Last Friday was an unusual day at Jack P. Nix Elementary School in Cleveland. It was the first day the school implemented a tech-free school day, which means students did not use their Chromebooks at all. Instead, they engaged in fun, interactive activities and hands-on lessons.
Erica Owens, the school counselor, proposed the idea of having tech-free days to the school leadership. Owens has championed the idea of waiting until 8th grade before parents give students a cell phone.
Owens said during the special day, no photos were posted to social media. Instead, Owens and staff went through the school taking pictures with a self-developing Polaroid camera. Those pictures will be displayed on a bulletin board in our main hall.
Feedback from teachers and students was overwhelmingly positive. Owens said she heard kids say they wanted more days like this, and I received multiple emails from staff stating they can’t wait for our next tech-free day!
The school has three more such days scheduled during this school year, and will add different tech-free activities.
