WNY Family Magazine February 2020 | Page 19

The app uses a coaching model to help teach you better technology hab- its. You start by selecting your goal or goals. Some example options are “Get More Family Time,” “Sleep Better,” and “Stop Wasting Time.” From there, Mo- ment will monitor your usage and pro- vide tips to help you achieve your goals. Moment even offers a family option that allows you to track your family’s us- age across a variety of devices. Parents can use this to set screen time limits in addition to merely monitoring usage. Moment Coach is a paid feature in- side the app that takes things to the next level. The Coach add-in allows you to select courses that are designed to help you re-imagine your relationship with your phone. The classes are anywhere from three to fourteen days. I’d sug- gest starting with the Phone Bootcamp class. According to the website, Mo- ment Coach users “gain an hour back each day by following simple strategies” and those who completed the bootcamp saved an average of twelve and half hours during that time. In Conclusion It is a fact that our society’s reli- ance on digital devices is increasing. Adults are effortlessly and unintention- ally forming bad habits when it comes to how they use these devices. Awareness is the first step toward correcting the problem. Use the steps outlined in this column to lessen the grip that technol- ogy has on your time, your relationships, and your family. Mike Daugherty is a husband, father of three young children, author, speaker, Google Innovator, and possible Star- bucks addict. He is a certified educa- tional technology leader who has served in a variety of roles through his eigh- teen-year career in public education. Currently, Mike is the Director of Tech- nology for the Chagrin Falls Exempted Village School district in Northeast Ohio. As an IT director he has developed creative, well thought out solutions that positively impact teaching and learning. February 2020 WNY Family 19