A. Ragnauth: Expanding the Frame

I stand corrected. My students can lock in or in other terms focus. As an educator in the time of the new cell phone mandate, I said my students couldn’t focus. They proved me wrong. With their screens out of reach, they picked up cameras and choose to snap their senior year instead of snapping streaks. They decided to leave their mark on everyone this year, a senior sign out video.

This week, I read Chapter 5: A New Definition of Success from the Foundations of Humane Technology course by the Center for Humane Technology. Chapter 5 states ” Choosing where we place our attention is the most basic tool we have for bettering our lives”. This reminded me of something similar being stated in Stolen Focus by Johann Hari where he also argues that we have the capability to be intentional with our designs so that they are created to better our lives instead of falling down endless rabbit holes in social media. I do agree, if social media platforms were used to their fullest beneficial performance (marketing, news, etc.) , my students would be more intentional not only in how they spend their time, but also in the type of media they choose to consume.

My students are proof that when harmful tech is removed from the equation, they strived for more. They were able to think clearly and deeply and not just through the design process. They took their lack of focus and redirected themselves to creating a product for their graduating class that no past graduating classes had ever attempted. Now, they’ll leave not only their mark but a tradition that will continue for years to come. A senior sign out video encourages community and collaboration with their peers in a project that they sought out themselves.

This is what humane technology encourages. The goal is to not only remove harm or distractions, but to create and build products and tools that strengthen and support our need for tech, our craving for connection and cultivating a culture of creativity and innovation.