TECH SPACE FALL 2019
Update 10/27/20: Since I wrote this, a year ago, Covid19 came into the picture and changed, again, our relationship with screens and digital environments. The debate surrounding screen time has shifted as we've come to depend on virtual connections during the pandemic. The fact remains, however, that certain types of screen time are healthier (or, at least less unhealthy) than others. Now, more than ever, it is important to think about the quality, purpose, and balance of our time spent in digital spaces.
The provocative title came up in my news feed: "Human Contact Is Now A Luxury Good." Really? I feared this was another in a growing number of attacks on the connected life - another "doom and gloom" warning that touch screens are hurling us toward societal collapse. I kept my cool and read on. As it turns out, I found the article illuminating and a good contribution to a conversation we should be having.
Technology reporter, Nellie Bowles, describes how the rich are shunning screens and placing renewed value on human interaction. I was reminded of a conversation I had with a colleague around the time our school district announced a one2one technology initiative. She spoke of a news story she saw about a school that went tech-free. The emphasis was entirely on hands on, project based experiences. At the time, that school was going against the trend of rapid digital integration. Today, it might not be an outlier.
"Screens used to be for the elite. Now avoiding them is a status symbol." Ellie Bowles, NYT
I’m not surprised we’re seeing a backlash to the digital "over-connectedness" that dominates our culture. In fact, I welcome it. It may seem odd to hear a technology coach advocate for less connection but I’m not turning “anti-screen”. I’m just concerned, as others are, that in our efforts to keep up with the times we've somehow diminished the value of three dimensional, "natural", and personal experience. Will the pendulum swing back, full arc, or can we find the sweet spot where tech occupies its rightful place in our humanity?
A personal example: Our family took a road trip across the west a year ago. We spent days hiking, camping and sightseeing in wilderness and through national parks. The vast majority of the time, we were disconnected from devices (at times due to no access to networks - itself a refreshing situation).
But our phones provided useful navigation. They helped us search for great trails and camping locations. We shared images and updates with relatives. We monitored the weather to stay safe in mountain climates. Technology didn’t supplant or diminish our experience - it greatly enhanced it - when it's purpose was clear and secondary to our greater goal: to get outside and experience wilderness, together. (Ok, so we caved a few times and watched Netflix by campfire).
I think the same holds true for technology in schools and in other aspects of life. Tech should serve people - not the other way around. We have allowed screens to infiltrate every available corner of our attentional space. Not just our personal screens but big screens in restaurants, gas stations, and waiting rooms. We’ve surrendered our attention to constant distraction and have allowed corporate interests to profit from it. This loss of privacy and access to solitude is a larger cultural problem that extends well beyond the use of personal devices.
Having little power over the ubiquitous presence of media in the public realm, it makes sense that we wrest some control back by claiming tech free spaces for ourselves and our families.
"The rich have grown afraid of screens. They want their children to play with blocks, and tech-free private schools are booming." Ellie Bowles
I remain skeptical, however, of research that highlights only negative effects of screen time on developing brains, some of which is referenced in Bowles' article. The "screen time" issue is much more nuanced.
We provide a great service giving every student access to a powerful tool for information, connection, and creation. We can truly level the playing field when all students have access to 21st century tools. But with it comes a tremendous responsibility to model and instruct our children on how to be enlightened users of these tools.
It is important, I think, to consider our use of personal technology along a spectrum of consumption to creation. An hour of iPad time creating a post that inspires or promotes a good cause is not the same as an hour spent scrolling through videos for entertainment. We should engage students in frequent and open dialogue about the quantity AND the quality of time they spend on devices.
An hour of iPad time creating a post that inspires or promotes a good cause is not the same as an hour spent scrolling through videos for entertainment.
When I work with students, I seldom find disagreement about what healthy and balanced tech use should look like. Students are mostly honest - they question their own screen time but admit they overdo it. They understand why we preach balance. Children, just like adults, respond to both digital and “real” experiences - when those activities are compelling and interesting.
In surveys I've done with students they self report their ratio of creation to consumption is higher at school than at home. This is a positive indicator for our classrooms. But as more and more research emerges about the negative effects of social media and screen addiction, I wonder what else we can do to influence our children to be mindful digital citizens.
This debate - to ditch or not to ditch tech - is probably just getting started. The following piece was published around the same time as the NYT article:
Seems there is no issue on which we Americans can't find ourselves completely polarized and divided. As for educators, especially school leaders, I hope we resist the temptation to hunker down into any of these strongholds and, instead, keep a balanced perspective about the role screens play in learning.
Ultimately, our children will determine, for themselves, the relationship they will have with tech in their adult lives. Our most important job, besides informing learners of benefits and risks, is to ensure they have rich and positive experiences with all kinds of connection on which to base that choice.
Credits:
Created with images by Jules D. - "untitled image" • SPOTSOFLIGHT - "technology modern high-tech" • Mimzy - "back to school pencils rainbow"