What is the always-online 21st century doing to our teenagers?
Resources for SLA conference June 7th 2024
Hello, lovely delegates to the sold-out School Library Association conference and anyone else who stumbles across this! This afternoon, I’m giving a talk on the effects of online life and I thought I’d put the resources and handouts here.
I will also have the Powerpoint (with extra slides) to share with you but I will add that AFTER my talk as I don’t want to spoil the quite incredible suspense! Please come back here for that after the weekend. You will find a new post with the PPT plus any answers to questions that crop up at the conference.
I will ALSO have a very few copies of The Teenage Guide to Life Online available for £6 - WAY cheaper than the current price You Know Where! Unfortunately, the conference bookshop can’t sell them as they are awaiting a reprint but I have some copies myself.
Read on for the “life online” resources. Otherwise, switch off your devices now and have a lovely sunny weekend!
The resources
First, one slide from my presentation showing proponents of the two opposing “sides” to the argument as to whether spending time online is a) going to ruin your life or b) not going to ruin your life. I recommend you read something from both sides, and focus especially on the side you don’t feel you’re on. (I think this about any contentious topic!)
See further down for my position. (The first of my “overall messages.”)
Here is a handout about my work in general:
Here is a handout with lots of recommended reading on the topic of screens, social media, multi-tasking etc:
Here is a handout with tips on healthy screen management for all ages:
Next is a handout about how you can use stimulus generalisation to create a better focus habit and work better:
Click here for the book what I wrote - The Teenage Guide to Life Online - and below are some teaching notes for it:
This is a handout about teenage brains in general:
Although I won’t have time to cover this, here is something about the difference between reading digitally or in print:
And a few of my handouts on Reading for Pleasure, because, although I’m not talking about it today, you are school librarians! And you can’t stop me talking about it…
Here is a neat thing you can download and print or share:
My two overall messages
The short answer to “where I stand?” is not in the middle or on the fence. I take the view that the effect of being online on people or people’s brains is a) as hard to measure as catching jelly in a net b) and completely irrelevant to each of us as individuals. Research that says that X% more people suffer Y after doing Z is only relevant if YOU are suffering Y after doing Z. And if you are, stop doing Z. What each of us needs to do is think carefully about what it is doing to us - individually. In other words, you think what it is doing to YOU. If it is creating a behaviour or experience that is not beneficial, make the necessary change.) I’ll obviously explain in more detail in my talk.
To ban or not to ban? Ideally not to ban but to boundary. I’ll explain why in the talk.
Thank you to the School Library Association for asking me to speak. School librarians are my favourite people and I am endlessly grateful for your support of my books. But, do you realise the huge danger in what you do? Please read the following serious warning…
