Category: Technology

The Case for Learning to Type

Posted on by Chris Loper
Reading Time: 2 minutes

a middle school student typing at home

The young people of our world have been described as “digital natives” because computers and the internet have been around their entire lives. So it might surprise you to hear that many of the high schoolers I work with don’t know how to type.

They get by via finger typing: punching each letter with their index fingers while looking at the keyboard. It’s a survival technique, akin to counting on your fingers to perform addition. And it’s terribly inefficient compared to real typing.

That inefficiency slows them down whenever they have to type an assignment. It makes the homework they already don’t like more tedious. And whenever something you don’t want to do is more difficult to do, the odds of procrastination go up. Essays are difficult enough to write; the struggle to type shouldn’t be an additional obstacle.

high school students typing essays in the library

And much like having not memorized your multiplication facts, being unable to type is a constant source of frustration for these students. For some, it produces a feeling of inadequacy. So we owe it to kids to teach them how to type. It will increase their sense of self-efficacy and make their lives easier as students and as adults.

The ideal time to do this is during elementary school, before finger-typing has become a habit, but it’s never too late. There are numerous free, gamified learn-to-type websites. (Typing Club is a popular option.) Summer is an excellent time to start, but efforts should be maintained year-round until the skill is mastered.

Older students are more likely to resist being asked to learn to type. They’ll argue that they’re getting by just fine with finger typing. Indeed, switching to real typing as a high schooler would temporarily slow you down because you’ve practiced finger typing for so long. Making the switch is an investment in your future. It’s one of those classic things you’ll feel a great deal of resistance to, but which you certainly won’t regret doing.

If you’re a parent wondering how you could possibly motivate your teenager to practice typing this summer, check out our class: Motivation and Behavior Change: How to Really Motivate Teenagers.

A Counterintuitive Way to Reduce Teenage Screen Time

Posted on by Chris Loper

two teenagers on a couch on devices

Does your kid spend too much time playing video games? Watching TikTok? Scrolling through Instagram?

One approach we regularly advocate for is leading by example and modeling less tech use, so what I’m about to suggest might sound contradictory.

I often say that a teenager is like a Chinese finger trap. You don’t get what you want by doing the intuitive thing – pulling; you get what you want by leaning in.

But when it comes to screen time, what does leaning in look like? It could look like this:

Become Tech Friendly

Your child seems to be glued to their devices. Instead of getting upset and telling them they should go outside or read a book, get curious.

With genuine, positive curiosity, ask them what they’re watching/doing. Ask follow-up questions. This is not an interrogation. Your tone is light. You’re genuinely interested. After all, if they’re really into it, there must be something good about it.

If it’s video games, ask them to teach you how to play. Practice a little on your own so you become good enough to play together. If your kid plays a solo game, start playing yourself, and when you’re struggling, ask them for help.

a dad on the couch getting excited about the video game his kids are playing

If it’s YouTube or TikTok, ask them what they’re watching and follow the same people. Get into it. Talk about what you’ve seen. Find what’s cool or funny or interesting and comment on it.

If it’s social media, join the network. Follow them, send them a friend request, react and comment on their posts.

Did I just tell you to go down the rabbit hole of addictive tech consumption and risk getting hooked yourself?

Yes.

But you’re an adult, meaning you have a fully formed prefrontal cortex, so I’m confident you can handle it.

Why have I told you to do this?

One reason is that it gives you more legitimacy when setting boundaries around screen time. If you’re genuinely into it, they can’t claim that you “don’t get it” any more than they can say you “don’t get it” when you decide you’re not going to keep cookies in the pantry. You love cookies, but unlimited access is unhealthy.

Another reason is that, if you’re engaging screen time with them, it instantly becomes not taboo. It’s no longer a thing they’re not supposed to do that they’re getting away with. This causes it to lose some of its appeal.

I distinctly remember a time period when Facebook was new and hip. Only college kids were on it. Our parents didn’t know about it or, if they knew, they didn’t understand what it was. I also distinctly remember when Facebook became uncool: right when everyone’s parents started joining it.

Two middle aged people taking an awkward selfie

Teenagers today mostly use other social media platforms – ones that their parents “don’t get.” If Mom and Dad started posting videos on TikTok and trying to copy the latest trends with their friends, TikTok will suddenly become a lot less cool.

More Powerful Modeling

Now, let’s circle back to the standard advice of leading by example. The counterintuitive approach of becoming tech friendly still lets you model using tech less and actually makes your modeling even more powerful.

If you were an anti-tech luddite, then your kids would just think you were weird and out of touch. But if you’re a gamer who enjoys YouTube and social media, then any steps you take to reduce your own screen time will seem like steps anyone could take, steps even they could take.

Because the reality is that most kids who are on their devices too much know they’re on them too much. They actually want to use them less. They need adults who “get it” – grown-ups who love tech too – to show them (not teach them) strategies for reducing screen time. They need to see these strategies used often enough that putting their own devices away seems doable and normal.

Parents often fall into the trap of thinking that with screen time, they only have two options: institute draconian restrictions or give up and let kids do whatever they want. But there is a rich middle ground where you’ll find more success. A place where everyone gets to enjoy their devices without rampant overuse. A place where parents lead by example while still seeming like ordinary human beings. A place where families can be tech friendly and tech savvy without being tech addicted.

Related Reading: How to Model a Healthy Relationship with Technology

 

Defaulting to Distraction

Posted on by Chris Loper

a cartoon person burdened by social media app icons

The school year is just starting, so millions of students are now receiving their school-issued laptops. Nearly all such laptops will be Windows devices, with the default web browser of Microsoft Edge. And Edge comes with a default homepage that is, well, a bit much:

A screenshot of Microsoft Edge's home screen, full of distractions

Thus, every time a student uses their laptop to access the internet, they are bombarded with distractions.

And surprisingly, 90% of them will just put up with it. They don’t know that you can easily turn off all of this nonsense by clicking the little gear button in the upper right corner and changing the settings. When I show students this, they invariably let out a sigh of relief.

Similarly, these laptops will give you an endless stream of unnecessary notifications that serve only to distract you from your work. Smartphones and their apps do the same thing. It’s as though the default setting for all of our devices is “Distraction Mode.”

I wouldn’t count on the device makers to change the defaults any time soon, so we need to show kids how to take matters into their own hands using both direct instruction and modeling.

Settings can be changed. Notifications can be turned off. Phones can be put into “Do Not Disturb” or “Airplane Mode.”

We don’t have to default to distraction.