As we spend more time on our devices during remote and hybrid learning, it is important to take steps to ensure you are taking care of yourself. Anyone who has spent all day on Zoom meetings with students, graded digital essays on their lunch break, then went home to plan and post the lesson for the next day knows the dry eyes, headaches, and bleary eyed strain that staring at a screen all day might cause.
Distance learning has made a reliance on technology devices a more regular part of our work day, but there are simple actions you can take to help minimize the negative health effects of device use.
20-20-20 Rule
This doctor recommended strategy is easy. When using a device, every twenty minutes you are in front of a screen, look at something twenty feet away for twenty seconds.
Build “Unplugged” Habits
How many of you find yourself automatically picking up your phone to check email, Instagram, or Twitter the moment you’re off a Zoom? Often, we move from our big screen to our little screen without realizing it. These switches can happen because they’ve become a habit.
Create moments in your day that allow you to step away from your device for short periods of time. It doesn’t have to be long, but short times away from a device can have positive impacts. Is it possible for you to start your prep period with a five-minute walk? Can you and a friend commit to a screen-less lunch? Have you set a time when you get home to put your devices away?
Use the Device's Built-in Features
Your MacBook and your iPad have built-in features that can reduce eye strain as well.
Display and Brightness features
Changing Display features allow you to create settings that can better suit your needs. Your Mac and iPad have options for Dark Mode, True Tone, Night Shift, and Brightness that improve your visual experience. True Tone makes the display automatically adapt to make colors appear consistent as lighting conditions change. Night Shift automatically shifts the colors of your display to the warmer end of the color spectrum when it gets dark.
Accessibility features
Anyone can also use Accessibility features to improve their experience. Accessibility features allow the user to customize their view by using features such as color filters, inverted colors, brightness, contrast, and more.
- Change Display preferences for Accessibility on Mac
- Change Display preferences for Accessibility on iPad
Screen Time features
Screen Time isn’t just for kids! While we primarily think of this feature as a way to set limits and restrictions for kids, it can also serve as a feedback tool for you. When I enabled Screen Time on my phone, I was shocked at how much time I spent checking Twitter and email. Those stolen moments, only seconds at a time, were adding up to several hours a day. This information has helped me to reevaluate and change my habits.
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