Do you ever wonder just how much of a slave you are to your smartphone? How much time do you actually spend on it? I'm fairly guilty of checking my phone out of habit as much as need.
So recently I downloaded the app "Moment," you leave it open on your phone and it tracks how much time you spend actively using your phone. For me it was an eye-opening experience to see how much time I seek my phone out of habit and not need.
After testing and also ACKNOWLEDGING that I might be tied to my phone more than I want to be, I decided to take advantage of the built-in helps on my iPhone at Settings>Do Not Disturb. There is a variety of ways you can use this to your advantage while working, studying, sleeping, or investing in others.
How does this relate to others? We can all be slaves to multi-tasking. As educators we have a responsibility to show students the pitfalls of multi-tasking and becoming too connected. One of my favorite ways to show students that they probably aren't as good at multi-tasking as they think is to show this video:
And then I have the students test themselves http://davecrenshaw.com/multitasking-exercise-v2.pdf. We talk a lot about digital citizenship with our students but I believe we sometimes lack in modeling and explaining the need to put the device down. We need to show them the value of plugging into the day not just taking photos of it for social media purposes. If you haven't seen someone in weeks, isn't having two arms open to get that first hug more important that videoing the look on their face?
This year I plan to spend more time helping my teachers and students see the value of technology used efficiently and timely.
Thanks for writing this. It is so true and I have been thinking this myself lately as I juggle several projects and tend to jump around, particularly when on my tablet. I think I need my own project manager sometimes. I look forward to downloading the app you mentioned. I think it will be very eye opening.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tracy--I think this fast paced device driven world happened TO US more than we want to admit. We as edus are learning right along with our students but hopefully we are discerning enough to learn these points faster and can share with our students to help them as well.
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