Screen Time in Lockdown

All right - it has been a very long time between posts. That happens to me a lot - things are busy, and this is one of the things which winds up moving backward. However, now that we have lots of enforced time at home, I am hoping to post a few things here.

Something which struck me today was a headline I noticed about "screen time". Giving credit where it is due, the headline of the article is "At This Crazy Moment, Screens Are Proving Our Salvation", and it was written by Karol Marcowicz for the New York Post (dated March 22, 2020).

I encourage you to read the article (linked here) - it is quite good. The premise is exactly what you would expect from the headline - thank goodness our technology allows us to function with as much normalcy as it does! And Ms. Marcowicz is right. As a Math teacher, I find that I am able to present materials to my students on-line, and with a few videos added, I think we are doing pretty well. Honestly, I think my students are getting everything they need to learn as much as they would have in my classroom. This will not be true of all school situations of course - there are subjects which do not work quite as well - I think discussion-based classes are more difficult to work into an on-line form, and 3D art will be a challenge. My wife is a kindergarten aide - teaching kindergarten on-line really is a challenge.

Despite its imperfections, though, the fact of the matter is that we are able to accomplish a lot of what we need as a result of the technology. Twenty years ago, this simply would not have been possible.

I don't want to take anything away from that positive view - we are very fortunate to be living in the time we are living. Technology has allowed us to continue a level of function which is quite high, which is good for everyone.

While I want to emphasize that positivity, though, I also want to express the hope that we view our technology as a work-around, rather than as a replacement. One of the negative consequences of technology is that many people wind up putting time into the technology that they might have spent with other people - the technology has a tendency to insulate us from one another. That is not healthy - humans are meant to be together, meant to connect with one another. I hope that when the corona virus has passed, that we will move the screens back into the background to connect with one another.

Much of the reason that screens are positive now is that we are in a time when we MUST isolate ourselves, so screens allow us to function within that isolation. But when the time comes that we do not have to isolate ourselves, it is going to be important that we do not.

About Charlie Collins

Dr. Collins received his Bachelor of Science in Physics from the College of William and Mary in 1989, graduating Phi Beta Kappa and Magna Cum Laude. He went on to pursue a doctoral degree in Physics at MIT, with a focus on Theoretical Astrophysics, receiving his diploma in 1996.

To begin his professional career, Dr. Collins went to work for ACI Worldwide, a software company best known for its on-line transaction-processing products. There he performed a variety of technical and market research functions. Upon leaving ACI, he re-connected with the field of education, first spending a year at his high-school alma mater (Mt. Michael Benedictine in Elkhorn, Nebraska), then spending twelve years teaching information technology at a local college. Currently, Dr. Collins serves on the faculty at Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, where he teaches Mathematics.

In addition to those endeavors, Dr. Collins spends as much time as he is able pursuing a variety of writing projects. Many of those are reflected in these pages: Take a look at the Books and Publishing page for information about the fantasy trilogy The Roc and the Griffon, as well as for work which is under development. In particular, please look for information about Reawakening Honor - not only is this book worth learning about in its own right, but Dr. Collins hopes to use it as a way to experiment with alternative approaches toward publishing.

About Creative Impulse

Creative Impulse is a very small (microscopic) publisher located in Omaha, Nebraska. True to its name, the company works in a variety of creative areas - web design and development, speculative fiction, and a little bit of philosophical discussion. Feel free to explore the site and learn more.

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