In 1909 British author E.M. Forster wrote a prophetic piece of fiction called ‘The Machine Stops.’ Depicting a futuristic society, the short story describes a computerized world where a meal, hot bath, and entertainment come at the push of a button. In this technologically advanced dystopia physical literacy is no longer relevant. People, who live in isolation from each other, are content to connect with the virtual world and rely on ‘the machine’ for information and to address their daily needs. Sound familiar?
In our ‘together alone’ social media driven society, we too are more likely to connect virtually than in person. In restaurants, malls, even playgrounds our smartphones are rarely out of arm’s reach. In fact, when our tech is not immediately available for our use, our stress levels go up! We see less attention paid to the person next to us and more to ‘the machine.’
Lead by Dr. Philip McRae, Growing Up Digital (GUD) Alberta is a current and ongoing research project in the area of digital technologies and the impact, both positive and negative, that our many machine ‘screens’ have on students and adults. In the initial survey, 2,272 participants were selected across a representative sample of K-12 educators in Alberta. The results, compiled into four categories: Enhancing, Distracting, Connecting and Disconnecting, are compelling.
Seventy-one per cent of Alberta teachers indicated that they felt that “educational technology enhances inquiry-based learning.” This is good news. Providing access to online resources, serving as means to enhance communication between home and school and offering an array of creative apps and addressing diverse learner needs can be readily achieved through the use of digital technology.
As for the distracting aspect, 76 per cent of those surveyed indicated that they ‘frequently or very frequently observe students multitasking with technology.” Further to this, fully two-thirds of teachers stated that “the number of students who are negatively distracted by digital technology in the classroom is growing.”
More alarmingly, 75 per cent of educators “believe students’ ability to focus on educational tasks has decreased.” Instead of more outdoor, free-playing time, students tend towards increasing screen time. Students and adults alike are getting fewer hours of sleep, less exercise, and this presents correlations to stress, anxiety, and distractedness.
Tim Cusack is an educator, writer and member of the naval reserve.
