What will teens do without technology?

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Cell phones are what many teens use to stay connected.  But over the next 24 hours students at Indianapolis Public Schools Gambold Prep Magnet High School will go technology-free.

That means no cell phones, iPads or iPods.

24-Hour News 8 Reporter Adrienne Broaddus will talk to the students about how they plan to use their time without the devices the use to communicate.

Watch WISH-TV starting at 5 p.m. for more on this story.

Could you go 24 hours without using a cell phone, a computer or your mp3 player? If you tried it, what do you think you would you miss the most?

Some local high school students are spending the next day without technology. It's all part of a unique English assignment at Gambold Prep Magnet High School to demonstrate how much they depend on technology. Among the 65 students taking part in the assignment, Hanna Roy was among the few excited students.

“I think it is fun and it gives us a new perspective on everything and we can learn in a new way,” Roy said.

Roy said she will miss her laptop and iPod the most. On average, she spends three to seven hours online and surfing Facebook. 

“I multitask,” the Gambold freshman said.

Each student will keep a journal of the 24 hours without access to their technology. What did they do with the time they would be using one of the many devices they use to communicate and entertain themselves. They will also document what they miss most about not having access to technology.

In the school's courtyard Wednesdays afternoon, the students wrote in their journals moments before unplugging about what they will miss the most. They also outlined their coping plan.

If she's up late, Roy says now she will write short stories.  Her friend, Michael Ivy, says he will resist the temptation to use his phone during the assignment.  

“I usually use my phone to play games and stuff when I am bored, especially on the bus ride,” he said, noting he uses his phone to listen to music. “I don’t like (the assignment) but I guess it is a learning experience.”