On April 22 — Earth Day — the UO program Analog U will host a “tech holiday” from electronic devices. During Earth Day, Analog U is inviting students, faculty, and staff to take a pledge to disconnect from technology for anywhere from one to 24 hours on April 22.
Throughout the day, Analog U will host a “Tent Event” on Collier House Lawn in conjunction with the Student Sustainability Center’s Earth Day celebration. More than a dozen faculty and graduate students have already signed on to bring their students. Some of the events happening during the “Tent Event” will be yoga, gardening, meditation and letter writing.
Analog U is an experiential learning initiative focused on exploring our relationships with technology. The initiative asks participants to disconnect from digital media and technology in order to reflect on human-tech relationships and reconnect with the physical world. It centers around the idea that it is worth taking a critical look at technology and social media use and to act on what we learn.
According to the Pew Research Center, the majority of Americans identify mobile technology with freedom and connection. However, a rising percentage of 18-29-year-olds — a larger percentage than in any other age group — identify this technology as distracting rather than a connection.
Daniel Platt, an assistant professor of English at Graceland University, participated in the first Analog U last year as a post-doctoral instructor in English at the UO.
“One thing I realized during my ‘tech fast’ was that teaching without my standard PowerPoint made class discussions feel more open and collaborative,” Platt said. “This year, I’m teaching at Graceland University in rural southern Iowa, where we’re planning our own inaugural Analog U event for Earth Week in April.”
During spring term, Analog U offers engagement opportunities to dig into critical and experiential questioning. The Analog U learning community has curated a selection of materials on the topics of identity, attention and wellbeing as they relate to technology use. Additionally, Analog U offers example exercises that offer ongoing engagement opportunities to explore our relationships with digital media and technology.
—By Craig Garcia, University Communications intern