Refocus & Reclaim Your Time
It’s a new day. You wake up feeling groggy and out of it, reach towards the side table to grab your…. Wait! Where’s my phone?
Irrespective of age, gender, ethnicity, career, and economic status, we are all connected by one common denominator - our smartphones. From the minute we wake up until the day’s end, smartphones are front and center. We socialize via DMs and conduct business remotely via calls, e-notes, and last-minute presentation slides; you name it and your phone has an app for that...
Classroom distractions stunt performance.
Like a coin, we face a two-sided problem in our tech saturated world. The Pew Research Center (2018) conducted research that reports 60% of adolescents between 13 and 17 years of age acknowledge excessive screen time is a significant problem. This same 60% also admit that their cravings for screen time is an uncontrollable urge.
While smartphones can certainly be used for ‘good’ in the classroom, they are often used for ‘evil’. A study published in the Journal of Media Education found that around 97% of university students will use their phones in class sometime during the week, for non-academic purposes. Almost 90% said texting was the main offender and distraction in class.
If we’re honest, a quick look around staff meetings reveals students aren’t the only distracted smartphone users. According to a survey conducted by the International Society of Technology in Education (2019), 34% of teachers admitted they are also distracted by students who use their phones during class.
It’s about time we all admitted we really are addicted to our phones. It’s true. Students use smartphones and tablets to take notes and photograph lecture slides. But, what if a notification suddenly pops up to warn against endless scrolling through Instagram and TikTok… or incessant selfie-taking? What if we received a gentle reminder to put the devices down?
We have an app for that.
Back in early 2017 during a rather boring lecture, one student at University of Iowa picked up his phone to text his father only to realize that most of his peers were already using a digital device. Many of the students weren’t even paying attention during a course each was paying tuition to attend.
This struck a chord and a cause for concern. After days and weeks of brainstorming over how to solve a problem that had dumbfounded parents, teachers and professors around the world, a team of students from the UAE led by Craig Fernandes developed an application called Lock&Stock. With the idea of “earn while you learn” and a mission to combat smartphone addiction in classrooms, Lock&Stock was launched for the sole purpose of helping teenagers stay off their phones during inappropriate times.
Launched for students in the UAE in 2017, Lock&Stock is a mobile application that incentivizes students to pay attention in class. In exchange for staying offline, students are rewarded with points redeemable for offers and discounts at restaurants, fashion outlets and cinemas. Points may be used to apply for jobs and internships with companies looking to hire young talent and even gain access to a network of university scholarships from international institutes. Three reward exchange outlets exist to provide access in three main areas of student life – allowances, side hustles, and university tuition.
From its inception, over 43,000 Lock&Stock users have collectively spent 153 combined years offline. This is 153 years dedicated to learning, to paying attention during class, to taking advantage of the value educators provide to students.
You’ve reached the end of this article, but were you reading it amid a boring lecture, a study session or a movie with your family? You know what to do now. Download the Lock&Stock app. Take back your time. This post is written by the Lock&Stock team and edited by Jillian Smart.