The internet provides us with a wealth of information. But what if we could not use it, if we did not have our mobile phones?
Several activities included the (offline) acquisition of information and knowledge. This included for example the visit to various museums such as the Van Gogh Museum or the Anne Frank House; the walking tour of the Jordaan neighbourhood and the canal boat tour and (last but surely not least) a visit to the central branch of the Amsterdam library.
Reflecting especially on the museum visits, students observed that on their phones and on the internet, they usually do not have the patience to spend more than a few moments looking at information. Spending two hours (like they did for example in the Van Gogh museum) on just one topic – and not feeling bored, actually being entertained – usually does not happen on the internet. Instead, their first (and last) stop on the internet is the respective Wikipedia article, of which they read the introduction (but not the entirety). Even though the internet provides colourful, interactive presentations of topics, the variety of a museum visit, the movement within the space and the interaction with peers during the visit help with keeping the attention for a much longer time and thus discovering a lot more. => Internet off, information on