Gabrielle Cruz and Cassidy Titchenell

Tasche Bryant
WRT 104
December 15, 2016a
Takin Out
Tech! Proposal Assignment
Imagine a world without technology; this means no cell phones, laptops, tablets,
televisions, and absolutely no social media or texting. Picture yourself constantly being on time
or interacting with those around you in a way you have yet to experience, or maybe even living
in a world with lower rates of obesity. With 71% of the United States population over the age of
three using the Internet, technology can be considered the epidemic that is gradually taking
control of peoples daily lives.2
Technology can serve as a great tool in gaining information at the hands of its users, but
it can also become a major form of distraction in any daily activity. A major ramification of the
80% of teens, according to CNN, stating that they check their cellphones hourly and another
72% of them feeling the compulsion to immediately respond to any messages that they receive7,
is poor time management. While engaging in these activities, and being subject to the distraction
of checking a cell phone screen every time it dings, young adults are losing precious time that
could be dedicated to something more productive. In a 2010 survey on media use in 8-18 year
olds, The Kaiser Family Foundation found that, this group spends an average of ten hours and
forty-five minutes per day exposed to media. Even after multitasking is taken into consideration,
the total still stands high at seven hours and thirty-eight minutes. Of the 24 hours that there are
in a day, about one fifth of young adults days are spent online, enveloped in the web, rather than
completing homework or chores without the hindrance of technology.

As the use of technology increases, texting and social media has become more prominent
leading to poor social skills in society. With face to face contact minimizing, it has become
increasingly easier for people to go about their days oblivious to others or occurrences physically
around them due to their engrossment with the Internet. According to a study conducted by the
Pew Research Center, Those who use social networking are 30% less likely to know their
neighbors, and 26% less likely to provide them with companionship. If one were to travel 30
years back, it is typical to find that almost everyone was conscious of those living around them;
report back to the present to find that many people are completely unaware of who their
neighbors are or what may be happening in their lives. Social media and technology are an
immense factor throughout common everyday life that avert people from associating with those
(physically) closest to them, such as their neighbors. Along with a lack of companionship and
membership to a community, technology can be responsible for family separation as 53% of
adults from the U.S. and Canada acknowledge that their family members use of electronics is
bothersome, (Foresters). Frequent use of technology around family can stunt conversation and
diminish respect. Without the endurance of social interaction, overtime, people may begin
accumulating a sense of anxiety towards starting or maintaining a conversation since they will
not be used to the situation. Children and teens who have grown up in a tech environment are
most at risk for said effects due to their comfortability with hiding behind a screen.
Although slightly indirect, sitting behind these screens can ultimately result in a
sedentary lifestyle. As easily as a decrease in social interaction can be an outcome of an
increased use of technology, the amount of physical activity that individuals partake in can also
dip. Without an adequate amount of exercise in a humans daily life, there is the higher risk of

becoming overweight. A study conducted in the United Kingdom over the span of 30 years has
found that a higher average of hours in a day spent watching TV, on weekends, can foresee a
greater BMI (Body Max Index) by the age of 30. To add on, For each additional hour of TV
watched on weekends at age 5, the risk of adult obesity increased by 7% (Strasburger, Children,
Adolescents, Obesity, and the Media). As the amount of screen time is increased, no matter how
small, the risk of living a life of obesity becomes more serious.
At Blackstone Academy Charter School (BACS) located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island the
usage of technology has led to the modification of a specific policy in what is known as a
traditional school setting. With the start of the 2016 school year, the handling of cell phones or
other forms of technology during passing time and lunch is no longer prohibited per the BACS
student handbook. In recognition of said changes and the overuse of technology, the
implementation of a tech free day for students and staff once a week at Blackstone can expose
students to a world vastly different than the one they know. Aside from erupting emotions of
anger and separation between students/staff and their technology, enacting a recurring tech free
environment can encourage better relationships among students with other students, as well as
teachers. Additionally, the absence of technology can permit a higher level of focus, improved
time management, and lead to the creation of efficient inquiry since students will be forced to
think on their own rather than rely on the Internet for answers.
Aside from enabling higher levels of focus, improved time management, and more
efficient inquiry, the goal of this solution is to evoke the realization that technology interferes
with interactions between parents and children. In a challenge by the Tech Timeout Organization
in which cell phones were withdrawn, a private school student in San Francisco recalls a

situation in which he was forced to seek homework help from his mother throughout his
technology free period. Through his need for understanding, he was able to stimulate a
conversation with his parents about a topic which may not have occurred had he had access to
the Internet. The student also sheds light on the fact that throughout enduring a technology free
lifestyle, he participated in conversations with groups of people within his community that he
had never associated with before.4 Due to new conversations with his parents and others, it is
evident that technology disrupted his life and the break served him well.
In order to create a potentially new policy, approval from the BACS Executive Board
and staff would be achieved for a trial run of Takin Out Tech Tuesdays/Thursdays! (TOTT).
Once permission is gained from a higher level, a form for parental consent would be distributed
during the proposition of TOTT. Included within the form, a brief explanation of how and why
this school wide event is occurring, along with the option to opt out, will inform
parents/guardians about the rules and regulations. For instance, cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc.
will be collected by advisors at the start of the day, 8:00am, and placed in a secured area until the
end of the day, 2:45pm. Exceptions may apply to students who are enrolled in personalized
learning programs. After the completion of the TOTT program trial, a survey made on Google
Forms will be sent out to students and staff in order to document TOTTs success rate and any
comments or emotional instabilities that may have arisen throughout the experimentation period.
Can you envision your life in the near future as one with a reduced use of technology? As
the accustomation of technology prevails, the effects will continue to accumulate, ultimately
impacting society. Despite advancements in technology that prepare students for the work force,
motivating them, and improving their learning through visuals, animations, and models;

technology can also lead to major distractions, social interaction impairments, and a climb in the
rate of sedentary lifestyles. The implementation of TOTT at schools, such as Blackstone
Academy Charter School, has the capacity to reduce the rate of negative effects that technology
has on staff and students. A change in a set day by day routine can be quite demanding, however
determination can result in fortunate adjustments. Are you up for the challenge?

Gabrielle Cruz and Cassidy Titchenell

Tasche Bryant
WRT 104
December 15, 2016
Works Cited
Blackstone Academy Charter School Board. Blackstone Academy Charter School Handbook
2016-17- Electronic Device Policy. Page 14. Blackstone Academy Charter School.
https://docs.google.com/a/blackstoneacademy.org/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=YmxhY
2tzdG9uZWFjYWRlbXkub3JnfGJhY3NzdHVkZW50c3xneDoxZjVhZWQxOTA5ODk0
OGFl
Accessed 22 December 2016. (1)
Fast Facts: Computer and Internet Use. National Center for Education Statistics.
https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=46
Accessed 15 December 2016. (2)
Hatch, Kristina E. Determining the Effects of Technology on Children. Honors Program at the
University of Rhode Island. Paper 260. 2011.
http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1212&context=srhonorsprog
Accessed 15 December 2016. (3)

Schwartz, Katrina. What happens when Teens Try to Disconnect From Tech For Three Days.
KQED News. 6 March 2015.
https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2015/03/06/turned-off-how-teens-respond-to-a-no-tech-c
hallenge/
Accessed 15 December 2016. (4)
Strasburger, Victor C. Children, Adolescents, Obesity, and the Media. American Academy of
Pediatrics News & Journals. 1 May 2013.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/128/1/201
Accessed 15 December 2016. (5)
Survey: Most Americans Find Technology Use During Holidays Annoying. Tech Time Out &
Foresters.
http://techtimeout.com/survey-americans-find-technology-use-holidays-annoying/
Accessed 14 December 2016. (6)
Wallace, Kelly. Half of Teens Think Theyre Addicted to Their Smartphones. CNN. 29 July
2016.
http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/03/health/teens-cell-phone-addiction-parents/
Accessed 15 December 2016. (7)