Friday, November 03, 2017
What Happened When I Made My Students Turn off Their Phones
Big Think: As a teacher who has long witnessed and worried about the impacts of technology in the classroom, I constantly struggle to devise effective classroom policies for smartphones. I used to make students sing or dance if their phones interrupted class, and although this led to some memorable moments, it also turned inappropriate tech use into a joke. Given the myriad deleterious effects of phones – addiction, decline of face-to-face socialisation, deskilling, and endless distraction, for starters – I want students to think carefully about their phone habits, rather than to mindlessly follow (or not follow) a rule.
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This was a very interesting read about the product YONDR and the effect of cell phones on college-aged students/their attachments to them. The theatrical part of this article involved Alicia Keys asking her audience members to stop recording, stop texting, and simply be in the moment by locking up your phone. I think that is an amazing choice for a person to make, because you may want to capture every moment of a show digitally, but how often are you going to go and find videos from it? That being said, are you more likely to remember the amazing parts of the performance if you were fully present for them at the time? I think this article slightly touches on the story I commented on earlier about a person that started to hate going to the theater because of all the distractions. If theaters are able to take away one of those annoying, ringing, cell phones, maybe audience members will have a better time. YONDR seems like an interesting device, but also, is it necessary if more shows are asking for audience cell phone participation?
I’m not sure if the results of this professor’s experiments are unsurprising because I’m painfully aware of how much I dislike my own addiction to technology and social media or surprising because I didn’t expect that so many students would be so easily convinced of their own addiction. I think its pretty startling that 85% of the participating students felt society would benefit from decreased phone use. I feel confident that if more people experienced a similar kind of “phone lock up” for periods of time, they would have a similar reaction. Technology and a connection to it is exhausting and I believe, changing the way we think and socialize.
I imagine in the future that people will think about their technology consumption the way they do their food consumption. People will acknowledge that, like eating too much junk food, the effects of overconsumption and misuse, can be detrimental. People will understand that there are healthy and unhealthy technology consumption habits. And as with food, there will be people who live “healthier” lives because of restrictions they place on their connectivity.
I like how the professor who wrote this article went into it with the goal of making his students realize their habits, not necessarily change them in any way. I think this was a very effective approach because as the participant of many class phone policies, I am reluctant to adhering to the policy because I am part of a generation who is "addicted to your phones and disrespectful towards the professor every time you look at your screen". The fact that this professor was able to let he students keep their phones yet get them to focus in class was a great idea. I think Yonder sounds like a wonderful safe zone for the phone owners but a great way to help them give up the urge to look at their phone when they get bored. Overall, I think the results of the experiment were pretty predictable. People don't mind giving up looking at their phones but its not easy to start.
There is something very interesting in this article regarding the attachment people often feel to their phones. Most college students now have had a cell phone for at least 4-8 years with the average grade to receive one in our generation being 7th or 8th, and that’s a long time to get used to always having a connection to the outside world. I remember when I got my first phone I wasn’t super interested in having it on and in my hand all the time. I would go hours with it in my backpack not checking on it or leaving it in a different room in the house for a while. Now, if I don’t have my phone on me or I don’t respond to a message or email or god forbid I don’t answer a phone call it almost feels like my chest is being crushed. Addiction is a weird thing, but I have a small feeling that anxiety and pressure are other things that have us holding our phones close.
This article really brings out the truth in our generations dependencies on technology. It is such a mental crisis for me because I 100% wish that students could pay attention in classes and face to face interactions weren't decreasing, and yet I am also privy to this idea of being addicted to my phone. I can never put it down and it is hard to leave it in the other room, which I acknowledge and really despise. I read the novel "Feed" and few years ago. The book is set in a dystopian society where all the humans have computer chips implanted in their brains and their mind and thoughts look like a computer screen. The earth has died and all the teenagers do is send messages through their brains, shop online, and take a virus, which was the equivalent of getting drunk or high. During the whole time I read this book I was horrified. I asked myself, is this really where the future is taking us? When the professor in this article asked his students if they would have their phone implanted in themselves, I would most definitely say no.
I am really frustrated that this is as big a problem as it is. I think one important lesson that all parents must teach their children is the value of denied gratification and self-control and self-restraint. There many things that are addictive and pleasurable, but most of those things are not healthy to eat, smoke, or do all the time or whenever you want. There have been many studies about the addictive nature of technology and how it activates the very deep parts of our brain that are related to group acceptance, and noticing small things that you must pay attention to (like hunting rabbits, or a rustle that could be danger). This makes an excuse for being addicted to phones that we do not give to most other things. We are evolved to want to have sex, yet it is socially unacceptable to have sex all the time or when you are supposed to be doing something else. Why do we make excuses for phones?
Articles like this always make me question exactly how people interact with technology. At first I was worried this would be one of those “durr hburr technology is bad fire is scary and Thomas Edison was a witch” articles, but at the end the author did concede that people who didn’t grow up with technology at their fingertips have a lot of misconceptions about those of us who did. I will say, I don’t think the idea of those phone locks is useful at all. Are phones a distraction? Yeah sure. But real life doesn’t have phone locks. Your future employer isn’t going to make you put your phone in a bin at the front of the office. So college students, who mind you are GROWN ADULTS, need to learn how to work through those distractions on their own. I can’t help but wonder if the lesson wouldn’t be better learned if it went something like this. Professor has no phone policy. Students text all through class. Students don’t learn. Students fail exams. Student fails class. Forcing someone’s attention isn’t effective. So let people be, and if they can’t figure out how to balance technology and the rest of the world that’s their problem.
I think this is an interesting experiment because phone usage is definitely a problem in our society now. I know that I am addicted to my phone and waste so much time on it. If I did not have a iPhone to play with I would get my work done a lot faster because most of my time sitting at my desk is wasted doing random things on my phone and playing games. I think I would benefit from locking my phone up, but I know in the moment I would not be happy about it. Most people know that smartphones are a problem with wasting time and regular social interactions. Even though people know that smartphones are a problem, there are few that are making an active change to do something about it. If people are not on their phones in class they are possibly on their computer, which has a lot of the similar distractions and it is less obvious to a teacher when you are on your computer not paying attention than on a phone not paying attention.
Our generation hears about our phone addiction so often that I think the level to which we are nagged about it has resulted in many people completely dismissing the highly valid claim. In the past 18 years since I was born, the capabilities of technology to do more seems to escalate at a beyond exponential rate. Teaching young people that technology is an evil monster here to consume your being is not only ineffective, but also simply inaccurate. Yes, we overuse it, and yes, we allow it to remove us from the world around us too much, but the golden lesson of moderation applies to technology, as it does to almost everything else in our world. The emphasis needs to be placed on a need for self control and a sense of occasion. We are, after all, supposed to be adults, and, as adults, it is our responsibility to monitor ourselves and take responsibility for technology’s influence in our life, and making sure that it is balanced and appropriate.
This start-up, Youndr sounds amazing!! "You silence your phone, slide it into the pouch, and lock it at the top. After the performance, or if access is necessary before then, you can unlock the case in the lobby by touching the lock to a metal base, similar to anti-theft tags on clothing." This allows a person to remove the temptation of a phone, and keeps it near them to avoid the separation anxiety people feel when removed from their phones. I find the bathroom fact about students and cellphones pretty funny, "The pouches did stop students from going to the bathroom to use their phones. In previous semesters, some students would leave the room for 10 to 15 minutes and take their phones with them. With phones pouched, there were very few bathroom trips." So in that regard, less people coming in and out means less distraction, which is also good. Really and truly though, this article is very interesting because it is evident how much this professor cares about teaching. "My goal with this experiment was to get students thinking about their habits, rather than to necessarily change them. Students should question authority, including mine." His attempt to limit phone use aren't punitive, but meant to provoke thought and create a dialog.
As a student, I find that whether or not I adhere to a classroom's technology policy is less about how strict the policy is, or how intense the public shaming would be if I were to be using technology in a no technology classroom, but more about consistency. If a professor has a no cell phone policy on their syllabus, but never acknowledges it beyond that and doesn't enforce it, I find that policy to not last for more than a couple classes. However, I have been in classrooms with very strictly enforced no-technology policies, and found them to be a relief. In a way, when a professor sticks to a no phone policy and makes sure that it actually happens in the room, it relieves the students from wondering when and if they are free to use their technology in the room. With new attention-sucking devices like apple watches, I only find technology policies falling behind.
As student manager who is often needed at all times of the day. I most often find it a relief when my phone has to be off and I have monuments in which I am required to be disconnected and free. On occasion thought I have found it just as stressful to be unreadable when things are going not particularly well. However I would argue that this is something that does not require special products but rather a commitment on the behalf of the students and class to commit to putting their phones on silent in their backpacks and engaging in the class. A backpack does much the same as the bag in an "out of sight, out of mind" kind of way. This is a continuing problem in this generation and will only continue to get worse as students will have had phones for much more of their lifetimes. The other challenge is that much of this generation has also come to rely on phones for things like google, calculators and so much more that can be beneficial rather than just social media or communicating with others. Which means finding a way to replace those other needs on top of not using phones.
After reading that article, I feel like a dinosaur. I am one of those students who have the luxury of coming of age when cell phones and computers became more and more public. I remember my dad spending almost 1000.00 on my first computer, today that same computer would cost 250.00, if that. Same for cell phones. When they first hit the market they were expensive to buy and expensive to own. Now, almost everyone has one. Instead of people being amazed that you have a cell phone, now people are amazed with those who do not have a cell phone. I have to admit that from time to time, I wish I didn’t need a cell phone. I don’t like cell phone technology in the class room. Gone are the days when students had to hand write a 3 page essay in class. It’s a lost art form. Technology does this. It kills off skills that people need in life. While your employer may not have a bin at the front of the office (to quote from the comments already submitted), many of today's students who are glued to their technology may find that their job has even more strict phone policies than a college classroom. Some companies are so strict that you can’t even bring your phone into the building. Despite the contrary, you can live without your phone for a period of time. People are so glued to their technology that the world around them is passing them by and it’s not just in the classroom. I can’t tell you the number of times I have been ran into, or almost so because someone had their head buried in their phone. I like the ideas expressed by the article. Lock the phones away. It’s ok kids, you’ll survive.
First of all, the YONDR product is fascinating to me. It sounds like a great invention that is obviously being put to use in several different situations. I was surprised to read that Alicia Keys has been using these at her concerts so she can engage with people instead of their cell phones. I really appreciate that sentiment. The last concert I went to was just a sea of phones looking at the performer, and while it's great that we have the ability to re-experience the performance later on by sharing with our friends and family, I remember wishing that we would all just experience it *now*.
A classroom setting is slightly different than a concert, though. In a classroom, phone usage is for distraction, not for recording or sharing. As much as I believe that we should all be focused on our education, I also believe we deserve a bit of an escape route every now and then. Especially here. Some of us spend 12, 14, or even 16 hours at school each day. We are constantly in classes, or doing classwork, or preparing for production work, or doing production work. Sometimes, I'm tired. Sometimes, I don't want to listen to the lecture I know I paid for. And I will stray. I always come back because I value the things I am learning, but I would not appreciate losing my small escape. My learning is *my* learning, and if I choose to distract myself from it for a moment once or twice per class, that is ultimately my choice.
This article was not that enlightening, I think with how obsessed our generation is with our cell phones, the findings are not surprising. What I do think is interesting, is that this was being done at a college level. I remember so many times in high school teachers saying that once you get to college professors don't care what you do in class, its a choice to pay attention and learn or distract yourself. However, since I have been here many professors (outside of drama) have had policies on technology to force you to pay attention and not be distracted. Some ban the use of computers and some walk all around the lecture hall to make sure you are not using your phone. To be honest, I really do think it is a personal choice and if you don't want to learn then go ahead and mindlessly scroll through social media. But, I do agree how much we are addicted and being forced to think about it more is not a bad thing. The pouches brought up are a pretty good idea because it allows for the technology to still be close as opposed to in a box collected by a teacher.
I was really struck by the quotes from Daniel Quinn’s level:
‘I have this impression of being a captive,’ the pupil says, ‘but I can’t explain why.’
‘[You’re] unable to find the bars of the cage,’ Ishmael replies.
And I do feel like being a captive to my phone in that sometimes I kept sliding and swiping on the screen, actually not reading anything or looking at anything because I felt guilty of being on my phone for more than an hour, but I just could not put the phone down. I do have much better control when there are other people in the room or if it’s a class or meeting or even a hangout with my friends. I seem to have more control over myself and have more will power to choose to put my phone in the bag. When I’m with myself I’m more likely to get addicted to technology. Sometimes we trick ourselves into thinking smartphone is an inseparable part of our life because we need to stay reachable for a certain people, we need to know the time, or even we need to have a device to get help in case there’s danger. These are absolutely valid points but I guess, echoing what the author said in the article, that ultimately it’s up to us to decide how to adapt to this age of technology.
I think the awareness this professor is trying to cultivate within students is fantastic. I think the real danger of technology - and especially cellphones - is that our inclination to reach for it is unconscious. As I interact with people, it is fascinating to look at the variance of perspective between those in their forties and fifties, those in college now like myself, and those younger than my generation. My generation is often called a nostalgic one, and I think our limited exposure to modern technology in our earliest and most formative years has really informed the way we use and perceive our cellphones. I still have an inclination towards reading from real books; they were what I had as a child, and subsequently became "the norm" for reading. I was hyper aware when e-readers surged into popularity that I did not have to use them. I was keenly aware - and still am - of the alternative. So too, unlike the generations younger than mine who have always known and had modern technology, I remember that cellphones have not always been around, and are subsequently not a necessity. And this, at the end of the day, makes it easier for me to shut my phone down at night.
I am so connected to my technology and I know that it is one of the most unhealthy parts of my life. I check my phone probably every 5 minutes and even when I am in class and I am not looking at it I still have it on my person so that if I need to look at it I can at a moments notice. I do feel like though I have an easier time than my cousins who are 14 putting my phone away, or being able to participate in conversation and social activities without it. I have had a few teachers in my life who have made me put my phone in a bucket at the beginning of class and while it was effective in that I wasn't looking at my phone, all I could think about was what we happening in the bucket that I wasn't connected to. And I think that is part of the problem. Taking them away doesn't necessarily work because people are freaking out. It is like a drug that you are taking away from a drug addict. I am really curious to see what will happen in the net couple decades as children who don't know life without technology become adults. I wonder how it will change their thinking and how our perception of the world will be adjusted.
I hate having cell phones in class, but sometimes it is necessary. Especially once you get into college, everybody has different things going on in their lives – from family matters to work issues and everything in between. Sometimes we have to step out to take a call. Or, Paul Lumber calls and you need to go unload a truck full of lumber. Until one enters college, the probability that a student would need to take a phone call during class should be low. I wouldn’t want to impede on anyone’s family business or ability to do or take a job. As project manager, I knew that I was going to be getting calls at various hours to accept deliveries. I told my instructors of the situation and apologized in advance if I needed to take a call or leave class early. All that being said, I would much prefer if they could work into my schedule, but that’s not realistic. I would like to see a bit more respect, even from grad students, about the use of phones, and other technology, in class.
This article is very intriguing. I personally do not use my phone all that often but at the same time having a phone is not really an option anymore. Being someone who doesn’t use their phone all that much I have seen people who really are addicted and I have seen people that have fallen behind in society. There is a spectrum to phone usage and what it is used for. This experiment that was conducted takes a look at phone usage and what happens when you stop using it. I am not at all surprised by the responses. Having noted the spectrum that exists throughout high school and into college I can identify those people pretty well and who the people in the survey are in terms of their phone. Those who hated caging their phone to begin with and then still not liking the idea are truly addicted but those upset and then surprised were just moderate users. Phone usage I believe is actually a problem. Human interaction decreases significantly with the introduction of smart phones and I saw this in a close friend. He didn’t have a smart phone till about half way through high school and then he got whatever the newest iPhone was at the time and he transferred from being someone who would hang out with you all the time and have quality conversations into someone I couldn’t get off the couch because he was catching up on the endless supply of new stuff over Facebook, snapchat, Instagram, and so forth. He would go out and do things with people to being in people’s presence but everyone was on their phone doing their own thing. Smart phones are important to have because our society expects and highly uses them for a multitude of things but at the same time it takes over people’s lives. There needs to be a balance and companies like YONDR are good for making people actually do what they came to do but it doesn’t really change society and where it is heading, not yet anyways.
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