Analog U

Digital Mindfulness in the Age of Technology

  • Levels: Middle school, high school, university
  • Language: English
  • Cost: Free of charge

As adults, we remember a time without the interrupting dings and buzzes of our cell phones. Still, it’s hard to ignore the impulse to check the message even when we know we shouldn’t – when we’re driving or when we’re eating dinner with our families, for example. It’s even harder to ignore the urge to pick up the cell phone when you’re a teen or young adult who can’t remember life without one.

Analog U helps young adults explore what it’s like to be human in a digital age. Analog U is unlike  other digital mindfulness apps. It is not a meditation or Internet blocking app. It does not advocate for digital detox or phone avoidance.

Rather, Analog U embraces mobile technologies to help users become more mindful of their digital interactions. For example, when the cell phone buzzes, Analog U gives teens and  young adults the tools to pause first and make a conscious choice to pick up  – or not.

Using a series of playful questions, this digital mindfulness app develops learners’ awareness of the most habitually employed mobile features, like push notifications. In doing so, Analog U promotes reflection and intentionality. It asks learners to consider their own social responsibility in both on- and offline communities.

This mindful approach is also beneficial for language learners, preparing them to pause, observe the target language culture, and consider their own subjectivity. All are key features to developing intercultural competence and communicative proficiency, the very type of language learning we work to support.

Calyx Contemplative Care collaborated with CASLS to design and develop Analog U.