How Plugged In Are You?-- Part 1 of Unplug: The Digital Diet Plan
A Learning Activity is a strategy a teacher chooses to actively
engage students in learning a concept or skill using a digital tool/resource.
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Phase:
Before/Engage
Activity:
Students will identify the approximate amount of time they spend on digital devices each day (any waking hours, including during school hours). The teacher will need to define a digital device as anything we use to consume media, entertainment, and/or information such as television, cell phone, gaming console/device, laptop computer, desktop computer, tablet, etc.
Option 1: Ask students to estimate the time they spend on digital devices each day by writing down the times they usually access a digital device beginning as soon as they open their eyes in the morning.
Option 2: Present the task, then have students keep track of every time they access a digital device over the next 24 hours. (For example, from the beginning of your class today to the beginning of your class tomorrow).
After students record their personal amount of digital device usage, show the video linked within this article: "How Much Time Americans Spend In Front Of Screens Will Terrify You." As students are watching the video, direct them to think about their position on the topic of digital device usage.
Put an exclamation point beside anything that surprised them.
Put a question mark next to anything that they have a question about or would like more information on.
Next, students will pair with a classmate to reread the text together and discuss their annotations. (For example: Did both students highlight the same data points/research? Did similar statements surprise them? Did they have different questions?)
The teacher will lead a whole-class discussion on the article using these discussion prompts:
Does your personal use of digital devices positively or negatively affect your personal, mental, emotional, and/or social health? Give a personal example to support your answer.
If we decreased our use of digital devices, what could/would change in our lives?
If we increased our use of digital devices, what could/would change in our lives?
Assessment Strategies:
Students will answer the questions on this Google Doc:
The teacher will assess students' mastery of the standards during the peer and group discussion and by reviewing each student's responses to the assessment activity.
Advanced Preparation:
Review the options for Step 1. If Option 2 is chosen, the students should be introduced to the activity the day before the teacher plans to teach the activity in class.
Each student will need a pencil and highlighter.
The teacher will need the ability to play a movie with sound for students to view, or the teacher can allow students to view the video on their own devices.
The teacher will need a copy of the article for each student. Alternatively, the teacher could post the link for students to view online.
As written, the activity contains media in a visual and text format (i.e., the video clip and the corresponding article) that students then discuss with a peer. Teachers could add to their class discussion by asking:
How is your understanding of the topic affected by how you get the information? If you only watched the video, or only read the article, do you think your understanding would be different? Did discussing with a partner help you come to a better understanding of what you read and heard?
This activity also correlates to the following Career Tech Standards:
Foundations of Business Leadership
4. Identify barriers to and methods for improving the communication process in the corporate world.
STEM Technologies I
6. Identify positive and negative ways the use of technology affects humans.
21. Engage in positive, safe, legal, and ethical behaviors when using technology, including during social interactions online and when using networked devices.
Business Skills Development
14. Identify the potential hazards that misusing social media and other technology may have on one’s future plans.
Keywords and Search Tags:
communication, digital device, personal health, technology, unplugged