While many teachers take pride in their high-tech classrooms, one teacher at Scholastic Academy took a different approach with her students.

Scholastic Academy English language arts teacher Holly Blackwell challenged the 77 eighth graders at Scholastic to participate in a technology-free day.

“We participated in shut down your screen day Wednesday, and most of them thought they could survive without it,” she said.

The students had some great learning experiences, Blackwell said.

“I had a contract they signed and their parents,” she said. “They came up with a list of things they would not use.”
Blackwell said she wanted to show the students how dependent on technology society has become.

“Some of them went through a lot and said their whole mood changed, and some of them said it was the most peaceful, rested night of sleep because they participated,” she said.

Only about 15 percent of students followed through with their vow, Blackwell said.

“I told them to be honest with me,” she said. “I had parents emailing me proof ratting out their own children.”

Blackwell said she participated as well and did not use any technology.

“I came to school with my hair wet, and I was a mess because I couldn’t iron my clothes,” she said.

Sean Slade, 14, said he was one of the ones who made it the whole day without using any technology.

“Well at school we really didn’t use any technology, most of the day we were reading and talking to our friends,” he said. “When I got home my brother wanted me to play the Xbox with him, but I told him I couldn’t, so we went outside played football all day.”

Slade said he didn’t find the challenge difficult because he spends a lot of time outside typically.

“It was a little different doing it because we couldn’t use the TV, the microwave or anything,” he said.
Kelsey Lockridge, 14, said she, like most of her classmates, did not make it through the entire day without technology.

“One day without technology was terrible, and I know I couldn’t last a week,” she said. “She (Blackwell) turned the lights off and everything. She took us outside and I thought I was going to die. There were bugs flying around me and everything. I couldn’t do it.”

Lockridge said when she got home she tried to talk to her parents, but they told her she had to leave the room because they were watching television.

“I just went in my room, I sat down, I got in my bed, and I turned my TV on and got on my phone,” she said. “I said ‘I can’t do this.’ ”

Ella McHan, 14, said she thought she made it the whole day, but she didn’t.

“I had survived the entire day until I realized I couldn’t listen to the radio in the car, and I didn’t realize that until the next day,” she said. “I’m so used to hearing the music in the car I didn’t think about it.”

Hannah Huntley, 14, said she didn’t even have a chance.

“I woke up and I heard music on downstairs because my mom had the radio on, so I woke up listening to the radio,” she said. “Then I listened to the radio in the car again.”

Essentially Huntley said she woke up and lost.