Embracing Technology with Purpose
This edition of Margin Notes is guest written by Head of Middle School Ophelia Ma
Earlier this month, the Oxford English Dictionary announced “brain rot” to be its 2024 Word of the Year. Defined as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state,” resulting from the “overconsumption” of trivial or unchallenging material, especially online content, the word was used 250% more times in 2024 compared to 2023 and was particularly popular on TikTok.
When I shared this news with the Middle School boys, they first chuckled in disbelief, then immediately started chiming in with their favorite brain rot inducing internet content. My Gen Alpha students embraced the word with endearment, recognizing that it is precisely the digital content the term refers to disparagingly that resulted in its viral status. As Casper Grathwohl, the President of Oxford Languages, observed: “It demonstrates a somewhat cheeky self-awareness in the younger generations about the harmful impact of social media that they’ve inherited.”
This generation of digital natives are simultaneously drawn to technology and feel a deep ambivalence towards it. When we implement technology policies designed to strengthen connections and deepen learning, our students are rarely thrilled about what they are asked to do, but they often appreciate its impact.
Two years ago, Browning became a phone-free campus. Since then, we have been encouraged by the tremendous changes in the culture of the school, from stronger interpersonal relationships to greater focus and deeper engagement. This made us wonder—how might our broader technology policy enhance learning and student experience?
“Our goal is to help our students develop a set of habits and skills to use technology to live out their values—to make technology work for them. ”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to depend on devices to remain connected and continue learning, but the excessive use of screens has caused numerous consequences for children and adolescents that we are still recovering from. While students are given devices as learning tools, they are tempted to use them as media or entertainment tools, and data on media use by tweens and teens continue to alarm parents and educators alike.
When students study on their devices, they often engage in frequent tab switching, and we have learned the negative impact that digital multitasking has on brain functioning, decreasing cognitive control, increasing distractibility, and damaging memory. Some students also turn to technology as a crutch to avoid processing and managing hard feelings, thus missing out on valuable opportunities to develop emotional resilience and maturity. Over the last 20 years, research has shown that simply providing access to computers and the internet does not improve learning - in order to deepen learning, technology enhanced curriculum needs to be thoughtfully designed and intentionally structured.
While Browning is not turning its back on technology entirely, we are examining teaching and community practices to ensure that technology is always used with intentionality and purpose. Starting next week, internet access on the Chromebooks that Browning has issued to Middle School boys will be limited to a small list of approved educational sites that have been curated to support our curriculum. As we remove this access from school devices, we will redouble our effort to help boys develop the executive functioning skills to manage their materials and tasks, utilize reliable websites and databases for learning and research, and embrace the joy of reading physical books and connecting face-to-face. Our goal is to help our students develop a set of habits and skills to use technology to live out their values—to make technology work for them.