Digital Distraction

By Lisa Lariviere

Were busier than ever before, but were not more productive!

In todays fast-paced environment its e-asy to get distracted by our seemingly living, breathing mobile
devices. We care for them like a child. Are you thirsty? Heres some juice. Need a rest? Ok Ill
turn you off for a while. ... Too hot? Stay in the shade where you wont overheat.
Its incredible how attached weve become to these little 5 oz packages of power.

However, while attending college, distractions can not only impact our productivity, but affect the progress
we make in our chosen fields as well.

Fortunately, the one thing that may be our greatest downfall, can also be our greatest asset.

One of the funniest time-
savers I found is an app
called
Procrastinate - to do app for
lazy people
. It utilizes task-lists and
reminders to let you know
that youve got something
to do at a certain time.
Those who have a lot on
their plate may find value in
the flexible notification
style, 4-star rating, and free
price.
Angels of the Internet
The focus of this presentation will be
on the student-friendly app called
Pocket Points
This 4.3-star, free app rewards
students points for unplugging while
at school. Earned points are then
redeemable at various eateries and
businesses.
Another time-saver that
may be of use is the
Genius Scan app. Instead
of spending time standing
at a copier or scanner,
students can take pictures
of documents and/or
journals and send them
straight to a pdf file. With a
5-star rating this Free app
keeps everything moving
on a college student
budget!
 GIVE ME LIBERTY (AND GIVE ME POINTS!)
Pocket Points is designed to help stay students focus in school by staying off their phones. The GPS of a mobile device is
activated and the student locks the screen. The longer it stays locked the more points a he or she earns. For each minute
the phone stays locked at the schools location, the student earns one point. Points can then be spent at thousands of
merchants for everything from Wendys and Starbucks to professional sports events and clothing!
 SMART IDEA FOR SMART PEOPLE

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln conducted

a study
and found that college students spend 20
percent of class time using digital devices for
unrelated activities. Therefore college has
been the intended user of the app. However
in recent years, Pocket Points has added
several high schools, encouraging students to
set healthy study habits at an earlier age.

Phone-with-schoolbook by Intel Free Press licensed under CC 2.0

 Throwing the book at Time-Killers

Researching case law, studying for tests, and staying up to date with relevant
information, especially during first-year law school, is a necessity and maximizing
time is a critical part of the equation. Law students spend on average 14 hours in
class each week, prep for class another 14 hours, and spend a whopping 12 hours
outlining and studying - thats 40 hours per week! If 20% of that is lost due to
online distractions, 8 hours of precious free time can vanish. By using an app
such as Pocket Points, a law student can not only keep their mind free from online
interruptions but also rack up A LOT of points to be used toward things to make
their personal time more fulfilling.
 There really isnt a reason not to use Pocket Points!
Using the Pocket Points app couldnt be easier. (I was even able to use my Facebook account to login.)
Because the app uses GPS to ensure youre at school while its in use, you have to authorize access to
your location. Once thats complete you choose your school, and setup is done! When youre ready to
use the app, open it up, let it detect your location, then lock your screen. When youve reached the point
level you like, you redeem your points and enjoy your free reward.
 Its Free!
Thats right! Theres no fee to the user. Pocket Points makes its money from the
rewards partners who, in turn, are provided access to a younger demographic
theyre interested in marketing to.

FREE USE!
FREE STUFF!
FREE TIME!
 Written in the stars (4.3 stars that is!)

Depending on where you look, the ratings for the Pocket Points app can vary from
3.1 stars to 4.3 stars. It seems the biggest complaint has been the stability of the
app. However, as its been a popular app since 2014, there doesnt appear to be
any major hindrances and most reviews seem to be supportive. The app has also
been reviewed by some of the biggest names in the news industry,
Business Insider, TechCrunch, Forbes, Time, and Yahoo!
 Great tool and a great fit!
As an online student and someone who doesnt get to the campus very often, Ive
yet to notice any improvements that need to be made to Pocket Points. However,
beginning in August 2018 Ill be better equipped to comment on the subject.

At the current time it seems like a no-brainer. Get rewarded for doing something
youre going to be doing anyway? Im in!
 Media References

Begley, S. (2015, January 30). Pocket Points. Time Magazine. Retrieved February 18, 2017, from
http://time.com/3690054/pocket-points/

Bort, J. (2016, March 16). Pocket Point Pays to Not use phone. Business Insider / Tech Insider. Retrieved February 18, 2017, from
http://www.businessinsider.com/pocket-point-pays-to-not-use-phone-2016-4

Gardner, M., & Richardson, R. (2017). Pocket Points. Retrieved February 18, 2017, from
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/pocket-points/id908136685?mt=8

Joselaw, M., J. (2015, June 25). Digital Distraction: How Phones Are Taking Over The Classroom. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from
http://www.forbes.com/sites/maxinejoselow/2015/06/25/digital-distraction-how-phones-are-taking-over-the-classroom/#5554d7c2ce1a

Pelaez, E. (2017, February 02). Procrastinate To-do App For Lazy People. Retrieved February 18, 2017, from
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/procrastinate-to-do-app-for/id1170767291?mt=8

Reed, L. (2016, January 15). Study: Digital Distraction in Class is on the Rise [Editorial]. Office of University Communications.
Retrieved February 18, 2017, from
http://newsroom.unl.edu/releases/2016/01/15/Study%3A+Digital+distraction+in+class+is+on+the+rise
 Media References Continued
Tepper, F. (2015, September 10). Pocket Points Rewards Students for Staying Off Their Phones. Tech Insider. Retrieved February 18,
2017, from https://techcrunch.com/2015/09/10/pocket-points-rewards-students-for-staying-off-their-phones/

The Grizzly Labs. (2017). Genius Scan. Retrieved February 18, 2017, from
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/genius-scan-pdf-scanner/id377672876?mt=8

Unknown. (2015, February 4). Pocket Points App Pays College Students to Pay Attention in Class. Yahoo Tech. Retrieved February
18, 2017, from https://www.yahoo.com/tech/pocket-points-app-pays-college-students-to-pay-110071956779.html

Phone-with-schoolbook by Intel Free Press licensed under CC 2.0

All other media in this presentation was created by the author.