Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Okay, so you're here with us because you want to
really get a handle on these big, complicated topics right, Like
get to the heart of the matterwithout getting lost in the
weeds.
Well, today we're going deep onsomething I bet you use every
single day your smartphone.
We're going to look at theimpact it might be having on
something that feels prettycrucial Academic honesty and how
(00:21):
well students are doing,especially on those standardized
tests everybody stresses about,like the ACT.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
You know those tests that can feel like they have so
much writing on them.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Exactly.
We've got some reallyfascinating research articles
and reports lined up for this,and what we really want to do
today is help you connect thedots between how much we use
these devices, the temptation tomaybe bend the rules a bit, how
that all affects grades ingeneral and then, yeah, those
all important test scores.
We're going to cut through thenoise together.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
It's pretty amazing.
Stop and think about it.
This one little device thatputs like literally the entire
world of information in ourpockets and keeps us connected
24-7 also seems to have thisripple effect on something as
basic as how we learn and how wemeasure what we've learned.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, it's almost like we don't always stop to
think about the unintendedconsequences, you know.
But let's get right into it.
Let's start with something thatprobably isn't going to totally
shock you, but the scale of itmight, and that's the link
between smartphones and well,cheating in school.
It seems like these things havereally changed the game when it
comes to academic honesty,wouldn't you say?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Oh, absolutely, they really have and the data really
backs that up.
Like, for instance, there wasthis common sense media survey
we looked at and they found thatover a third of teens we're
talking, 35 percent actuallyadmitted to using their phone to
cheat.
Wow, yeah, and get this.
A whopping 65 percent saidthey'd seen other students doing
it.
(01:44):
So this isn't just you know, ahandful of kids trying to get
away with something.
This suggests like a muchbigger shift in how students are
approaching doing theirschoolwork and tests.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Yeah, and it makes sense, right, I mean, think
about it.
It's so easy to just likeinstinctively grab your phone
for almost everything.
Does the research give us anyinsight into how much of this is
deliberate cheating versusmaybe like a spur of the moment
thing?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Or, like students, don't even realize it's really
cheating.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Because it's not hard to imagine quickly jotting down
notes on your phone or, youknow, sending a quick text to a
friend during a test.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I mean that McAfee study really drove that point
home.
You know, one out of threestudents admitting to looking up
answers right there on theirphone and almost a quarter
texting for help during an exam.
That's pretty bold.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It is, and what's interesting, too, is how the
cheating methods themselves areevolving.
We're not just talking aboutsave notes or a quick text
anymore.
Think about all those appsspecifically designed to solve
problems, like those complicatedmath equations, for example.
Boom instant answers.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And that basically just sidesteps the whole point
of figuring things out and thelearning process that teachers
are trying to encourage.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Totally.
And then, of course, there'sthe big one that everyone's
talking about AI those chatbotsthat can whip up an entire essay
in seconds or summarize a superdense academic article.
It feels like this ispresenting like a whole new
level of challenge for educators, trying to assess whether a
student actually understands thematerial.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, it really raises this fundamental question
, doesn't it about what we evenconsider original work, or even,
you know, understanding, whenthese incredibly powerful tools
are so readily available?
Right, you know, and this ispushing schools and universities
to rethink their whole approach.
I mean you're seeing stricterpolicies being put into place,
Like some schools are going asfar as banning phones outright
(03:36):
Wow, and there's a big push forbetter plagiarism detection
software too, and a move towardsmore closely monitored online
testing.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Yeah, it's like this constant game of cat and mouse,
almost.
Like as soon as a newtechnology pops up, there's this
urge to use it in ways thatmaybe undermine the whole
foundation of learning, and theneducators are scrambling to
keep up with new rules and waysto catch people.
It makes you think that maybejust focusing on the technology
itself isn't enough, likethere's a bigger need to really
instill a sense of ethics instudents and maybe even find new
(04:07):
and innovative ways to figureout what they really know and
can do.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Exactly.
I think you hit the nail on thehead there.
So if we take a step back fromthe whole cheating thing for a
second, let's think about thebroader impact smartphones might
be having on academicperformance overall, and this is
where we start to see how thesedevices can affect things, even
when students aren'tintentionally trying to cheat.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Right, it's not just about the deliberate dishonesty,
it's about whether these thingsmight be affecting our ability
to focus and engage withlearning in the first place.
I mean, remember that studyfrom the Journal of Educational
Psychology.
That one was pretty eye openingthe students who are using
their phones a lot during class.
Their scores were significantlylower, like 17% lower on
average.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, A huge difference.
And when you look at thescience of how our brains learn
and remember things, it startsto make a lot of sense.
You're constantly bombardedwith notifications, that little
buzz, that urge to just quicklycheck social media.
It all breaks our attention upinto these tiny little pieces.
And you know that AmericanPsychological Association's
(05:09):
study that linked multitaskingon your phone while you're
studying to lower GPAs likepotentially a whole half a point
lower.
That really highlights theprice students are paying for
that divided attention.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It's like trying to learn something while constantly
getting interrupted.
You might be putting in thetime of study, but you're not
fully absorbing the material,because a big chunk of your
mental energy is being pulledaway by these digital
distractions, and it's not justduring study time either.
Think about sleep.
Scrolling through social medialate at night can really mess
with your sleep patterns, and weall know how important sleep is
(05:42):
for learning and memory.
And then you add in theprocrastination and the stress
that can come with spending toomuch time on social media.
It creates this vicious cyclethat ultimately impacts how well
you do in school.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
And here's something really interesting the research
also shows that when people makean effort to cut back on screen
time and set some boundariesfor themselves, we often see
improvements in focus and grades.
So it's not that the technologyitself is inherently bad.
It's more about how we use it.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, like anything else, moderation is key, right?
Okay, it's more about how weuse it.
Yeah, like anything else,moderation is key, right?
Okay, so we're seeing howsmartphones can lead to more
cheating and can kind of get inthe way of overall academic
performance.
Now let's focus on something Iknow a lot of you are thinking
about those high-stakes testslike the ACT.
What have you found in theresearch about the connection
there?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
That's a great question and it's an area where
we're still waiting for moredefinitive research that
directly links smartphone use tolower ACT scores.
But if we look at all thetrends we've talked about so far
, we can start to see somepretty strong connections, like
that CNN report from 2023.
They pointed to decliningscores on both the ACT and the
NAEP and specifically linked itto what they call the smartphone
era.
That definitely suggests aconnection there.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
And when you look at the ACT's own data, it shows
this steady decline in averagescores.
They even hit a 30-year lowrecently.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
It's hard to ignore that, especially when it's
happening at the same time thatsmartphone use and social media
have just exploded among youngpeople.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
It feels like there has to be more to it than just
coincidence.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, it's hard to imagine those things aren't
related in some way.
Yeah, and there's this otherstudy, a 2022 one in the Journal
of Educational Psychology thatfound a connection between
spending more time onentertainment apps and lower
scores on academic tests.
That's another piece of thepuzzle.
Makes sense.
You know tests like the ACTthey require you to really focus
(07:34):
and dig deep into complexreading passages and math
problems.
Yeah, if students are used tospending most of their time
scrolling through those quick,stimulating videos and posts on
their phones, it coulddefinitely be impacting their
ability to concentrate for thelonger stretches those tests
demand.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Yeah, it's almost like our brains are getting
wired for constant quick burstsof information and then we
expect them to suddenly switchgears and stay laser focused for
three hours straight on areally tough exam.
I mean that Common Sense Mediareport said teens are spending
over eight hours a day onscreens.
That's a lot of time, and whenyou add in all that task
switching constantly jumpingbetween apps and notifications
(08:12):
while you're trying to study,it's no wonder that deep
concentration, the kind you needfor things like ACT, math and
reading becomes a real struggle.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Right.
So while smartphones can behelpful in some ways, like for
accessing study guides oreducational apps, it seems like
the overall impact on academicperformance is negative,
especially when it comes tostandardized tests.
It really highlights theimportance of healthy study
habits, like setting limits onscreen time and finding quiet
spaces to study where you canreally focus.
(08:41):
Those things can make a bigdifference if students want to
improve their test scores.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
So, given all these challenges, what are some
potential solutions?
We can't just go back to a timebefore smartphones, right?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Right.
We have to find ways to workwith them and there are a lot of
different approaches beingtried out right now.
Some schools are banning phonesaltogether, like you mentioned,
those bans in Scotland.
Even the government's on boardwith that.
That's one approach, butthere's also research from the
University of Birmingham thatsuggests maybe simply banning
phones isn't the complete answer, especially when you consider
(09:13):
the impact on mental health andacademics overall, it seems like
a more well-rounded approachmight be needed.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Okay, so what would a more well-rounded approach look
like?
What should educators, parentsand even students themselves be
thinking about?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Well, there seem to be a few key areas to focus on.
First, how can we managesmartphone use in schools
themselves?
We're seeing things like clearrules about when and where
phones can be used in theclassroom.
Some schools are using thoselockable pouches, yonder to
physically remove the temptationduring class time and
designated tech free zones forstudying.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Yeah, creating spaces where it's easier to focus
makes sense.
What about dealing with theproblem of academic dishonesty?
How do we make sure studentsare doing their own work?
Speaker 2 (09:56):
That's really important too.
Schools need clear and strictpolicies about cheating, and
they need to make sure thosepolicies are enforced
consistently.
We're also seeing more and moreproctored online testing, with
AI being used to spot anysuspicious behavior, and some
educators are moving back tomore traditional assessment
methods things like oral exams,in-depth projects,
(10:17):
well-researched essays.
Those are much harder to cheaton using technology.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
So, moving away from those multiple-choice tests that
are easy to look up online, gotit?
What about giving students thetools to develop better habits
and a healthier relationshipwith their devices?
What can we do there?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
That's where teaching digital discipline comes in.
Educators and parents can helpstudents learn to set healthy
limits on their screen time andavoid multitasking when they
need to focus.
Things like the Pomodorotechnique that can help students
structure their study time moreeffectively, and there's
growing evidence that going backto basics you know, like
reading physical books andtaking notes by hand, can
(10:53):
actually help students rememberinformation better compared to
only using screens.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Interesting.
So it's like a blend of oldschool and new school techniques
.
What about parents?
How can they support all ofthis at home?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Parents play a huge role in this.
They can use monitoring apps tohelp manage their kids' screen
time when they're not at school.
They can encourage tech-freeperiods at home, especially
during study time, and they canhelp their kids establish good
sleep habits by limiting phoneuse late at night.
All those things can make a bigdifference.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
And finally, what about standardized tests?
Any changes there?
Speaker 2 (11:27):
The ACT and other testing organizations already
have pretty strict rules aboutphone use during the actual test
, but it's important to makesure those rules are being
followed at every testing center.
And, maybe even moreimportantly, students should
practice for the test in anenvironment that's as close as
possible to the real thing.
That means no phone, nointernet.
Practice like you play right.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
So it sounds like there's no single easy answer to
this.
It's going to take a combinedeffort from schools, students,
parents, everyone involved ineducation.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Exactly.
The relationship betweensmartphones, academic honesty
and how well students do onstandardized tests is
complicated.
It's not a simple cause andeffect.
It's going to take everyoneworking together to find the
best solutions.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
So, to sum it all up for you, we've seen how
smartphones have created somereal challenges in education.
They make it easier to cheat,they can distract us and make it
harder to focus, and there's agrowing body of research that
suggests a link between usingsmartphones too much and lower
academic performance, and thatcan definitely have an impact on
those big, importantstandardized tests like the ACT.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
And the key takeaway here is that we're not trying to
demonize technology.
We just want to highlight thepotential downsides of being
constantly connected if we'renot careful about how we use
these devices, especially in thecontext of learning.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
So here's a final thought for you After hearing
all of this what's one smallchange you could make today to
create a more focused learningenvironment for yourself or
maybe someone you know?
Maybe it's setting a specifictime for no phone study sessions
, or trying out an app thathelps you limit screen time, or
even just leaving your phone inanother room when you're working
(13:05):
on something challenging.
Think about that balance thebenefits of being connected
versus the potential downsideswhen it comes to really learning
and understanding new things.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Some really great food for thought there.
Thanks for joining us for thisdeep dive.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Thanks everyone for listening.
Okay, so you're here with us because you want to
really get a handle on these big, complicated topics right, Like
get to the heart of the matterwithout getting lost in the
weeds.
Well, today we're going deep onsomething I bet you use every
single day your smartphone.
We're going to look at theimpact it might be having on
something that feels prettycrucial Academic honesty and how
(00:21):
well students are doing,especially on those standardized
tests everybody stresses about,like the ACT.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
You know those tests that can feel like they have so
much writing on them.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Exactly.
We've got some reallyfascinating research articles
and reports lined up for this,and what we really want to do
today is help you connect thedots between how much we use
these devices, the temptation tomaybe bend the rules a bit, how
that all affects grades ingeneral and then, yeah, those
all important test scores.
We're going to cut through thenoise together.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
It's pretty amazing.
Stop and think about it.
This one little device thatputs like literally the entire
world of information in ourpockets and keeps us connected
24-7 also seems to have thisripple effect on something as
basic as how we learn and how wemeasure what we've learned.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, it's almost like we don't always stop to
think about the unintendedconsequences, you know.
But let's get right into it.
Let's start with something thatprobably isn't going to totally
shock you, but the scale of itmight, and that's the link
between smartphones and well,cheating in school.
It seems like these things havereally changed the game when it
comes to academic honesty,wouldn't you say?
Speaker 2 (01:24):
Oh, absolutely, they really have and the data really
backs that up.
Like, for instance, there wasthis common sense media survey
we looked at and they found thatover a third of teens we're
talking, 35 percent actuallyadmitted to using their phone to
cheat.
Wow, yeah, and get this.
A whopping 65 percent saidthey'd seen other students doing
it.
(01:44):
So this isn't just you know, ahandful of kids trying to get
away with something.
This suggests like a muchbigger shift in how students are
approaching doing theirschoolwork and tests.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Yeah, and it makes sense, right, I mean, think
about it.
It's so easy to just likeinstinctively grab your phone
for almost everything.
Does the research give us anyinsight into how much of this is
deliberate cheating versusmaybe like a spur of the moment
thing?
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Or, like students, don't even realize it's really
cheating.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
Right.
Speaker 1 (02:10):
Because it's not hard to imagine quickly jotting down
notes on your phone or, youknow, sending a quick text to a
friend during a test.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
I mean that McAfee study really drove that point
home.
You know, one out of threestudents admitting to looking up
answers right there on theirphone and almost a quarter
texting for help during an exam.
That's pretty bold.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
It is, and what's interesting, too, is how the
cheating methods themselves areevolving.
We're not just talking aboutsave notes or a quick text
anymore.
Think about all those appsspecifically designed to solve
problems, like those complicatedmath equations, for example.
Boom instant answers.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Right.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And that basically just sidesteps the whole point
of figuring things out and thelearning process that teachers
are trying to encourage.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Totally.
And then, of course, there'sthe big one that everyone's
talking about AI those chatbotsthat can whip up an entire essay
in seconds or summarize a superdense academic article.
It feels like this ispresenting like a whole new
level of challenge for educators, trying to assess whether a
student actually understands thematerial.
Speaker 2 (03:13):
Yeah, it really raises this fundamental question
, doesn't it about what we evenconsider original work, or even,
you know, understanding, whenthese incredibly powerful tools
are so readily available?
Right, you know, and this ispushing schools and universities
to rethink their whole approach.
I mean you're seeing stricterpolicies being put into place,
Like some schools are going asfar as banning phones outright
(03:36):
Wow, and there's a big push forbetter plagiarism detection
software too, and a move towardsmore closely monitored online
testing.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Yeah, it's like this constant game of cat and mouse,
almost.
Like as soon as a newtechnology pops up, there's this
urge to use it in ways thatmaybe undermine the whole
foundation of learning, and theneducators are scrambling to
keep up with new rules and waysto catch people.
It makes you think that maybejust focusing on the technology
itself isn't enough, likethere's a bigger need to really
instill a sense of ethics instudents and maybe even find new
(04:07):
and innovative ways to figureout what they really know and
can do.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Exactly.
I think you hit the nail on thehead there.
So if we take a step back fromthe whole cheating thing for a
second, let's think about thebroader impact smartphones might
be having on academicperformance overall, and this is
where we start to see how thesedevices can affect things, even
when students aren'tintentionally trying to cheat.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Right, it's not just about the deliberate dishonesty,
it's about whether these thingsmight be affecting our ability
to focus and engage withlearning in the first place.
I mean, remember that studyfrom the Journal of Educational
Psychology.
That one was pretty eye openingthe students who are using
their phones a lot during class.
Their scores were significantlylower, like 17% lower on
average.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
Yeah, A huge difference.
And when you look at thescience of how our brains learn
and remember things, it startsto make a lot of sense.
You're constantly bombardedwith notifications, that little
buzz, that urge to just quicklycheck social media.
It all breaks our attention upinto these tiny little pieces.
And you know that AmericanPsychological Association's
(05:09):
study that linked multitaskingon your phone while you're
studying to lower GPAs likepotentially a whole half a point
lower.
That really highlights theprice students are paying for
that divided attention.
Speaker 1 (05:20):
It's like trying to learn something while constantly
getting interrupted.
You might be putting in thetime of study, but you're not
fully absorbing the material,because a big chunk of your
mental energy is being pulledaway by these digital
distractions, and it's not justduring study time either.
Think about sleep.
Scrolling through social medialate at night can really mess
with your sleep patterns, and weall know how important sleep is
(05:42):
for learning and memory.
And then you add in theprocrastination and the stress
that can come with spending toomuch time on social media.
It creates this vicious cyclethat ultimately impacts how well
you do in school.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
And here's something really interesting the research
also shows that when people makean effort to cut back on screen
time and set some boundariesfor themselves, we often see
improvements in focus and grades.
So it's not that the technologyitself is inherently bad.
It's more about how we use it.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, like anything else, moderation is key, right?
Okay, it's more about how weuse it.
Yeah, like anything else,moderation is key, right?
Okay, so we're seeing howsmartphones can lead to more
cheating and can kind of get inthe way of overall academic
performance.
Now let's focus on something Iknow a lot of you are thinking
about those high-stakes testslike the ACT.
What have you found in theresearch about the connection
there?
Speaker 2 (06:40):
That's a great question and it's an area where
we're still waiting for moredefinitive research that
directly links smartphone use tolower ACT scores.
But if we look at all thetrends we've talked about so far
, we can start to see somepretty strong connections, like
that CNN report from 2023.
They pointed to decliningscores on both the ACT and the
NAEP and specifically linked itto what they call the smartphone
era.
That definitely suggests aconnection there.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
And when you look at the ACT's own data, it shows
this steady decline in averagescores.
They even hit a 30-year lowrecently.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Wow.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
It's hard to ignore that, especially when it's
happening at the same time thatsmartphone use and social media
have just exploded among youngpeople.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
Right.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
It feels like there has to be more to it than just
coincidence.
Speaker 2 (07:13):
Yeah, it's hard to imagine those things aren't
related in some way.
Yeah, and there's this otherstudy, a 2022 one in the Journal
of Educational Psychology thatfound a connection between
spending more time onentertainment apps and lower
scores on academic tests.
That's another piece of thepuzzle.
Makes sense.
You know tests like the ACTthey require you to really focus
(07:34):
and dig deep into complexreading passages and math
problems.
Yeah, if students are used tospending most of their time
scrolling through those quick,stimulating videos and posts on
their phones, it coulddefinitely be impacting their
ability to concentrate for thelonger stretches those tests
demand.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Yeah, it's almost like our brains are getting
wired for constant quick burstsof information and then we
expect them to suddenly switchgears and stay laser focused for
three hours straight on areally tough exam.
I mean that Common Sense Mediareport said teens are spending
over eight hours a day onscreens.
That's a lot of time, and whenyou add in all that task
switching constantly jumpingbetween apps and notifications
(08:12):
while you're trying to study,it's no wonder that deep
concentration, the kind you needfor things like ACT, math and
reading becomes a real struggle.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Right.
So while smartphones can behelpful in some ways, like for
accessing study guides oreducational apps, it seems like
the overall impact on academicperformance is negative,
especially when it comes tostandardized tests.
It really highlights theimportance of healthy study
habits, like setting limits onscreen time and finding quiet
spaces to study where you canreally focus.
(08:41):
Those things can make a bigdifference if students want to
improve their test scores.
Speaker 1 (08:45):
So, given all these challenges, what are some
potential solutions?
We can't just go back to a timebefore smartphones, right?
Speaker 2 (08:51):
Right.
We have to find ways to workwith them and there are a lot of
different approaches beingtried out right now.
Some schools are banning phonesaltogether, like you mentioned,
those bans in Scotland.
Even the government's on boardwith that.
That's one approach, butthere's also research from the
University of Birmingham thatsuggests maybe simply banning
phones isn't the complete answer, especially when you consider
(09:13):
the impact on mental health andacademics overall, it seems like
a more well-rounded approachmight be needed.
Speaker 1 (09:19):
Okay, so what would a more well-rounded approach look
like?
What should educators, parentsand even students themselves be
thinking about?
Speaker 2 (09:27):
Well, there seem to be a few key areas to focus on.
First, how can we managesmartphone use in schools
themselves?
We're seeing things like clearrules about when and where
phones can be used in theclassroom.
Some schools are using thoselockable pouches, yonder to
physically remove the temptationduring class time and
designated tech free zones forstudying.
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Yeah, creating spaces where it's easier to focus
makes sense.
What about dealing with theproblem of academic dishonesty?
How do we make sure studentsare doing their own work?
Speaker 2 (09:56):
That's really important too.
Schools need clear and strictpolicies about cheating, and
they need to make sure thosepolicies are enforced
consistently.
We're also seeing more and moreproctored online testing, with
AI being used to spot anysuspicious behavior, and some
educators are moving back tomore traditional assessment
methods things like oral exams,in-depth projects,
(10:17):
well-researched essays.
Those are much harder to cheaton using technology.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
So, moving away from those multiple-choice tests that
are easy to look up online, gotit?
What about giving students thetools to develop better habits
and a healthier relationshipwith their devices?
What can we do there?
Speaker 2 (10:33):
That's where teaching digital discipline comes in.
Educators and parents can helpstudents learn to set healthy
limits on their screen time andavoid multitasking when they
need to focus.
Things like the Pomodorotechnique that can help students
structure their study time moreeffectively, and there's
growing evidence that going backto basics you know, like
reading physical books andtaking notes by hand, can
(10:53):
actually help students rememberinformation better compared to
only using screens.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Interesting.
So it's like a blend of oldschool and new school techniques
.
What about parents?
How can they support all ofthis at home?
Speaker 2 (11:06):
Parents play a huge role in this.
They can use monitoring apps tohelp manage their kids' screen
time when they're not at school.
They can encourage tech-freeperiods at home, especially
during study time, and they canhelp their kids establish good
sleep habits by limiting phoneuse late at night.
All those things can make a bigdifference.
Speaker 1 (11:24):
And finally, what about standardized tests?
Any changes there?
Speaker 2 (11:27):
The ACT and other testing organizations already
have pretty strict rules aboutphone use during the actual test
, but it's important to makesure those rules are being
followed at every testing center.
And, maybe even moreimportantly, students should
practice for the test in anenvironment that's as close as
possible to the real thing.
That means no phone, nointernet.
Practice like you play right.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
So it sounds like there's no single easy answer to
this.
It's going to take a combinedeffort from schools, students,
parents, everyone involved ineducation.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
Exactly.
The relationship betweensmartphones, academic honesty
and how well students do onstandardized tests is
complicated.
It's not a simple cause andeffect.
It's going to take everyoneworking together to find the
best solutions.
Speaker 1 (12:10):
So, to sum it all up for you, we've seen how
smartphones have created somereal challenges in education.
They make it easier to cheat,they can distract us and make it
harder to focus, and there's agrowing body of research that
suggests a link between usingsmartphones too much and lower
academic performance, and thatcan definitely have an impact on
those big, importantstandardized tests like the ACT.
Speaker 2 (12:31):
And the key takeaway here is that we're not trying to
demonize technology.
We just want to highlight thepotential downsides of being
constantly connected if we'renot careful about how we use
these devices, especially in thecontext of learning.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
So here's a final thought for you After hearing
all of this what's one smallchange you could make today to
create a more focused learningenvironment for yourself or
maybe someone you know?
Maybe it's setting a specifictime for no phone study sessions
, or trying out an app thathelps you limit screen time, or
even just leaving your phone inanother room when you're working
(13:05):
on something challenging.
Think about that balance thebenefits of being connected
versus the potential downsideswhen it comes to really learning
and understanding new things.
Speaker 2 (13:14):
Some really great food for thought there.
Thanks for joining us for thisdeep dive.
Speaker 1 (13:18):
Thanks everyone for listening.
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