Revisiting a Traditional Classroom: A Research Proposal to Combat Digital Fatigue and Enhance Cognitive Engagement
In recent years, there has been a clear global shift within education as more and more schools are moving towards digital education. The modern classroom has moved away from traditional style teaching, which focused on paper assignments, textbooks, and in-person assessment. And has instead become more synchronous with technology. Learning Management systems like Canvas and Google Classroom have become the norm and are pushing for most, if not all, school work to be online.
Many educators are now arguing t that this over-reliance on technology in the classroom has created a digital fatigue and has led to a cognitive decline amongst students as literacy rates and other academics are on a rapid decline.
This website will explore my personal research on the over dependence of technology and cognitive decline amongst students and make a case for further professional research in this matter. By exploring the cognitive benefits of traditional teaching styles and face-to-face engagement, this research proposes an approach to balance technology in the classroom to reduce student burnout and restore deep, focused learning in an increasingly screen saturated world.
Personal Connection
Recently, I completed 2 semesters' worth of student teaching as I pursue my degree in secondary education. And unfortunately, I am disappointed with the current state of education, as students are disconnected and are not able to engage with their education. Initially, I believed that it may just be due to age and “teenage angst”; however, over the course of those two semesters, it was clear that technology in the classroom was the issue. After 2 years of lockdown due to COVID, schools had to move towards online courses; however, since the lockdown ended, online courses have remained the norm. And while it's created convenience, I believe it's causing more issues then problem.
My central research question was clear: “Is technology the reason for this generation's cognitive decline?” I believed this was the case, as throughout my experience in the classroom, students were blatantly proving it. As I saw constant cheating and a lack of effort, things like Photomath, ChatGPT, and Google AI essentially provided students with easy and quick answers, leaving no room for problem-solving skills or cognitive simulation.
My hope with this proposal is to help educators reconsider how they integrate technology in the classroom. To find a solution to this overreliance and cognitive decline. As I am afraid of this younger generation lacking important skills they need for the real world,