Unplugging Children

Technology is amazing. So amazing that it is completely rewiring our kids in ways that may fundamentally change the way they think and live their lives. Some believe that we can and should harness technology to ensure that our kids are prepared for the world and to assist their learning. I often disagree (I also think a flip phone is better than an Android, so maybe that says something about me). I am sick of people that can't finish a meal without sending a text, people who can't remember birthdays if they are not on facebook, and sick of being constantly interrupted from tasks at work. That said, my fear is that children who learn to depend on the immediate gratification that pressing a button provides will forget more and more and lose the ability to concentrate, immerse themselves in their passions, and ultimately realize goals that require delaying gratification.

A recent article in the New York Times notes that people are now paying big bucks to unplug, from software that disables your internet to resorts that lack wifi and phones. The article notes that those who break away and spend time in quiet settings are more attentive, remember more, and have improved cognition. Empathy, it turns out, also requires being unplugged. It is not particularly surprising, as screens distance you from people and places, so your connection to them is weaker and thus your ability to put yourself in their shoes is diminished. A recent Cracked post also notes that crutches like Google, Facebook, and Twitter allow you to forget things because you know you can "recall" them later by searching the web. The trick, however, is trying to remember all the things that you could theoretically look up and have forgotten.

Here are my fears about about using technology with kids in class:

1. Technology is expensive and many teachers receive limited training on how to incorporate it into their pedagogy.
   
2. According to researchers Paul Glewwe and Michael Kramer in their April 2005 survey of strategies for increasing student performance (smaller class sizes, teacher training, computers, etc) titled "Schools, Teachers, and Education Outcomes in Developing Countries," computers work best in environments where "both the number of qualified teachers and the quality of employed teachers is notoriously poor."
   
3. Children are becoming more and more distracted. In August 2011, the Washington Post reported that nearly one in ten kids suffers from attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and that the phenomenon has increased over the past decade. Using technology poorly could contribute in a way that ultimately makes them unable to apply themselves to something complex and complete the task.
   
4. Even if they are able to complete a task, I have been distracted by facebook, gmail, several text messages, and a google search while trying to write this post. Children are particularly sensitive to distraction, and we may be creating unnecessary road blocks that make completing something (and feeling the associated sense of pride and achievement) that much harder.
   
5. So many skills require you to warm up and get into them: dance, language, musical instruments, writing, reading, creating ideas for businesses, etc. If kids are constantly interrupted, they may never hit that point of nirvana where they are immersed enough in a task to get that rhythm that is required to truly excel.
   
6. Some people are more effective multitaskers, but being good at balancing may still prevent you from the enjoyment that you get from being immersed so totally in a task that you lose track of time and your surroundings. If we rob our kids of the joys of learning, then how do we keep them engaged?
7. Multi-tasking also overwhelms your brain, and you may crowd out good ideas or insights that would have otherwise occurred.
   
8. Pressing a button or clicking a link and getting an immediate response is actually addictive. If kids get used to this kind of response, they may find other things less interesting or worthwhile if there is no immediate response. Many things in life don't offer that immediate gratification, and that is a problem.
9. Facebook can help you stay in touch, but it can also give the false sense of knowing someone or of being in touch. What often happens is that your friend now becomes like a news article, something distant. Further, you lose the camaraderie of sharing stories and experiences because, well, facebook already told me so why bother? We are eroding our social networks, our ability to interact with others, and our ability to put our talents together to a shared goal.

These are not the only problems, they are not always problems solely of technology, and they are not reasons to completely deny technology. I don't want to come off as a Luddite, as I think technology has a place. That said, the whole point of technology is to do more things better and faster so that we have more free time to enjoy! If we are spending that free time all on the very technology that created it...that is not a win.

My sophomore English teacher was really great at using a wide variety of technology for his classes. He would use videos, music, slideshows, but it would always be structured and usually tied to group work. He was incredibly effective at using technology as a tool, not being used like a tool by technology. I do support a more limited use of technology in schools.

The following are some ways to use technology to improve outcomes for students:

1. Plan your lesson carefully, embedding the technological aspects in a targeted manner for a specific purpose.
   
2. Don't use technology because you can; use it because it makes sense (my teacher would be very clear later on about ways to connect the multimedia and literature and lecture components of his class through very complex worksheets).
3. Technology is not a tool to help a teacher that is too lazy to adequately prepare: good teaching requires preparation, regardless of the amount of technology you use. (If you pull a Cameron Diaz in "Bad Teacher" that is a problem).
   
4. Combine technological and social aspects (as my teacher would use technology to teach part of a concept and then follow up with group work), so that students use it as a part of their education not in place of other ways of learning.
   
5. Be present and lead students through technological aspects: the technology should not replace you, but illustrate what you are trying to communicate to your students (my teacher, for example, would constantly interject or pause films to ensure that we were getting what we should have).
   
6. Give the technology a fixed beginning and end: these boundaries are important to ensure that it doesn't interrupt any learning that was taking place or will take place during other parts of the lesson.
   
7. Do not let the technology overoccupy your lesson plan: if you do not give kids adequate time to think about, talking about, and write about the concept, they will not commit it to memory and they will not develop higher order thinking skills (this may, actually, contribute to some of the problems of students not learning well in college: many people are on facebook during lectures or can even watch lectures online).
8. Technology is about consumption, so be sure to balance any activity involving multimedia with plenty of questions and conversation so that the student is forced to produce as well, as that is where the learning will occur.
9. Use technology to help in classes of mixed proficiency levels to help students advance at their own pace, but be able to monitor and engage any students that you have using divergent activities.
   

My optimal level of technology in classrooms is probably low to moderate compared to others, and I am probably more old-fashioned than many as time passes. That said, I think it is really important to introduce new technologies in a way that makes sense and offers more pros than cons. If it doesn't, maybe stepping a couple decades backward in your lesson would be a good idea.

Speak Out!

• How do you feel about using technology in schools? In general, is it good or bad for children to be plugged in?
  
• What are some ways you or others you know work to ensure that technology is your tool not your master?
  
• Talk about some really effective or really ineffective ways that you have seen technology used in curriculum or in classroom management. Why were they good or bad? What could be improved? What lessons can we learn?

Act on it!

• Find times to unplug so that your child (and you?) is able to interact with others, experience deep engagement with a task or project, and think enough to understand or connect to a concept or activity.
• Ask your kids questions so that they are forced to engage with what they are doing!
• Create finite bounds on how and when your child can use technology.
• Offer encouragement for long-term goals and help your child to remain committed to achieving them.
  
• Monkey-see-monkey-do: if you notice your child is overly addicted to technology, perhaps they are mirroring your own behavior. Find ways to improve yourself and help your kids to join you.
  
• Even when your child is on the iPad or watching Teletubbies, talk to them and make them an active rather than passive consumer. Help them to use technology as a tool, rather than as an IV tube.
  
• Try to limit the amount of different stimuli that are assaulting your child at any given time: encourage them to get the most out of one website; don't let them text while watching tv while computing, etc).