With some trepidation, 10th graders at a Los Angeles-area high school unplugged themselves from all electronic devices for an entire week this April—part of an experiment by homeroom teacher Shannon Meyer. (Cue evil laughter.) While youth workers of a certain age might think losing one’s TV, iPod and Internet connection as more inconvenience than instrument of torture, Meyer’s students (who attend the California Academy for Liberal Studies Early College High School) weren’t so sure. These youth, after all, live their lives on social networking sites, and some sleep with cell phones under their pillows. Many likely would rather lose the use of their right hand for a week than put away their iPod. “I suspect that people will be going crazy,” said student Jamila Mohedano shortly before the experiment began. Meyer agreed—which was all the more reason, she believed, for these youth to unplug for a bit. All the electronic stimulation we receive these days makes us far less able—or willing—to sit and listen to a classroom lecture. Let’s face it: Life isn’t all about Twitter and “Halo.” “These kids are really bright, but they’re quickly bored,” Meyer said. (L.A. Times)
