A student committee that attended a youth leadership summit last fall has called itself The Unplugged Project and met with staff and principal Ashley Lemen with the unusual idea to leave off the laptops, iPads, flat panels and smart boards and for phones to stay off or at home.
Seventh grader Breanna Paul said some of the teachers were taken aback as they are used to planning lessons electronically. She noticed they brought their laptops and were on them typing much of the meeting.
Paul added that, although students have iPads they do most of their work on, they also use them for things other than schoolwork.
“We wanted a full day of old-fashioned learning,” Paul said. “All students know is devices from young ages. (Electronic) devices can have good purposes but a lot can cause harm.”
Lemen agreed about the positives and negatives of devices for students and gave her support. It isn’t about rejecting technology, but recognizing it’s valuable when used properly and to make better choices about when and how to engage with it.
“When I first learned about the Unplugged Project, I recognized its core value immediately,” she said. “Students today are deeply dependent on technology in their everyday lives —using it to create friendships, share their lives and, unfortunately, to create drama. The reality is that social media often projects a false image of reality, and this technology serves as a significant distraction in the classroom. Students become focused on crafting responses, maintaining communication and engaging in conflict rather than concentrating on their academic work.”
The Unplugged Project did peer-to-peer surveys among their peers on electronic usage and spent this week’s lunch period getting students excited for Friday by doing raffles for donated gift cards and trivia.
The teachers are responding with assignments not involving technology, including sharing hobbies, lessons centered on hands-on activities and face-to-face communication, Lemen said.
“As educators our job is to help students develop judgment, balance, and self-regulation so they can use powerful tools well and be a role model,” she said.
Another advantage of this is it’s peer-led, which many school districts encourage.
“When students willingly invest their personal time to advocate for a belief, it reveals something profound: they have recognized a genuine problem among their peers and are stepping up to provide a solution,” said Lemen. “They are taking a real risk, yet they continue to strengthen and share their convictions with others. This is the kind of leadership we hope to cultivate in our school community.”
Roosevelt student Tyree Rouza’s mom has him take a break from his phone to play soccer or clean his room and he said it feels good to unplug sometimes. Kaedyn Martin and Mahlyk Young hope kids will use that time for more physical and mental health activity.
“Rather than simply identifying the problem, they have taken action by developing thoughtful activities to engage their peers and promote a positive, healthy relationship with technology. Their work models the kind of student-centered advocacy and problem-solving that will serve them well throughout their lives,” Lemen said.
Friday won’t be the end of the Unplugged Project students’ tasks. They’ll research if fellow students felt more engaged, safer and connected.
“We’re really proud of the hard work and the passion we’ve put in,” Paul said.
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