Unplug (Back to the 80’s) Day!

Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Technology keeps us connected in ways not possible during other times in human history. It has saved lives, improved efficiencies, and made for better communication. Technology allows us to work remotely, which can have a positive impact on our carbon footprint.

When we went on stay-at-home orders last March, we were deeply grateful for what technology allowed us to do. We were able to provide learning assignments, synchronous class time, ECP sing-alongs, parent education, and parent meetings through Zoom, FaceTime, and Google classroom. Since, at first, staff and faculty were not permitted to be on campus, we were also able to meet, plan, and collaborate to run all aspects of the school remotely.

But technology also has consequences. Overuse can be detrimental to our physical health, disrupting our ability to sleep from excessive exposure to blue light, promoting a more sedentary lifestyle, keeping us indoors for longer periods of time where there is poorer air quality.

It is also known to shorten our attention spans and contribute to physical agitation. Using technology can increase dopamine which resides in the reward center of the brain, so it can lead to addiction similar to sugar, alcohol, or drugs.

There is a mounting body of evidence that social media can have a profound negative impact on healthy growth during adolescence. Increased social media use correlates to a decrease in happiness. One study found that Facebook use was linked to both less moment-to-moment happiness and less life satisfaction. When you get right down to it, the more we use technology, the less time we have to do other things.

Tuesday, March 16, is “Unplug Day” at Oak Grove. This is an opportunity to reflect on all the ways technology contributes to and detracts from our lives.

To make this event more festive for our students and staff, we are embracing a theme – School Day in 1984. We invite our students to join our staff and dress as if it were the 1980’s! Parent Council will add to our celebration by creating a “1984 Museum” in the Gazebo, where students will see items like VCRs, Reebok high-tops, cassette tapes, and rubix cubes.

Please consider joining us and UNPLUG AT HOME as well for the day on Tuesday, March 16.

Jodi Grass
Head of School