You stealthily pull your phone out in class and tap the buttons feverishly to send out your latest text. After school you go home and open up your laptop planning to do homework, but find yourself checking the latest status updates on Facebook. Later that night you plan on studying but you end up watching the newest episode of American Idol. You find that what seemed like hours of time to do homework has turned into yet another late night cram session.
“I get distracted all the time by the T.V. and my computer to the point that I only get my work done late at night. I always spend more time on the computer or T.V. then I originally thought I would,” said sophomore Edwin Galeano.
Many students today are finding themselves more distracted by technology than they realize. How many stories have been told about a student getting ready to do homework but then mindlessly ends up on Facebook for hours on end. Or saying to themselves they will start studying for their big test at 6:00 p.m. but ending up doing it at 11:00 p.m. because their favorite show came on. Entertainment and technology have become a huge distraction in student’s lives.
“If I’m doing homework on the computer sometimes I’ll just sign in without even realizing it and I end up wasting hours reading what other people are doing instead of doing my homework,” said freshman Betsy Kruse.
Although many people admit that their Facebook and T.V. are more of a distraction than they are help, they cannot seem to get enough.
“Technology distracts me from more important things like homework or spending time with my family. It overall wastes my time but it’s very addicting. When I don’t use technology I feel like I am missing out on something important like a status update or a new episode of my favorite show,” said junior Julia Uglietta.
While technology can be a huge distraction it is helping students to learn time management. Many people are finding that they can still be successful in school and use technology, they just have to learn how to prioritize and balance that two. Students are finding that there are ways to do homework and then use left over time as “entertainment” time.
“I think the best way to balance homework and “entertainment” time is to use “entertainment” time as a reward. After I complete my homework I get to go on the computer or go watch T.V. It’s a nice reward and a great relaxation method after I get all my schoolwork finished,” said Uglietta.
Freshman Betsy Kruse takes a different approach to managing her time.
“I try to stick to a schedule. I’ll check my Facebook right when I get home. After that I’ll watch a little T.V. so that I can relax after a busy day. After all of this I’ll start my homework. It helps so that while I’m doing homework I’m not constantly thinking of ways to procrastinate,” said Kruse.
While many students find technology to be distracting, some do not let the distractions lure them in.
“I don’t think Facebook has that big of an impact on me. It could potentially be a big distraction but I have a lot of other outlets to pass time like sports. I do think it impacts a lot of people negatively however because they pass too much time on the internet,” said senior Murat Gokturk.
Entertainment and technology are huge distractions for students but as long as you learn how to prioritize you can succeed in school and still have fun surfing the web or watching your favorite T.V. show.
