Nordic Delusions: 'Excessive Digitalisation' to Bring Nat'l Cell Phone Bans and Less Screen Time (Part 2)
A three-part series on drastic changes in Nordic education, courtesy of massive setbacks in the OECD's standardised PISA scores
Prelim: this is the second instalment of a three-part series on how digitisation has negatively impacted education on all (primary, secondary, and tertiary) levels, as evidenced by Sweden, Finland, and Norway vowing to ‘reduce screen time’ in schools to improve learning outcomes.
Originally written for TKP.at, you may find the three articles (in German) here, here, and here. I’ve edited these pieces for readability and updated content where necessary. For the English-language version of part 1, click on the below link:
Why, if you’re asking yourself, am I making this content available here? Well, as the proud father of two primary schoolers I experience the ensuing maddening, mind-numbing, and soul-crushing discussions about ‘screen time’ literally everyday. Here’s hoping that these three pieces will help parents and concerned citizens alike who fight the good fight vs. digitalisation, screen time, and the seemingly unceasing (unshakeable) belief in the inherent ‘goodness’ and ‘virtue’ of ever more digitisation.
Note that the point of departure here is a small pseudo-libertarian party in Austria (NEOS, whose platform is best described as ‘socially liberal’—read: woke—and economically ‘hardcore neoliberal’) and its musings about what to do with (to) education as it currently exists.
As always, translations and emphases mine; all postings are ‘too long for email’; please read them online or via the app.
Educational Woes End Nordic Illusions About Digitalisation
By Stephan Sander Faes, TKP.at, originally pub. 16 Dec. 2023 [source]
One of the most predictable (re)actions by politicians of all stripes on the topic of ‘education’ or ‘schools’ is the call for more and more ‘digitalisation’. Often there is more or less vague talk about ‘more’ of everything, esp. devices, software, screen time, etc., but one hardly hears about any consequences. In autumn 2023, there was a brief uptick in legacy media due to Sweden's departure from comprehensive ‘digitisation’. Now Norway, entirely expectably, is following suit.
If you missed this episode from Sweden, I shall list some quasi-representative references here:
The Austrian state broadcaster ORF reported on 12 Sept. 2023 that ‘Finland, Norway, and Sweden’ are clearly considered ‘pioneers when it comes to school education’, among other things because these countries ‘were also among the first to use digital teaching tablets starting in elementary school or earlier’. But anyone who works at ORF must toe the editorial line because a ‘significant course correction’ in Sweden took place, of course, courtesy of ‘a centre-right government’. That the incumbent gov’t came in after a right-of-centre coalition had won the 2023 parliamentary elections is, of course, irrelevant when it comes to ideological biases here.
A surprisingly useful and relatively objective report on this can also be found in the German SWR, dated 20 Nov. 2023, which—for reasons that are inexplicable in terms of content and factual relevance but can be similarly explained by ideological/faith-based biases—concludes primarily with references to (left-wing) critics of decision.
Both of the above references link to German-language content, and it would be helpful for an English-language outlet such as this one to also include English content. Hence, if you would like to read an impressively meaningless blog entry (commentary) on this, I ‘recommend’ Neil Selwyn's piece from 22 May 2023, which appeared close to the Swedish decision, consists mainly of tendentious statements , and is characterised primarily by the absence of ‘data’ or ‘evidence’
Why bother, eh? Here’s some choice excerpts (emphases and clarifications mine):
Now is the time for the state to swing into action and support a collective effort to work out how to get digital technology into Swedish schools in ways that are inclusive, equitable and empowering for all [apart from typical woke mumbo-jumbo, what’s certainly needed is ‘for the state to…support a collective effort’, which is woke-speak for ‘more collectivism’ is the solution]
Rather than turning to a narrow set of ‘scientific’ voices, the emphasis should be on allowing Swedish teachers and students to share best practices—outlining what forms of digital education work for them, and what might be useful for others in similar circumstances [here’s what these collectivists mean when they invoke ‘practice’, courtesy of marxists.org/glossary: ‘The crucial point is that for Marxists, practice is inclusive of its mental, theoretical or ideological aspects.’]
Rather than getting distracted by moral panics over ‘screen-time’, this [ideological] approach requires politicians to engage in more complicated conversations around the quality of what is being done on these screens. Rather than knee-jerk decisions to ‘ban’ devices, this approach involves a prolonged commitment to supporting students and teachers make informed choices over when it might be appropriate to be using technology, and when it might not. [which is exactly what the Swedish gov’t has decided, by the way…]
By the way: the decision to do this was made in the spring 2023 and was also mentioned across other Nordic media outlets, but don't ask me why it took from mid-May to mid-September for German-speaking journalists to struggle with more or less qualitatively modest articles on this. Here in Norway, by the way, it is a centre-left government that vowed to reduce digitisation in education, which is probably quite difficult for Neil Selwyn and his ilk to accept.
Norway to Reduces Screen Time in Schools
Scandinavia works something like this: Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Iceland all eye each other; when one country or government ‘rushes forward’ with something, all other countries observe it first. If it turns out to be a ‘good thing’, the other countries typically take similar approaches while trying to proactively address any ‘problems’ that may have arisen in the front-runner. The ‘three crowns’ (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) did this with their Covid management, and now we are observing the same dynamics regarding ‘digitalisation’ in schools.
Here is some pertinent information about Norway, which is based on a corresponding article that appeared on state broadcaster NRK’s website on 15 Dec 2023 . The report mentioned therein is the first instalment of the ‘Screen Time Commission’ (orig. Skjermbrukutvalget) appointed by the government in spring 2023 (i.e., around the time the new Swedish gov’t announced the above initiative), whose mandate has clear goals (my translation and emphases here and below):
There is a need for more knowledge about how screen use impacts the parenting of children and adolescents. What is required is, among other things, knowledge about the consequences of screen use for children and young people's relationships with parents and friends as well as on their leisure time, education and social participation…
The debate about a possible connection between increased screen consumption, mental health, various health problems, etc. has increased in scope and intensity in 2023. Public debate has highlighted the learning challenges associated with screen use, particularly in relation to students' ability to read deeply and prepare them for higher education. Awareness of the links between time spent on social media and mental health has also increased. The question was raised as to whether it is the time spent itself that has a negative impact , or whether it is about how young people use digital channels and social media and how old children and young people are. This makes it difficult for parents, teachers and health professionals to give advice and judge decisions when it comes to children's screen use.
By comparison, the Austrian federal government’s ‘digital strategy’ reads like a kind of love letter to the goose that lays golden eggs (Big Tech). In addition, Austria’s ‘master plan’ should have been implemented by now (‘Work on the plan began in the summer of 2018, the plan itself should be in place by the end of the third quarter of 2018. The plan and the projects it contains should be implemented by 2023.’), although its non-implementation—in this case fortunately—is due to the almost typical Austrian sloppiness.
At this point, I would like to refer you to a local report from autumn 2020 in Sweden, which deals with ‘distance learning’ in times of the WHO-declared, so-called ‘Pandemic™’, which also serves as a further commentary on the elective affinities between the various Nordic countries.
State Broadcaster NRK: ‘Students should read more on paper’
‘Reading comprehension improves when we read on paper.’ This is one of the key conclusions of the Screen Time Commission report:
‘I think computers, screens and the Internet are the future. We spent a lot of time working on it. Of course the whole thing has its downsides, but it is also important that you learn how to deal with it correctly.’
Caroline Victoria Awa Knutsen also says that. She goes to 8t grade at Marienlyst School. All students there have their own PC. When NRK meets the class, the students are sitting behind their screens.
What is particularly striking is that ‘the use of screens has increased significantly’. As is the case in so many other classrooms in Norway, as the Screen Time Commission notes:
The report states that screen use in Norwegian schools has increased rapidly in a short period of time. ‘Digital devices are an integral part of teaching. And many students have access to their own PCs, for example.’
The report, however, deals with the ‘consequences of screens in schools’ and states the following:
Both print and digital technologies should have their place in schools
There is much to suggest that students should read more on paper
Both handwriting and typing on keyboards have their natural place in the classroom
Governments should evaluate national policies
Committee leader Robert Steen said: ‘The screen should not replace books, handwriting and physical exercise’, because in many ways ‘the screen is a distraction’.
‘Reading comprehension is better when we read coherent informational texts on paper than on a screen’, writes the commission.
‘And the advice we are already giving today is that we must continue to read on paper in Norwegian schools’, says the commission chairman.
‘When we read on a screen, we tend to read more superficially. There may also be more distractions’, the committee said.
However, this is not ‘just’ the opinion of adults, but is also supported by—admittedly not unbiased—voices from students:
Caroline agrees that the screen can cause her to lose concentration: ‘When I'm reading on a screen, it can be harder to follow the text’, she says.
Of course, there are also other voices, such as Caroline's classmates Ole Spildo Håstein and Philip Husebye Skramstad, who are of the opinion that it doesn't make much difference whether they read on a screen or on paper: ‘I think it's good to read on a screen read. For example, you can zoom in’, says Ole.
Digitalisation and ‘Equality of Opportunity’
Particularly with regard to the ‘equality of opportunity’ that is supposed to be achieved through ‘more digitalisation’, the Commission is extremely—and to be honest, surprisingly—clear:
According to the report, the choice between screen and paper is less important for students who can read well. Students with lower abilities may benefit more from reading on paper.
The committee also believes that both handwriting and typing on keyboards should have their place in school…
The committee points out that writing by hand can train students' concentration and cognitive development.
While the report makes a clear statement about ‘equality of opportunity’—in my opinion this is its most impressive statement—the reference to writing with your own hand and improving cognitive skills contains nothing new; Maria Montessori and Rudolf Steiner, among others, were aware of this more than 100 years ago, but apparently we all have to learn these things again…
Cell Phone-Free Schools Are Coming
The results of the PISA study were recently published. It turned out that Norwegian students performed worse. Education Minister Kari Nessa Nordtun (Labour) pointed to the use of screens in schools as part of the problem…[and] she said she wanted national guidelines on the use of mobile phones in schools.
The Commission also concluded that ‘the use of mobile phones in schools can be a tool for learning, but it can also be disruptive’ [no shit analysis].
This compares quite extremely to the bullcrap spouted by Mr. Selwyn:
Moreover—as seen in recent talk of mobile phone ‘bans’—there is notable enthusiasm amongst conservative-minded politicians to push for the removal of digital technologies from school. [too bad that Ms. Nordtun is a left-wing politician, eh?]
Now the Ministry of Education is set to draw up new national guidelines for the use of mobile phones, which will be welcomed by many teachers—and parents [yep]—among others. NRK quotes Mimi Dedichen, teacher at the Marienlyst School, as follows:
‘I don’t see any reason why they should be allowed to use their cell phones in class’, she says.
The school has what it calls a ‘cell phone hotel’ [orig. Mobilhotell, see below] but she still admits that cell phone use is sometimes a problem.
‘I believe that a national ban on cell phones would make the situation easier for both schools and teachers.’
Epilogue
At least something is happening ‘in the north’, and it would be nice if other countries would at least ‘leave out’ their alleged ‘catching-up period’ with respect to ‘excessive digitalisation’.
By the way, my children go to a primary school here in Norway that provides all students with their ‘own’ tablet from first grade onwards, and in principle there are no restrictions in terms of access to apps and/or the internet. This is undoubtedly due to the incredible ignorance of the local school authorities, to say nothing about the extremely exhausting discussions with my children about ‘screen time’. Just yesterday, my elder daughter (who is almost ten) complained that she’s ‘the ojnly one without a cell phone’. Sigh.
As regards ‘my’ students, they typically ‘hide’ behind their screens in the lecture halls and seminar rooms; I constantly encourage them to make their lives easier and take handwritten notes, but the majority persists in their ambition to forego literacy. Sigh.
The Screen Commission report mentioned above will be published later in 2024.
If you also have school-age children, I will end this article with a picture I took of a ‘cell phone hotel’ that is available in most, if not all, schools in this country—a ‘low-tech solution’ that is ‘analogue’, but that might be a good idea for your next school board meeting:
Stay tuned for more absurdities in part three, in which we’ll discuss the realisation, on part of Nordic governments, that digitalisation is a cul-de-sac.
Wow I’m a Swedish expat and this had gone me completely by - so yet again - thank you for your reporting! It’s hopeful.