In September 2018, I introduced our students to Birchwood’s Offline Room. This room has been outfitted with furniture, board games and peer- recommended books. The purpose of our Offline room is to enhance and promote literacy, encourage face-to-face relationships and build healthy friendships. Our students are growing up in a digital world where most of their spare time is online. While technology is a huge part of our lives that we will continue to celebrate, here are a few benefits of spending time offline that ignited the idea of Birchwood’s Offline Room.
Spending time offline allows students to reconnect with themselves without the influence of social media. There is no mindless scrolling; spending time offline allows students to have thoughts and ideas, which can be incredibly liberating.
Focusing on what is important. Taking a break from technology allows students to focus on tasks that need to be accomplished and things that matter, such as family, friends, reading, school projects and responsibilities at home.
Students will remember what it feels like to be present and remain focused. So often, we are distracted by technology that we find it difficult to remain engaged during a simple conversation. Taking a break from technology allows us to regain focus on conversations, school work, books or games and allows us to accomplish tasks.