Board replaces YouTube for students at Odense upper-secondary school

Andy Nielsen has quickly adapted to an analogue start at Mulernes Legatskole, an upper-secondary school in Odense, according to Danish broadcaster DR. He carries a marker and board to social studies, while his laptop usually stays in his bag.

The school has bought a pallet of notebooks and a small board for each new student as part of an effort to create more presence and calm in lessons by reducing screen use.

I actually like it a lot, Nielsen said. I have not written on paper since second grade, so it is completely new to me, but I learn much more this way.

He said he quickly learned to use paper and pencil again and that it helped him stay focused. On a computer, you can just watch YouTube or something else if you get bored, he said.

His classmate Naomi Jørgensen, who has also just started at the school, said students lock their phones away when they arrive and usually leave their computers in their bags. She said that gave her greater peace during lessons.

The board makes my brain more focused, and my attention is much more here in class, Jørgensen said. It is a little old-fashioned in a way, but I learn more when I see it in front of me like this.