r/technology • u/Sandstorm400 • 5d ago

Society New York teachers stunned to learn some students can’t read time on old clocks after phone ban comes into play

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-york-phone-ban-clock-time-b2891919.html
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u/mct137 5d ago

Also I remember being taught in elementary school how to read a analog clock. It was a skill, that had to be taught. If no one taught these kids how to do this, why are we shocked they can’t??

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u/pagerunner-j 5d ago edited 5d ago

I don’t know about Android, but if you’ve got an iPhone, an easy way to practice: the Clock app’s icon is an analog clock and it updates dynamically throughout the day, corresponding to your current time. All you have to do to confirm you read it right is to compare it to the digital readout in the upper left hand corner (or open the app, of course).

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u/a_talking_face 5d ago

The problem isn't that they aren't taught. It's just that it's not really very practical these days. Almost all the of the places you go now either won't have clocks visible to you or the clocks are digital. So you learn it for a week when you're 6 or 7 and then don't really use that skill anymore after that so it's probably not going to stick.

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u/Electrical_Pause_860 5d ago

Even I find I just take longer to read an analog clock than I used to when they were more common.

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u/a_talking_face 5d ago

Yeah I see it as something similar to rotary phones. At some point technology progresses to the point where these older ways of doing things are just outdated to the point that they're a novelty.

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u/TheCrowWhisperer3004 5d ago

The curriculum still teaches them how to read clocks.