amazing in increasing my concentration on individual tasks such as practicing guitar and working on uni assignments as well as enhancing my overall feeling of relaxation and provided me with a sense of feeling less overwhelmed by each day's tasks.
I cannot recommend these two sources more!:
Waking Up - Sam Harris https://wakingup.com
Headspace https://www.headspace.com
Additional key points which I took from the seminar:
- In many cases, email is not the most effective method of communication.
- Checking emails at certain times during the day and not before 11am increases productivity
- Limit notifications on your smartphone
- Declutter your phone (which I'm so glad I did!)
- Reduce social media usage (I set myself a rule of logging onto facebook once a day maximum, and logging out of the app as soon as I checked what I wanted to check. I also set a rule of not logging on before 11am and not after 10pm).
This seminar really inspired me, so I decided to do some further research into productivity through a quick podcast search and here's what I found (absolutely brilliant!):
Time Management Ninja Podcast #19 – Ten Small Tips for Big Results
I find myself revisiting this podcast from time to time so that I stay reminded of these small and achievable tips which combine to make positive changes and results.
Reference List:
Budd, K. (2017, November 27). Attention Spans, Focus Affected By Smartphone Use. Retrieved from https://www.aarp.org/health/brain-health/info-2017/mental-focus-smartphone-use.html
Collins, A. (2013). Neuroscience meets music education: Exploring the implications of neural processing models on music education practice. International Journal of Music Education, 31(2), 217–231. https://doi.org/10.1177/0255761413483081
MarÃa, A., & Akanido, S. (2018, November 15). Time Management Ninja Podcast #19 – Ten Small Tips for Big Results. Retrieved October 14, 2019, from https://timemanagementninja.com/2018/05/time-management-ninja-podcast-19-ten-small-tips-for-big-results/.
Modequillo, A. (2018, October 2). The Smartphone Phenomenon: The Freeman. Retrieved from https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-lifestyle/2018/10/03/1856831/smartphone-phenomenon
Music education helps improve children's ability to learn. (n.d.). Retrieved September 28, 2019, from http://education.abc.net.au/newsandarticles/blog/-/b/2974240/music-education-helps-improve-children-s-ability-to-learn?fbclid=IwAR2qciJOk6NsSSV2J2mAm4AmQk_N-ZbN7uPWme6D6Lnc4HWbLVHQuFD4qBU.