Another excellent ISTE presentation I had the pleasure of
attending was about “Surviving the Digital Zombie Apocalypse” by teacher, Mr.
Carl Hooker. (Check out his page here.) He was as entertaining as
he was informative and his message focused primarily around finding balance
with technology. The idea was that people become “zombies” with their faces in
their phones, too focused on what is happening in the digital world and less so
on the real world around them. Hey, even walking and texting can be
dangerous!
Some of the key points of his discussion involved issues
with internet addiction, modeling appropriate technology use for children,
setting personal limits and even considering periods of “digital nakedness”
when tech is turned off or left behind.
While this may not be a surprise to anyone, his message was
one that should be shared and seriously considered as becoming part of the
tech-safety we teach students. We talk so much about using caution in sharing
information and “playing” with online tools that we may have overlooked the
need to teach and model when NOT to use technology and how to find a healthy
balance between screen-time and other activities. Teachers, I challenge you to find ways to
model and effective digital balance with your students as this is a life-skill we
all need to practice!
Things To Try:
1 1.) Limiting
Locations: Pick a time/ place when technology is not to be used
2 2.) Brain
Breaks: Use a timer to track device use
3 3.) Digital
Diet: Example- No Tech Tuesdays
4 4.) Limit
Interruptions: Turn off non-essential notifications
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