Task #25: Go A Day Without A Cell Phone (Kim)

25.  Go A Day Without A Cell Phone

Foregoing my cell phone for a day seemed like an almost impractical idea, so I decided to try it for Project Explore.  I've had a cell phone since middle school and have rarely gone an entire day without it.  At first, going without it was very easy.  I was busy; it was a snow day, and we had to shovel.  But after shoveling, I found myself missing not only talking to my friends but checking social media sites like Instagram.  I felt a little closed off from the world, so I distracted myself with hot chocolate and A.P. Euro notes.

Prior to this task, my phone was stolen and I had to go nearly a week without a cell phone.  However, I did not receive any reactions from friends about this because everyone knew why I wasn't answering.  I also used other forms of communication including emails and iMessage to talk to them.  So although I had experienced something similar because I didn't have a choice, I decided to go ahead with this task anyway.

Most of the reactions I received were not surprising.  When I opened my phone about 11:00 that evening, I had many texts repeating my name over again, and a few friends wondering if I was angry at them.  I shared some of screenshots of the messages and crossed out the names for privacy reasons. After explaining to my friends it was merely an experiment, most of them were surprised I had gone an entire day without a phone and said they would be unable to do that themselves.  Those who had actually gone an entire day without their cell phones did it for necessity or because they went somewhere for the day and forgot their phones.

My age group is incredibly attached to these devices, and no wonder: they can do amazing things in the palm of our hand.  However, the attachment is often considered unhealthy.  I researched the following article about teens' growing dependency on their phones: http://cell-phone-parental-control-software-review.toptenreviews.com/are-teenagers-becoming-too-attached-to-their-cell-phones.html.  Almost half of all teens can text with their eyes closed, and one-fourth of all texts teens send are sent during class.  Cell phones are not used as purely educational resources at school; students are distracted from class by their cell phones.

My own reaction surprised me.  After the initial discomfort of not having a phone in my hand or in my pocket at all times, I was just fine without it.  Granted, it is much more convenient to have a phone because it provides such fast access to the time, weather forecast, and Internet.  However, I was so focused on myself and what I wanted to get done for the day because I was not being distracted by anything else.  With that being said, I will not consider giving up my cell phone all together.  I would like to increase the productivity on my phone and decrease the number of  conversations I have with friends that do not necessarily have any benefits.

Task #21 Completed: What Advice Would You Give to a Large Group of People? (Humans of New York Inspired)

The Humans of New York blog was a big inspiration for our project.  As part of Brandon Stanton's posts, he often asks people: "What piece of advice would you give to a large group of people?" because his blog has such a large following and impact.  Brandon Stanton's page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork.  (Note:  He has recently raised over $700,000 for an underprivileged school in Brownsville, New York after interviewing one of the students for Humans of New York.  The campaign is still going on and a link to donate can be found on his page.)

Our project will be seen by many Norwalk High students and teachers, and we want them to take away something from it.  At the end of our project, we plan to share our advice from completing 52 new tasks.  But on the journey, we wanted to take advice from others.  We planned to only ask ten people this question.  However, after answers ranging from comical to profound, we continued to ask other students and teachers because it was simply interesting.  (side note: these pictures were taken with an iPhone and the glare was pretty terrible as I'm sure you'll notice, so the black and white edits are an attempt to mask the glare)

What advice would you give to a large group of people?

Michael: Everyday is a challenge, but if you look at life with the glass half full instead of empty, you realize the beauty of it.  Because in the end...there is still something in the cup.

Olivia: Don't poke the sleeping bear.  Watch as it naps cutely and pretend that it won't bite your head off and then leave before it wakes up and everyone is good.

Mr. Foldeak: Remember that everyone sees the world a little differently and that doesn't mean your way is the right way.

Madame Graf: Never give up.

Catherine Robinson:
See things from other people's perspective.

Cara decided to write out a quote on her cell phone, which is next to her portrait and reads: "Never hide your scars because they show that you are stronger than whatever decided to hurt you."

Madison Pia: "Don't screw with Mr. Couture!"

Mr. Couture: "To Madison, I concur.  But as for the piece of advice, I say never settle for mediocrity."

Rimon (left): Don't do drugs.
Amanda: Eat green olives.
Jacob: Join Seniors Helping Seniors and help the elderly.

Izzy (left): Don't park next to white vans.
Sabrina: You get out what you put in.

Lindsey: Live life better than its fullest.

Janique: The grass is always greener on the other side.

Emily (left): Everything happens for a reason.
Alyssa: Don't talk to strangers.

Liza (provided photo): Gym is like prison, and you're a delinquent: it's mandated, and you have to undress.

Mr. Von Arter: Never settle for less than your best.

Janai: It's okay to let people go.

Mr. O'Shaughnessy could not produce one phrase as a piece of advice.  When I initially asked him, he asked me for a specific audience to address because he had so many pieces of advice to provide.  Although Brandon Stanton keeps his question vague and simply asks for a "large group of people", I told him the audience would be high school students.  We are hoping this project will have an impact on high school students.  When I returned, Mr. O' Shaughnessy had generalized and printed out a letter he wrote to a student preparing to enter teaching.  Mr. O'Shaughnessy's thoughtful response and very intellectual and well written letter reminds me why I care about this project.  I want to not only have unforgettable experiences myself but to be able to use them for good in the future.  Mr. O' Shaughnessy advised the student to connect love with wisdom, "establish and maintain such personal relationships because [the students] are ever-changing and enduring."  He reminds this student never to forget the passion that brought him to teaching and to admire and "seek counsel" from "people who excel in other professions and colleagues in other academic disciplines".  I find Mr. O's letter to be practically a guidebook for becoming a great teacher.  But it is also a reminder to us working on Project Explore to be diligent and precise because we want our 52 things to make a difference in other people's lives.

Maria: Don't dwell on the past and live for the future.

Mariah Smalls:
If you're going through something, this too shall pass.

Our Project Explore mentor, Ms. Morris:
Take one day at a time, and make sure to really live that day.

Angela: Stay strong and believe in yourself.

Gracie Bradley: Carpe diem!

Hannah: Do what makes you happiest.  And don't eat yellow snow.

This was one of my favorite tasks so far because it not only raised awareness for our project but got people involved and made them really think about this weighty question.  It also got us thinking about what our answers will be after we finish this project.

We will share our pieces of advice at our Project Explore presentation in May, after we have had 52 new experiences.

-Rachael and Kim

Task #15 Completed: Wear a Costume to School (Rachael and Kim)

15.  Wear a costume to school

Since this blog was created in November, we have to play catch-up with some of the tasks we completed prior to the creation of the blog.  One of them is "Wear a costume to school", which both of us did on Halloween.

Both of us used a play on our names for our costumes: Kim Possible and Rachael Baker was a baker. The Kim Possible costume did not look like much of a costume because it was partially normal clothes, so I borrowed a monster onesie to wear during school. Both of us definitely stuck out and got attention for our costumes, but it was a fun experience for the day.

  

Task #7 Completed: Conduct Interviews and Compare Responses of Different Age Groups (Kim)

7.  Conduct interviews on a topic currently impacting society, and compare the responses of different age groups.

One of our inspirations for Project 52 was Humans of New York.  Photographer Brandon Stanton became famous from photographing portraits on the streets of New York City.  He interviews his subjects and posts a snippet from the interview as the picture's caption.


You can check out Humans of New York here: https://www.facebook.com/humansofnewyork


Since one of our original ideas was to conduct interviews similar to Humans of New York, we decided it should still be part of Project 52.  So, we made it one of the 52 tasks.

The place to find people of different age groups for me is Thanksgiving.  My grandma hosts Thanksgiving, and you can find friends and family of all ages in her house - from babies to my awesome 94-year-old grandma.  I brought my camera along and conducted interviews.  I edited the footage, splitting the clips by questions, and I came up with this.

As for the comparison of different age groups, older people tended to view the act of taking a selfie as selfish.  The very young children saw selfies only as an act of fun and a way to remember special moments.  I asked several teenagers, and most of us had taken selfies but still were willing to admit that it was a selfish act.  

Thank you to all who participated in the video!