To use, or not to use technology at breaks?

"Being able to use technology at break" is a topic that is hotly contested, because some think that technology can have some potential educational uses. However others think that technology shouldn't be allowed or even touched, as using too much technology can affect people's future's. This includes, the disturbance of eye-sight, as well as mentally and physically disturbing students, cutting connections with friends and activities (ex : football, basketball, tag, chit chat) . Not to mention, technology at break can destroy students self-management as technology at break can always leave students saying "I can do my homework at lunchtime". Below is going to be why specifically technology at break should never be allowed…

One reason why technology shouldn't be allowed at break is because of the mental damage and physical that technology can potentially do. This can be, continuously playing video games every day or checking your social media. Leaving students to sometimes have lower attention spans and memory damage in classes and outside of schools which could hugely impact students performance in schools. As well as slowly hurt students eye-sight. Here are 4(four) pieces of evidence from articles that proves the point…

"Neck pain and bad posture. Maintaining proper posture is essential for any time spent in front of technology, but the vast majority of us don’t do it. Computer desks and screens can be optimised for good posture, but try holding your phone up to eye level while composing your next email and see how long it lasts. All the neck-craning leads to neck pain, wrist problems, and bad posture, which arguably could have a lifelong negative affect on our health(10 Negative Effects Of Technology, THEHEALTHY.COM)."This article tells us how sitting for long periods of time staring at your electronic device can have a huge impact on your muscles and neck, If continued this could be a major problem.

"The use of social media has shortened our attention span from 12 minutes to 5 minutes. Constant news feeds, getting information in 140 characters and videos that are 10 minutes or less has literally rewired our brains. People who are online an average of 5 hours a day have trouble remembering people’s names, forget pots on the stove and even their own birthday(25 Negative effects of technology, roogirl.com)." This article tells us how the use of social media for a long period of time can affect students attention spans and memory.

"Constantly being “plugged in” and “connected” causes an extra layer of stress that wasn’t present before the overuse of technology(25 Negative effects of technology, roogirl.com)."This article tells us that if we are too connected to social media, for some, not checking social media can be very frustrating and that develops F.O.M.O (fear of missing out).

"Using technology can change a child’s brain. An article in Psychology Today says that the use of technology can alter the actual wiring of the brain. More than a third of children under the age of two use mobile media. That number only increases as children age, with 95% of teens 12-17 spending time online. The time spent with technology doesn’t just give kids newfangled ways of doing things, it changes the way their brains work. For example, the article says that while video games may condition the brain to pay attention to multiple stimuli, they can lead to distraction and decreased memory. Children who always use search engines may become very good at finding information—but not very good at remembering it. In addition, the article said, children who use too much technology may not have enough opportunities to use their imagination or to read and think deeply about the material." This article tells us that the over-use of technology can potentially affect our memory , students / children need more chances to use their imaginations and be outside, instead of staring at your screen(The Four Negative Sides of Technology, edudemic.com, Pamela DeLoatch)."

The second reason why technology shouldn't be allowed at break is because of the cut of connections with friends and out-door activities, or it could just be having a conversation with a group of friends. Using technology at break destroys that connection and that could leave you on your own for long periods of time, which also could lead to depression and loneliness. Exercise is also a very important aspect, even if its just walking from the cafeteria to the library. Here are 3(three) pieces of evidence that proves my point…

"Isolation. Constantly staring at a screen with earbuds in keeps you cut off from the people in the immediate, physical world around you. This unwillingness or even inability to connect to real people in front of you leads to isolation, a recurring issue for people who can’t disconnect from their technology. Relationships can certainly form and grow online, but electronic communication is a far cry from real human companionship(10 Negative Effects Of Technology, THEHEALTHY.COM)." This article tells us that relationships and bonding is very different from the "tech world" compared to reality. Meaning that students might find it difficult to communicate with friends in reality due to shyness and lost of communication.

"The use of online social media outlets causes us to meet face-to-face with much less frequency resulting in a lack of much needed social skills. We lose the ability to read body language and social cues in other people(25 Negative effects of technology, roogirl.com)." This article tells us how communication in social media can be very different compared to reality, resulting in lack of communication and social skills.

"Childhood obesity is on the rise, and technology may be to blame. Paediatricians also say that severe obesity is increasing among young people. Although one traditional focus is on the amount and type of foods kids eat, one study says that obesity is on the rise, not just because of food, but because as we use more technology, we exercise less. With technology that includes cars, television, computers and mobile devices, the amount of time we spend sedentary increased and our time in physical activity dropped(The Four Negative Sides of Technology, edudemic.com, Pamela DeLoatch)." This article tells us that over-use in technology can decrease our time with activities either after-school or at breaks and lunches. This means that technology can also be very unhealthy, and as well as keeping us away from others.

The third and final reason which is guided by experiences and thoughts of why technology shouldn't be allowed at break is because of self-management. By self-management, this means the way students think and organise their homework. Ex : "I can just do my homework tomorrow lunchtime, it will be fine". And this is often known as procrastination. This, if done multiple times can turn into a habit that is very unhealthy for students and can lead to physical and mental damage, as well as disconnecting from friends. From experiences, I have seen this process of "procrastination" happen very often with subjects such as Math, Chinese, English, etc… Even thought we already have a no-electronics at breaks and lunches rule, students are still using electronics heavily. Here is what an eye witness has saw during lunches…

"I had a music activity during lunch, sand at the back of the music room, far out in the garden. Their were a colony of gamers, about 15 (fifteen) of them, all sitting and gaming." This eye witness tells us the amount of students that are still using electronics at break even after UWC has set this rule.

In conclusion, technology allowed at break could be beneficial, but very risky as well because of the mental and physical damage, relationship problems and self-management. To avoid any further consequences from students regarding over-use of electronics during break-times and lunches, principals and heads should take this rule more seriously.




Bibliography

1.http://thehealthy.com/

2.roogirl.com

3.edudemic.com

Technology at break times

An issue that is hotly debated is whether technology should or shouldn’t be used in break times. I think that by making kids not use their technology, they can be more social with other friends in school and at the same time save their eyes. You could also spend the time doing something physical, because break and maybe PE are the only to times of day during the full 8 hours of school that you can actually do some physical exercise. While some say that using technology at break can have multiple functions and ways to improve your learning, it can also be very damaging to yourself. Students should try and avoid using technology at break times and schools should have specific days where students are allowed on their digital devices.

I think that Schools should not use technology at break because when you use technology at break times and times that you should be taking a rest from work, you can damage your brain more than you think. When you use your brain or eyes for too long at a time, it can damage the way you perform in later lessons. “Downtime is to the brain what sleep is to the body,” said Dr. Rich of Harvard Medical School. “But kids are in a constant mode of stimulation.” This means break times are and should be for taking breaks, not for spending the time on a screen which you probably have been doing on the period before. By doing some sort of physical activity during break time, you are essentially improving your mental focus for the next class. Scientists have proven that performing physical exercise before classes stimulate specific parts of the brain, helping the child stay more focused during the class.

Scientists have proven that taking short breaks is mentally better for learning, so if you do not give you brain a break, what you are basically doing is working it too much. By not taking your eyes of the screen, you are also damaging your eyes by not letting them have a break. Computer eye problems are common. “Somewhere between 50% and 90% of people who work at a computer screen have at least some symptoms of eye trouble.” This shows that even if we are not straining our eyes, even just by working at a computer in school, Computers and technology damage our eyes anyway, so why make it worse? Yes I understand, that using technology at break times and be a way to finish up homework, and yes I know that some people will use them for video games which can be good, which is why I am proposing the following; Schools should assign a specific day, either once a week, once every two weeks, or once a month, depending on how much the school uses technology in their curriculum.

As an add on to all of this, by not using technology at break times, you can socialise with people, and if you want evidence on this, “Socialising during lunch is a desirable activity and should be included in the time allotted. Socialising allows time for students to relate to others, provides a break in routine and allows students to return to afternoon classes refreshed.” Says Dr. Conklin. Another reason here why not using technology at break times helps you academically. Socialising is a natural habit, and right now what we are doing using technology as an excuse to keep to yourself.

All in all, while using technology at break can be a way to do things you couldn’t at home, it is harmful to you and by not using technology, you can, and will be overall a better student in class, save your eyes and use break times for break.

Writing Over Typing

Have you ever thought about how the human race is slowly but surely, losing the skill of writing? Or that the distractions that a computer holds are sometimes irresistible, therefore decreasing the efficiency of the work that we do? Or that you could irreversibly lose IQ points because of these distractions? Well these are all proven facts, and the horrible truth is that this could have a major effect on how the future generations can read, and how knowledgeable they turn out to be.

Writing helps stimulate the human brain in many ways, that typing and using computers to complete simple tasks simply don’t. Scientists believe that with writing becoming less and less popular with the human race, the ability of future generations can possibly be hindered, according to Anne Chemin. In this same article, ‘Handwriting vs typing: is the pen still mightier than the keyboard’, she wrote that in the June of 2014, a British survey of 2000 people went out, and 1 out of every 3 people who responded, said that they had not written anything by hand in the past six months. On top of that, she says, “Cursive writing – in which the pen is not raised between each character – has been dropped from the Common Core Curriculum Standards, shared by all states.” Additionally, writing notes by hand has been proven to help further improve your understanding on the topic at hand. This is because writing works your brain more, as it’s slower to write, allowing the information to get to your brain, whereas when you type, you type fast, and this is merely putting words with no meaning onto the screen.

Using laptops also hold the risk of getting distracted, and can offer much more temptation to multitask, which, according Larry Kim, is very unhealthy for us, as our brains are designed to focus on one thing at a time, which unfortunately means that multitasking lowers the quality of your work and your efficiency. It also leaves you mentally exhausted, because of the stress hormone, cortisol, that is being released. Humans have a naturally occurring tendency to take shortcuts, which is, as stated, scientifically proven to be very deleterious to our brains. Furthermore, using laptops to simply take notes during class, or whilst watching a video can obstruct your ability to learn the very possibly important things that you are being taught. Personally, I feel this as I am very tempted to take notes on my laptop, but I find that when I take notes in a notebook or on a piece of paper, I can remember more of what is being taught.

Along with distractions, focus problems, and the lack of brain stimulus, eye problems and loss of IQ points are also some problems associated with doing a lot of digital work. It is a proven fact that grown men can lose 15 IQ points from multitasking, and this can bring their brain level down to that of an eight-year-old. These changes can sometimes be irreversible. Moreover, two common eye problems, computer vision syndrome and digital eye strain, are both caused by your eyes not getting enough movement, as all the major movement can happen with the swipe of two fingers on the trackpad, which doesn’t stimulate your brain to move your eyes, whereas when you read books, and write on larger pieces of paper, your eyes have to move more, to see what you are doing or where you are reading. “According to a 2015 survey by The Vision Council, 65 percent of American adults reported having symptoms of digital eye strain.” Over time, with the use of laptops and electronic devices increasing, the amount of people with the computer vision syndrome and digital eye strain has also increased. (Heiting, 2016)

As well as having all these unhealthy and distracting components, computers and electronic handhelds can also provide a whole selection of helpful and useful elements, such as the wonderful google, quick communications, and a quick way to do just about anything. They also save your expenses on paper and pencils, with various choices of online unlimited storage, hard drive storage, going to save the planet.

All in all, I feel as though computers should not be a crutch for students to lean on to do their homework, but instead a learning tool for them to use for small things.

- "Multitasking Is Killing Your Brain." Observer. N.p., 02 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

- Chemin, Anne. "Handwriting vs Typing: Is the Pen Still Mightier than the Keyboard?" The Guardian. N.p., n.d. Web.

- "4 Benefits of Handwriting Notes Vs. Typing on Laptops - Zebra Pen." Zebra Pen. N.p., 02 Sept. 2014. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

- "Computer Vision Syndrome and Digital Eye Strain." All About Vision. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

Homework: How much is too much?

Homework is very useful in helping children to learn and schools have been using it effectively for many years but have teachers ever thought about how much homework is being given? Too much homework can be detrimental, and children will benefit from homework only when the right amount is assigned. Some people may say that the more homework children get, the more they learn, but I say that too much homework can cause stress, impact a child’s freedom and can cause them to lose faith in teachers.

First of all, homework can cause a lot of stress for children. Just having homework does not cause enough stress to cause an impact, but having too much can cause more stress than children can handle. Clifton B. Parker, a social sciences writer at Stanford News, says “Students in high-achieving communities who spend too much time on homework experience more stress, physical health problems, a lack of balance and even alienation from society.” (Parker, 2014) This shows us that too much homework can cause great impacts on children in their early years, which may affect them later on in life.

Second of all, too much homework can cause them to lose faith in teachers. Teachers are expected to help children in their learning. They are being helpful by assigning homework, but usually, they do not know how much they are actually assigning. According to Prad Vongpusanachai, a student at UWCSEA, there is a difference between the amount of homework teachers expect children to do, and the amount that is actually done. If children receive too much homework from their teachers, they may start to lose faith, or dislike them. As assignments get harder and children become more reluctant to talk to teachers, it can heavily impact their learning.

Lastly, too much homework can impact the amount of free time children get. The more time children have to spend on homework, the less time they have to spend on their passions. John Buell, an author of many articles and books relating to homework says “Free time plays a key role in fostering both creativity and emotional development, factors just as basic to long term success as an academic gains.” (Buell, 2000) How much homework is the perfect balance between learning and free time? According to a survey done on students in 7ELy, they think that approximately 1 hour of homework is the most effective balance between learning and recreation. Adding on to that, how serious is this problem of reduced free time? Well, out of 118 7th grade students asked “How much homework do you do each night?” Only 52 students said they do less than 1.5 hours of homework each night. On the other hand, 66 said they do more than 1.5 hours of homework each night, with 16 saying they do more than 2.5 hours of homework each night. This shows that the problem is quite serious, and impacts a lot more than half of the student population.

In conclusion, Homework can be very important in helping children to learn well in school, but too much can cause stress, less free time and less faith in teachers. Children with too much homework may still do well in school, but may have less benefits later in life compared with children that have less homework. This may not seem too serious, but in reality, it impacts more than half of the students at school. All of the effects may start to snowball, and can heavily impact the future of many children. This is why I think that teachers should reconsider the amount of homework they give children, so that children can have a better time in school, and live a better life.




Parker, Clifton B. "Stanford Research Shows Pitfalls of Homework." Stanford University. N.p., n.d. Web.

Buell, John. "Back to School: Why Homework Is Bad for Kids." Alternet. N.p., 22 Aug. 2000. Web.