Tech-Less for 10 Days: Laura's Blog

Laura is one of five teens who ditched all things digital for ten days.

Ten days, no technology; the challenge, the outcome; five changed individuals.  When we were first told of the no technology experiment all of us seemed apprehensive, but I feel that this experiment was rewarding and I am glad that we got to be involved. 

Our teacher called the five of us to talk to her one day after second period.  She explained that she wanted to have us get involved with something that would be very beneficial to our future and was what she thought to be a great idea.  She said that we must agree before she told us exactly what we would be doing, so somewhat reluctantly we all said that we were in.  After she told us that we would be involved with a story for NBC 10 and would get to be on the news.  That alone made most of us happy with our choices.  She continued and got to the point where our opinions of this experiment changed, she explained that we would have to give up all technology for ten days, with no exceptions that meant; no cell phones, no computers, no iPods, digital cameras, or GPS navigational systems.  I looked around and seeing that three out of the five of us had our cell phones out either on the table or in our hands, I knew this would be more than an experiment, it would be a challenge. 

I can honestly say that this was a challenge.  When we first went to meet the NBC 10 Investigators everyone was excited but than we got to the part in our day in which we had to give them our cell phones.  After handing in my phone I immediately had something I wanted to text, and that feeling continued throughout the rest of the day and for the following 10 days.  I learned all of the pros and cons of modern technology and I learned about our generation and what technology means to us.  The ease and convince of having a cell phone was probably what I missed most.  On several occasions I reached for my cell phone attempting to send a quick text or call my mom about something, discovering that it would have to wait because I had no way of reaching anyone until I was home.  Because of this problem I ended up using payphones, over the ten days I had spent about three dollars on payphones because to my surprise it cost fifty cents each time you want to make a call. 

I believe that this experiment has improved my patience.  I think that because I had to wait to talk to people and simple tasks like writing a paper took so much longer that I had to choice but to become more patient.  I also believe that I have learned a lot about cell phone etiquette.  From my experiences of watching other people during the ten days I could not use my phone I have defiantly found things that I now realize are extremely rude.  One specific thing that I was guilty of was texting when you are with someone one on one.  If you are with one other person you should not being continuously texting and ignoring the person you are with.  From this I learned that my phone can wait.  I no longer feel the need to immediately answer a text or phone call anymore, I realize that if I’m doing something important or I am with another person that the cell phone can wait, it is why your cell phone tells you whose call you missed with a number to call back.  

After participating in this experiment I have learned that sometimes it is necessary to sit down and do things without technology, to take a step back and do things one at a time.  Technology certainly makes things easier and many times faster but it can also slow you down.  I know that personally if I’m on the computer even if I am writing a paper I frequently am doing at least one other thing as well whether I am on Facebook, YouTube, checking my email, downloading music, or even texting, the ease of modern technology has made multitasking a everyday occurrence. 

Overall I think that each of us took something different from this experience and we all appreciated what we learned about our selves and our generation.  I know that personally I have grown from this experience and gained a greater sense of maturity from it.  I appreciate the life lessons learned and the experiences gained from this experiment and I think that it was a good thing to participate in and I encourage anyone and everyone to try giving up technology, even for a short amount of time to see what you take from it.  Personally it increased my patience and gave me a greater understanding of why the older generation thinks that we teens are too immersed in modern technology.  Lastly I would like to thank the NBC 10 investigators for this wonderful experience. 
if I was challenged to do it for a longer period of time I probably would not have made it but the 10 day experiment was definitely sufficient to learn a lesson or two. I am glad to have been apart of this and recommend any students across the nation to try it out for themselves.

Laura is one of five teens from William Tennett High School who agreed to ditch all their technology for ten days and let the NBC10 Investigative team document their tech-less adventure.

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