The Atlanta Journal Constitution – Maureen Downey
“Almost two years ago I began giving my students five extra credit points if they agreed to turn in their cellphones at the beginning of each class. I was following the lead of Louise Katz, a psychology professor at a college in Tennessee. After giving her students this option and then asking them to evaluate its effectiveness, she found almost 70 percent believed their ability to concentrate in class had dramatically improved. That was good enough for me. Concentration is to learning what muscles are to weightlifting: without the first, you can’t do the second very well. Cellphones are the ultimate distraction: they divide our attention and impede our ability to concentrate on the task at hand. When they ring, vibrate, or play “Drunken Monkey” that says someone wants us, and it’s always nice to be wanted. I would even venture to say that in just a few short years these gadgets may become mankind’s new best friend.”(more)