Addicted to doomscrolling and online trivia? Prison-style education could be the answer

Let's face it, we would all be much more productive if we could just focus. My day probably looks similar to yours: I spend a lot of time on my laptop and phone. I'm online a lot, answering emails, writing documents, and trying to learn things that are relevant to my business and my life.

The digital world is simply vast. More information is available just a few clicks away than a single person could absorb in a lifetime. While this can be empowering and productive, it can also mean we are drowning in data.

Every day I get distracted, drawn into social media, an email, or a message from a friend. Digital distractions disrupt my day, every day, and I suspect you know exactly what I mean.

No internet in prison

But there are also days when I go to prison. Not as a convicted criminal, but because my company, Coracle, provides prisoners with laptops to use in their cells. We currently operate in 90 prisons in England and Wales.

In prison there is no internet, no broadband, and I have to leave my phone in the car before entering the prison gates. Once you enter a prison, you enter one of the few places in the UK almost completely untouched by the digital revolution.

Our laptops are completely offline. Users are provided with a Google Chromebook with pre-loaded content that prisoners can use to learn and study. From basic literacy classes to food hygiene and driving theory tests to Open University courses, our laptops allow prisoners to do something productive while stuck in their cells.

Prisoners love their laptops and we have heard many great success stories of inmates who are getting excited about education in a way they never were before. Many of our users have been excluded from school and have little academic experience or qualifications.

They work through videos, quizzes and content, complete assignments, and once their work is complete, they hand their laptop over to a member of my team who can download their assignments and forward them to the course provider.

It's a system designed to take advantage of the benefits of the digital world without actually going online. Of course, we designed it to fit within the legal constraints of a prison, but I'm increasingly wondering whether similar systems might be a good idea for many other groups.

Online damage

Recently, it has become clearer the damage the internet can cause. The internet is full of clutter that can distract the user and, worse, even harm them. There are online trolls and bullies, hackers and bots, websites dedicated to spreading misinformation and, of course, criminal material.

We are all concerned about the impact this is having on society as a whole, and in particular we are concerned about the impact the online world is having on our children. Some want their children to be offline as much as possible. But as tempting as it may be, we cannot go back. Our world is digital and so our education systems need to reflect this.

Schools

Schools are fighting back against the big tech companies. Some are banning cell phones in classrooms and hallways. Many parents want age restrictions on certain devices. While I am positive about these measures, I do not think they are an adequate response.

What we want is a learning system that gives the user access to a world of content and information, but does not bombard them with online distractions, harmful content and inappropriate messages.

Online experience

I envision an online experience for learners of all ages that is digital but not completely offline. There is a lot of content to access but focused on what you really need to learn. These computers don't all have to be connected, but it's easy for a teacher to sync them to online platforms when needed. It's a learning experience that is connected but not always “on.”

I admit there is a certain irony in that a learning platform created for prisoners is a safe option for society at large. But sometimes innovation for marginalized groups can also be wonderful for a much wider audience. If you don't like my idea, I can understand that. I just hope you made it to this part of the article without getting distracted.

James Tweed is the founder and CEO of digital learning company Coracle, which provides inmates in 90 prisons in England and Wales with access to education in their cells via laptops. It is one of the few companies to have been granted permission by the Ministry of Justice and HM Prisons and Probation Service to provide prisoners with laptops for education.