Digital Life

"They" call us Digital Natives and criticize us for how much time we spend online. What are our social media habits and how do they matter to us? How do they matter to the world we live in?

ISTE Standards: 1a,1b,1c,1d,2a,2b,3d,6a,7b,7c,7d

Lesson Objectives

Students will be able to ...

Learn basic statistics about the current digital landscape.
Explore the role that media plays in their lives.
Reflect on the positive and negative impact digital media have on themselves and on society
Explore ways that different types of digital media are, and aren't, designed to help us make good media choices.
Reflect on how digital media is designed to either help or hinder the addition of meaning and value in our lives.

You link to the graphic here

Discuss as a Class:

When looking at this chart, what surprises you?

Are there benefits to being constantly connected via the internet?

Are there drawbacks?

What are the top three sites you use on the internet?

Are any of these sites obsolete?

WHS Digital Use Questionnaire:

Take a moment to fill out this anonymous questionnaire. The results will be shared in our WHS Digital Citizenship monthly curriculum to take our WHS Digital pulse. Teachers: You may need to send this survey out through Google Classroom.

After you have finished the questionnaire, check out the results of this national social media use survey. Yes, teens use social media more often than ever. But the positives appear to outweigh the negatives, according to a national survey released Monday by Common Sense Media.

Watch the video that is embedded in the Common Sense Media survey (link above).

Do any of the results surprise you?

Watch This Video! Break Into Groups and Discuss:

Has digital technology shortened your attention span?
Do you avoid face-to-face conversations, or do you enjoy them? Have you ever resolved a misunderstanding or conflict with a friend face-to-face? Do you find talking in person awkward?
Why do you think so many young people avoid talking to each other in person?
Do you find reality less interesting than what you’re doing and viewing on a screen?
How much time do you spend each day in front of a screen?
Do you think technology is getting in the way of your ability to write and communicate face to face?
Is technology distracting you from your homework?

Activity: Wakelet

Teachers, you will need to create an account and create a Wakelet that will be used to crowdsource information from your students. Students will reflect upon the use of cell phones in classes at WHS using Wakelet.

Consider the following guiding questions or create your own.

Are cell phones in class a problem?
Are they helpful?
Harmful?
Distracting?
Important for project-based learning when photos and videos are involved?
Do students think there should be a policy against using smart phones during class?
How can the use of smart phones be monitored so they do not distract from education?
Should teachers monitor the use of cell phones in class or should students be mature enough to monitor themselves?
What should the consequences be if cell phone use disrupts a learning environment?

You can share your own Wakelet with a QR Code or a link after you have created it. Both can be pushed out through Google Classroom. You can either do this activity in class or have them reflect at home and discuss the results the following day (suggested).

Click here to access Wakelet home page.

Click here for an example of a Wakelet.

Click here for steps to creating your own Wakelet

Here is a link for you to access and add to my Demo the Wakelet

You can also access by going to Wakelet.com and writing in my Join Code

4823ae6

Or you can access my Demo Wakelet with this QR code.

Increased Use of Digital Devices by Design

What is a Habit:

Something we do automatically without thinking.

What is Addictive Design:

Features or aspects of a device or app that are intended to hook the user into frequent use.

What is Feedback Loop:

A response to something you do or post online that causes your brain to experience a temporary moment of pleasure.

Consider:

What media habits do you see in the way we use digital media?
Which features of digital design hook us and how?
What media habits add value and meaning to our lives?
There have been new discussions about digital addiction. What are your thoughts on this?

Optional Task:

Review whether these apps are examples of human, addiction or habit design features.

Click Here to make a copy of this form to fill out on your own.

Addictive, Habit or Humane Digital Use

Group Discussion:

Break into small groups. Each group will take one of the topics below. You will discuss whether you think the addiction is a real issue and if it impacts students? Does it impact adults? How so?

Some studies have found that phone addiction is a dependence syndrome and a clinical addiction where users are affected by smartphone overuse which impacts their daily lives in a negative way. Addiction expert and therapist Paul Hokemeyer explains that this addiction can be a result of underlying behavioral health and personality issues. Those who do suffer with this addiction could have underlying issues like depression, anxiety and a socially challenged personality, causing them to constantly use their devices for comfort.

Social media addiction is quite easy to define. If you spend far too much time on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat to the point where you document each and every aspect of your life on any/all of the platform, you could be a social media addict. Although there’s no medical recognition of social media addiction, the term itself has become subject to research and investigation within recent years and overuse of Facebook in itself has been proven to be linked to a decrease in feelings of satisfaction and happiness.

Internet addiction is defined as an impulse control disorder, also known as pathological internet use, where some may find it difficult to differentiate between the virtual world and reality. Sufferers tend to spend excessive amounts of time online, not only eating up time but also causing a higher risk of overspending by getting involved in online gambling and gaming.

GASP ..... Digital Detox ...... GASP

The Pros and Cons of a Digital Detox

Have you ever been "Off the Grid?" What was the experience like for you?

Would you ever consider going on a Digital Detox?

What are the benefits of a Digital Detox?

What are the cons of a Digital Detox?

Activity:

1

Using Canva or Adobe Spark or Piktochart create a poster that advertises the benefits of a Digital Diet or a Digital Detox! This should include some information from your videos and readings about the use of digital devices among teens and the impact on daily lives. Be mindful of fonts, text, photos and how these help tell your "story" in a graphic presentation.

2

As a class create a Digital Detox Challenge!

Could you make a contract as a class to avoid use of technology for 24-hours (excluding classwork)? What about 48 hours?

Could you create a video to document the experience using WeVideo?

Link to WeVideo

3.

Create a PSA using WeVideo/Canva/Adobe Spark to encourage students to cut down their use of digital media to incorporate more balance in their lives.

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