Rethinking the De-digitalization of Classrooms

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In recent months, if not years, social and news media have been inundated with alarming reports about de-digitalization, particularly how Sweden decided to implement a supposed de-digitalization of classrooms. But how accurate is this information? What implications does it have? The reality is that screen time is in the crosshairs.

What is digitalization?

Innovative technological tools in academic centers speed up the transfer of information and increase students’ interest and autonomy. They also improve their concentration and comprehension and promote critical reasoning, teacher-student communication, and collaborative work. However, the drawbacks, such as distractions, false information, and reduced human contact, can amplify bullying and negatively affect the development of social and cognitive skills.

The team at Profuturo Educational Observatory points out that the simplistic debate between technology and education is presented as a dichotomy between tradition and progress, ignoring the real challenge: the effective integration of technological tools in education. Contrary to belief, educational technology does not mean simply replacing physical books with tablets; instead, it seeks to integrate the academic experience. In the words of Laura Cuesta Cano, “What is demanded are tools, platforms, and applications that are complementary to analog ones and that guarantee better student learning and promote motivation towards the content or the possibility of customizing it to the needs of each student.”

Classroom screen use offers advantages such as access to educational resources and visual presentations. However, it can also be a source of distractions and eye strain, affecting concentration, creating digital divides, and leading to technological dependence, which can affect traditional skills and eye health. Therefore, educators must balance the use of technology with conventional methods and efficiently manage the disadvantages.

Screens in the digital age

One primary example of constant digitalization in all areas of our lives is the time we spend in front of screens. Nowadays, this can be most of the time because we view screens to work, study, communicate, or perform recreational activities like playing video games or watching series and movies. Our lives are closely intertwined with screens.

Online learning helped during the pandemic, Saray Márques says, which left 500 million students without access to education, especially in poor communities. However, rapid technological evolution outstrips research capacity, and independent studies often have little impact.

How detrimental can this be?

A lot report various studies point out that being in front of a screen is a sedentary activity that increases obesity risk and all the short and long-term problems associated with this disease.

Similarly, Nayeli Macías from the Mexican Institute of Public Health explains that screen time by children and adolescents is linked to sleep disturbances that affect the metabolism of glucose, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Inadequate sleep at these ages can entrench lifestyles that persist into adulthood, resulting in weight gain and deteriorating cardiovascular health. In addition, she shares data from the 2022 National Survey of Continuous Health and Nutrition, which indicates that 82% of Mexican children and 92% of Mexican adolescents spend more than two hours a day in front of a screen.

Moreover, adults who spend more time in front of screens increase the risk of “being overweight, obese, having hypertension, alterations in cholesterol and triglycerides, diabetes, heart disease, disruption of circulation, some types of cancer, and mental illnesses such as depression.” The recommendation is to reduce adult sedentary and screen time to less than four hours a day and less than two hours for children and adolescents.

Digitalization Counterpoints

Excessive use of technology negatively affects academic, work, and domestic activities, so limiting the time spent using it is advisable. Prioritize food and rest and use technology to enhance creativity instead of passively receiving information.

In its report “Technology in education: a tool in whose terms?” UNESCO recommends banning smartphones in classrooms. The report emphasizes the importance of human interactions in the educational process and indicates that using these technologies in the school and at home can cause distractions that hinder learning: “Not all change means progress,” the report states.

We must teach children to balance the use of technology, leveraging its usefulness without replacing human interactions in learning. The report spotlights the lack of adequate regulation and urges countries to set standards for technology to support, but not replace, face-to-face teaching. In addition, it warns that smartphones and artificial intelligence (AI) can interfere with classes and expose students to cyberbullying, which can severely affect their learning performance. The priority must be student well-being and improved educational performance, not just technological incorporation.

What to do?

As already discussed, reducing screen time is an essential consideration. Although the recommendations focus more on minors, especially preschool and primary school children, adults must also reflect on the time spent before a screen and the quality of content consumed, realizing that children close to us can imitate our digital habits. In this regard, digital literacy becomes essential.

The National Institute for Older Adults defines digital literacy as “the ability of a person to perform different tasks in a technological environment.” However, this notion focuses on something other than using technology but more on the skills of analysis, information search, and responsible use.

Along these lines, Tomás Santa Cecilia suggests that teachers can achieve the proper use of electronic devices in educational centers by having the following:

Clear objectives: Set specific goals for device use, detailing how they will improve learning.
Staff training: train teachers to optimize the use of devices in the classroom.
Equity in access: ensure that students have access to devices and the Internet, including options for those who do not have technology at home.
Responsible use: teach students to use technology ethically and safely.
Continuous updating: keep up with technological advancements and adapt strategies as needed.
Security: implement measures to protect student data and security.
Collaboration: Encourage student cooperation and improve communication among mothers, fathers, relatives, tutors, teachers, and students.

Technology in the classroom?

The digital age is a reality; therefore, screens play a significant role in people’s lives, whether they are children, young people, or adults. Digital life involves more than learning or entertainment; it also provides spaces for socialization. It is essential to understand that technology itself does not pose a risk to education and participants; instead, poor usage of technology by both teachers and students can promote risky activities.

Thus, individuals or their guardians must balance screen time and provide spaces and time allotments away from screens. De-digitalizing is not the solution; instead, what succeeds is creating healthy digital habits and, above all, using different technologies in the classroom appropriately and purposefully. It is a pedagogical issue, not a technological one.

Therefore, digitalization should not be questioned; instead, it should be used in education. This process must be carried out after a long critical reflection on the technology to be incorporated and after educating people about its responsible and essential use. Classrooms should not just be digitalized; they should be digitalized with meaning.

By the way, Sweden did not back down from digitalization; it just bought more books.

Translated by Daniel Wetta