| Body | In light of COVID-19, many learners spend the majority of their days on digital devices. The purpose of this activity is to help them be more intentional about their use of digital technologies and to reset any automatic use habits they may have developed. The goal is to reduce burnout and overload through intentional reflection on the use of technology.
Learning Outcomes:
Learners will be able to:
- Recognize their own habits with digital technologies, reset, and make any changes they wish to make going forward
- Identify the ways in which their language use is mediated by digital technologies and take a break from those that cause stress or tension
Mode(s): Interpersonal
Materials: avoiding digital burnout video, self-reflection templates (Activities 1 and 2)
Procedure:
Note: These activities can be combined or used separately and are intended to take 5 -10 minutes at the beginning or end of class.
Activity 1 - Digital Device Use
- Learners will watch the avoiding digital burnout video.
- Learners will take a screenshot of their screen time report for the week and record what they find using the self-reflection template.
- For five categories on the screen time report (e.g., messages), learners will use the template to indicate how the activity makes them feel. They should also note any instances of interference in their daily life.
- Also on the template, learners will think of one way to reduce a digital activity with which they have negative feelings associated for the following week.
- Finally, learners will write their goal in the goals space in the template.
- One week later, return to the screen time report and ask learners to compare their findings, specifically focusing on the goal they set. Did it change as expected? Did they forget about it?
Activity 2 - Language in Digital Devices
- Have students watch the avoiding digital burnout.
- Using the self-reflection template, have learners brainstorm the ways in which they use language via digital devices: text messaging, social networks, digital games, reading news, watching media, and so on.
- After they brainstorm, have learners use the template to highlight the language uses they enjoy and find beneficial, as well as those with which they have negative perceptions.
- For those that cause anxiety (e.g., much research social media interactions can be a source of anxiety), learners will document at least one way in which they might reduce that type of language use on the template. Encourage them to try out their solutions for a week.
- The following week, in small groups, have learners discuss ways their language was the same or different this week and re-evaluate their language reflections from the previous week.
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