In a 9th grade math class in Toronto, a teacher asked students to keep track of how many notifications came through their phones during the one hour class. Together, the 20 students received 190 notifications in that short period of time. Most of the notifications came through Snapchat from fellow students who were also supposedly in class paying attention and learning.
This activity was a hands-on way for the teacher to grow awareness for his students and can serve to spark a conversation with the teens in our lives as well:
- Consider carrying out the same experiment during a family dinner. What are the results? What does that mean about our habits with our devices?
- Ask, with curiosity, about messages and notifications that happen during class. What does it feel like to receive notifications at that time? Where do students keep their phones during class?
As a family, explore the settings on your phones that we can use to ensure we are able to be present to the people and situations that need our attention.