Many of us have strong ties to the information or communication technologies in our lives. The ties for some are so strong, that the absence of things such as computers, cell-phones, televisions, etc. can cause us anxiety. The levels of connections each person might have to these kinds of technologies vary tremendously. We would like class members to challenge themselves to go “tech free” for a period of time that they would consider to be a challenge. The length of time, and the tech to be free of would be dependant on the context/lives of each person.
For some people, like Jo-Anne, who regularly uses her two laptops, a tablet, and two cell phones each day, and also usually has a television or radio on at work and at home, going” freeing” herself from just these devices for a period four hours would be personally challenging, and would cause significant anxiety. For others, who might be less attached to communication technologies, the period of time might be longer. And for yet others, even an hour might be difficult. The point is to create a sense of personal challenge (an in that light, going “tech-free” for the hours that we sleep might not be so challenging).
Once you determine what technology you will “give up” and decide how long you will go without it, we ask that you be ready to do a number of things:
- Read Douglass’ “Contemplative Online Learning Environment”.
- During the “time-out” you have created for yourself, think about the following questions. What is your relationship with the technology in your life? To what extent are you “mindful” of the technology you use and how it affects your life? To what extent does your interaction with various communication technologies affect the “room” in your lives for other things? For other thoughts? For quiet, contemplative time?
- Once you have completed the challenge, reflect on what the experience was like for you. Create a written response, or visual or oral representation of the experience, what you may have learned about yourself, or your relationship with the tech you use. The response could also incorporate some of your answers to the guiding questions in #2.
- Share your response with the class in the Module 11 DLG space in our Blackboard course space.