Have you heard of this initiative? I made it one of my "sites of the month" at edtechnot.com but the more I think about it the more I question the idea. Don't get me wrong. I get it. Having kids think about the impact that technolgy has on their lives and school experience is great. It's all in how you do it.
One thing that is definitely affecting my opinion is the fact that most of the schools in the Northeast are on Spring break during that week. This reduces the emotional impact of the day. Also, the lesson plan for grades 6 - 8 that was posted on the site lacked a little "Umph" for the typical middle schoolers I know. A lesson that I liked (and always had on hand for a non-technological substitute teacher) was technology in 1900 - http://pbskids.org/wayback/tech1900/snapshot.html I used this lesson to have the kids think about the predictions for the future that people made in 1900. I then asked them to think out 100 years and envision where we will be. Middle schoolers ate this up! Lastly, for my 7th grade son to truly feel the impact of a technology black-out day you would have to take away his iPod, iMac, Digital cable, wireless network access, and the cell phone his best friend carries. Ouch. Now THAT is a blackout!
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