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The shift in education towards mobile learning and self reliance has educators and parents grappling over the social dynamic shift in relationships between student and adult. Access to technology has transformed traditional responsibilities, and redefined cultural values which is alarming for some and liberating for others.  The media tends towards a worrisome focus on the health of those with access to digital tools and the prevalence of a device in the life of an individual. Should there be a limit to the daily hours spent on a device? It is a difficult question to answer since activity and levels of engagement vary. Not all experiences are internet based. Finding a balance between control and liberty between skill development and fear of addiction is difficult to maintain. My own observations led me to consider the benefits of blending time on and off devices.

I teach social studies with 1:1 iPads and I couldn’t wish to return to a classroom with limited book text sources. The first reason learners benefit from technology is that it is unlimited in its scope of connections for visual, audio and tactile learners. For example, students reading maps paired with other digital sources will view them from one device while sketching these findings into another notebook. blending digital and non digital skills are a natural consequence which means that setting limits for students is probably not as important as modeling uses that lead to time management and making decisions about the best device for the right purpose.

Digital devices are a form of escapism. When I was young the escape came from television. My parents fretted over the time spent watching sitcoms and Friday night dramas for fear that it would rot my brain. Quite the opposite. It took me to faraway places. It connected me to events around the world and people my age. I discovered what music, what clothing, what possibilities awaited me. I was so slow to disengage and return to reality in a manner similar to students today.  When they can be many heroes, win levels, build, programs and negotiate there is little motivation to hurry back to any task that diminishes this power. Investing time in watching or listening to their digital experiences is a means for bringing students back. Supplying non digital escapes is our next task.

Our daughter engages in a variety of activities. She monitors her time the way an athlete would when planning workouts. Athletes divide workouts between rest, endurance, strength and performance. Her digital time is segmented for gaming, video, creativity, reading and she segments her other non digital interests as well. She asks if or when she can engage in a task and understands that we may suggest limits or a different time that fits our schedule. The result is self reliance on her part and honest communications for all family members. An example is illustrated in our family plan to drive eight hours to the Grand Canyon.  Being given an opportunity to divide the car time into segments for conversation, family sing-a-long, Mindcraft, audio book time with a choice film still left time for notice of scenic vistas and tallying of U.S. license plates for a family competition. Allowing negotiations in vacation planning gave everyone an invested interest.

There are many ways to set time limits on digital devices and non digital activities. Some people have a set time of day for activities. Educators are known to set routine work flows for students with suggested timeframes for a task. In our family we set a timer for reading, for meal preparation and for laundry. We are working towards limiting the amount of time that we spend on chores and homework in order to build time for fun activities. We consider how much time we spend with friends and family too. Time management with any task is something that people of all ages must work out themselves.

This summer I took workshops with educators all over the world. I am constantly struck by the creativity and thoughtfulness that evolves around the promotion of deeper learning. Digital and non digital activities that offer a value across subject areas are those that follow this approach: develop an open ended question, encourage discussion about approaches to a task followed by multiple attempts at research and action. Reassessment from a new defining point leads to another goal. This is the basis for online gaming but can start in the home with a simple open ended question, “what are we going to do today?” Announcing a plan for hiking brings forward my daughter’s consideration to Facetime a friend and my husband’s suggestions for a few incentives. The plan involves 1/2 hour of clean up and chores with 15 minutes to pack for the hike. If my daughter packs her own snacks and water, she can wait on the porch and Facetime. She can earn extra digital time later if she is willing to identify 5 new species of wildlife on the hike using laminated field guides. Research into geocache locations  encourages adding sites to our smartphone app and pursuit of those caches on the hike. Adding a Gopro camera to our adventure incurs greater interest in jumping or plunging down trails in anticipation of that future video footage. Not twitching or whining, no sneaking off to get just one more mod in the Mindcraft biome or blocking against Creepers. Just good old fashioned family time.

In conclusion worry about time spent on devices is really a worry about time management, about creativity and finding a place in the physical world. Its also about communicating that balance of safe interests with innovation. I’m currently previewing the potential of a new app. SayWhat allows people to upload and share video explanations of current slang and pop phrases. In its infant stage but it seems fun.  I’m setting it aside to enjoy some last moments of unplugged, undivided summertime with my kid because, well, whatever we do is always worthwhile.

I teach High school and middle school students World History, AP World History, Reading Instruction,...

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