Episode 2: Beyond the Classroom

In this episode of the podcast "Classroom to Computer," the host explores the impact of online schooling on adolescents' academic performance and health. They discuss how online learning hinders academic success and the negative effects of excessive screen time. Excessive screen time is linked to decreased interest in reading and a tendency to associate technology with entertainment rather than learning. Screens also contribute to increased stress levels and depression rates. They can overload the sensory system, fracture attention, deplete mental reserves, and disrupt sleep. The host emphasizes the importance of finding a healthy balance in screen usage, especially for students who spend hours on screens during virtual education. Overall, the episode highlights the negative effects of screens on adolescents' health and the need for measures to limit screen time. Stress. Depression. Suicide. Yep, you heard me right. And no, this isn't the wrong podcast. Welcome back to another episode of Classroom to Computer, a podcast where we delve deeper into the recent education predicament. I'm your host, Jacob Holberg, and today I will be exploring in detail the impacts of online versus traditional schooling on adolescents. We will analyze the effects that the two options have on academic performance as well as on human health. In the last episode, we took a deep dive analyzing whether a virtual learning environment enhanced learning or hindered it, taking into consideration the lack of feedback, the increased cheating, and the overall comprehensibility that comes from online education. We came to the conclusion that it did, in fact, hinder academic success. So now you're probably asking yourself, if we know online learning is bad, why do we need another episode? Well, that would be because the negative effects of virtual education extend far beyond one's academic success. The phenomenon of being able to access any information you need with a few touches of your fingertips is still astonishing. Screens provide the opportunity for endless opportunity and innovation. But just like the first episode, screens are a poisoned callus. Today we will be focusing on how the health of adolescents is impeded through online education. And don't worry, this episode is much shorter than the first one. I'm sure all of you have been told by grown-ups that screens are bad for you. But if you're anything like me, you would just assume that it's because the thing on the screens are bad for you and not the actual screen itself. Oh boy, would you be wrong. Screens are a problem facilitator. First, we have to acknowledge the fact that adolescents are on screens way too much. Children ages 10 to 16 are found to be on screens three times more than the recommended daily value. So what? If a child wants to be on screens, why can't they? Well, I'll tell you why they can't. For starters, excessive screen time is scientifically linked to decreased interest rates regarding reading. At a time when 40% of elementary students are found to be below the standard reading level, setting up literacy is crucial. Building on that, students are prone to associate technology with entertainment. They are far less likely to give digital learning material the attention and focus they would devote to their print counterparts. They will likely multitask, skim, and refrain from engaging with the material. With diminishing reading rates among these young students, it is a necessity that we do all that we can to halt these declining numbers. This begins by limiting screen time for kids, following that, encouraging them to read a book, which as we all know is scientifically proven to be better than reading online. And lastly, limit screens. Screens are making kids stupider. Yes, I said stupider, and yes, I meant it. Now you're probably asking yourself, didn't he say he was done talking about the academic aspect involving virtual education? Okay, okay. Now I'm officially done. Don't worry though, we still have one more thing to discuss. Saving the best for last, we will now dive into the health aspect of screens. And let me tell you, it's not pretty. Let me start off by saying depression rates are at an all-time high. Why might you ask? As you can already guess, it has something to do with screens. However, it is not what is on the screen, it's the screen itself. As screens are found to introduce stress reactions, they commonly increase acute stress, which is flight or flight, and chronic stress. Both of these stress hormones are linked to the causation of depression. If depression wasn't bad enough, experts have found that screens also overload the sensory system, fracture attention, and deplete mental reserves. This can create major behavioral issues, such as aggression, which is found to create focusing struggles. Last but not least, screens work to disrupt sleep and desynchronize the body clock. How could a screen possibly affect sleep? That's easy. When the light from a screen is produced, melatonin, a sleep signal released by darkness, production within your body is suppressed. This can delay melatonin release by numerous hours, making it a struggle for one to fall asleep at night. And I would like to acknowledge that screens provide humans with endless opportunities, but in order to utilize the potential of this technology, we must find a healthy usage each day. So how does this relate to online school? I'll make this short. When students are found looking at screens for hours upon hours during their virtual education, they face similar effects to the ones listed above. Okay, the last part, since we're running out of time. Like I said, this episode is much shorter than the previous episode. However, it is just as important. Today, we stepped away from the academic aspect, the online learning effect, and we narrowed it in on the health aspect. We came to the conclusion that the overuse of screens has drastic negative effects on humans, and when students are found using screens for eight hours a day with school, their health depreciates. With that being said, thank you for tuning in. I'm your host, Jacob Kohlberg, and this is Classroom 2 Computer.