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Everyone

The digital clock shows the time using the the whole screen width.

- You can adjust the colors.
- Showing the seconds is optional.
- Every screen orientation is handled.
- AM/PM-mode is read from the system settings.
- The clock can move around the screen to prevent burn-in.

Thanks to Margaritov for his colorpicker and Torinak for his 7segment font.

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What's New

Hide alarm symbol if alarm is switched off.

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The digital clock shows the time using the the whole screen width. - You can adjust the colors. - Showing the seconds is optional. - Every screen orientation is handled. - AM/PM-mode is read from the system settings. - The clock can move around the screen to prevent burn-in.

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C- December 12, 2108. It has not been updated
R-It agrees with my statement
A-Posted by American Time
A-No
P-To Persuade

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Anyone paying attention to changes in schools over the years will notice how evolving technology has altered the ways students learn. For example, iPads have replaced textbooks, digital whiteboards have replaced chalkboards, even the classroom itself has been replaced to a degree, with students able to take classes remotely over the internet. The question begs to be asked. Are analog clocks the next to go?

A Vanishing Skill?

Across the Atlantic, some British schools have taken note of that development, replacing analog clocks with the digital variety, according to the Washington Post, which notes that the same time-telling handicap applies to many American students, too. That's what an Oklahoma City survey concluded, finding that just one in five students ages 6-12 could read an analog clock.

An Unnecessary Stressor?

A Foundational Skill?

Those who want to hold on to the analog tradition say that learning to read the format is part of a basic level of education. In support of that argument, the Common Core curriculum that guides what is taught in American schools still includes analog time-telling as a standard lesson.

Use it or Lose it?

The argument for learning to read analog clocks might also be compared to the value of knowing long division or memorizing phone numbers. After all, the old saying persists today: "Use it or lose it."

Physical exercise could be seen as another valid analogy. Daily life doesn't require that we expend as much physical energy as it used to, but no one's arguing against the value of a good sweat once in a while. Perhaps, then, we need to intentionally engage in certain mental exercises - making computations that we don't actually need to do - for overall cognitive health.

Of course, at American Time, we value the skill of reading analog clocks and believe it will continue to be a necessary and important skill to know in the future. However, we do understand that digital clocks are simply better suited for some purposes. We're interested to see which direction this argument leads us here in the U.S.

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Is Teaching Students to Read Analog Clocks Still Relevant in Schools?

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Anyone paying attention to changes in schools over the years will notice how evolving technology has altered the ways students learn. For example, iPads have replaced textbooks, digital whiteboards have replaced chalkboards, even the classroom itself has been replaced to a degree, with students able to take classes remotely over the internet.

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C-Apr 25, 2018
R-It agrees with my statement
A-Posted by Bradley Jolly
A-No
P-To Teach

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Digital clocks will be used in GCSE and A-Level exam halls this year because headteachers say children cannot tell the time on analogue ones any more.
Teenagers have apparently complained they are unable to read traditional clocks and said this has led to extra stress as they prepare for exams.

So digital devices, used widely on computers and tablets, will be installed in exam halls next month.

'The current generation aren't as good at reading the traditional clock face as older generations,' said Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).

He told Daily Telegraph: 'They are used to seeing a digital representation of time on their phone, on their computer. Nearly everything they've got is digital so youngsters are just exposed to time being given digitally everywhere.'

Many people on Twitter have expressed their surprise at the move.

'If they can't read an analogue clock, then they shouldn't be entered for exams,' argued one Twitter user.

Another wrote: 'Keep traditional clocks so they learn then. Stop making life easy for them because they come out of school into the big working world too naive these days.'

The first GCSE exam is scheduled for Monday May 7.

Recently, a boy took a record player into a physics exam - but he didn't break any rules.

MORE: How to talk to your children about drugs and alcohol

MORE: 'Ice hair boy' thrown out of school because of media attention

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Teachers say children can't tell time on analogue clocks any more

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Digital clocks will be used in GCSE and A-Level exam halls this year because headteachers say children cannot tell the time on analogue ones any more. Teenagers have apparently complained they are unable to read traditional clocks and said this has led to extra stress as they prepare for exams. So digital devices, used widely on computers and tablets, will be installed in exam halls next month.

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Can your kids read an analog clock? You know, the round ones with hands. Like the Rocket Clock in Play School (as opposed to the digital watches that were soooo cool in Back to the Future).

Learning to tell the time on an analog clock is HARD and, pardon the pun, it is a skill that takes time to master.

Some people think that kids are increasingly unable to read analog clocks. I haven't been able to find hard evidence to support this claim but, from anecdotal evidence, it is certainly true that some kids are reach their teenage years without developing this skill, despite digital and analog time telling featuring equally on our school curriculums.

It is unsurprising - digital clocks are far more common, especially for "i-Gen" kids brought up with screens. Yet there are still enough analog clocks around - in people's homes, on town halls and on people's wrists - to make it an important skill to learn.

So how does a kid learn to read a clock with hands?

Sonja Walker is a teacher with 30 years' experience. She points out that the most important thing is to have regular exposure. "I suggest having analog clocks around your house, and buying your primary schooler an analog watch," she says.

She also suggests consciously using the lingo associated with time. "Use a timer when you are encouraging your kids to take turns, or say things like: 'We need to pick up Sarah from soccer at 5pm so let's look at the clock to see what time it is now.'"

Play School has the right idea by starting with hour and half-hour times, something that is echoed in the early years of our school curriculums. "After that, you need to know patterns of five," says Walker.

This is where analog clocks get super confusing. Roger Shackleton, who realised just how confusing when he tried to teach his daughter, sums it up beautifully: "When the minute hand points to one, we need to say five; when it points to five we need to say 25; when it points to seven we also need to say 25; when it points to 10 we do actually say 10."

Shackleton realised that there must be an easier way. He hand-crafted a clock that contained more information than regular analog clocks. "It was made of cardboard and had Mickey Mouse hands," he says.

He added numbers to correspond to the minutes and lengthened the minute hand so that it pointed right to the numbers. He then added the words PAST to one half, TO to the other, and a bit of colour coding for good measure.

"Now all the information needed was on the clock," he concludes.

From there, it becomes a simple three step process to tell the time. "All a child has to do is read the number the long hand is pointing to, say whether it is on the 'past' or 'to' side of the clock, then read the number that the short hand is pointing to," Shackleton says.

The idea was so successful that, after his daughters had totally mastered telling the time, Shackleton created a commercial version of his cardboard clock. I used one with my kids so totally agree with Shackleton when he says: "Telling the time had gone from being inexplicable, to three simple steps that can be learned in just a few minutes."

Of course, there is a bit more to it than that. There is learning the concepts of quarter past, quarter to, and knowing that half past four is the same things as four 30. Then there is working out how much time is left before something happens by subtracting using 60 as the base number rather than 100. And, for extra degrees of difficulty, there are roman numerals and the 24-hour clock to master.

But, once the fundamentals are in place, these more complex elements are easier.

Like all skills, learning to read a clock will come more naturally to some kids than others. Walker, who now runs a multidisciplinary service for kids facing challenges with their learning, says: "For some kids, the whole concept of time is hard, it is abstract and some kids will likely always have gaps in their skills."

Like all skills, reading an analog clock will be developed more quickly and fully when they are learned both at school and at home.

If you need some add some humour into the equation, hit YouTube for these hilarious takes on the topic.

An analog clock-reading Vox Pop by Jimmy Kimmel:

An oldie-but-a-goodie - veteran comic Dave Allen routine on the challenges of teaching your child how to tell the time:

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Do kids really need to know how to read an analog clock?

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Can your kids read an analog clock? You know, the round ones with hands. Like the Rocket Clock in Play School (as opposed to the digital watches that were soooo cool in Back to the Future). Learning to tell the time on an analog clock is HARD and, pardon the pun, it is a skill that takes time to master.

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Since students are struggling to tell time, rather than teaching it, schools are replacing analog clocks with digital ones.

Schools are starting to replace the good old fashioned analog clocks with regular clocks because young people can't tell time. Yes, children these days can't read a clock, so rather than teaching, we're enabling. Prepare to sit down to read this story.

This is happening in the U.K. Schools with younger students are discovering that the pupils are having a hard time reading regular clocks. You know, the big hand points to the 3, the little hand points to the 10. What time is it? We can blame a lot of things here, but truly it comes down to modern technology if you think about it. Who wears watches anymore? I mean a lot of us do, myself included, but for the most part, people look at the time on their iPhones or computer screens. You know what else? A lot of people in the world wear a watch as a fashion accessory. I can take a walk through our building here and point out at least 3 people who are wearing watches with dead batteries - they don't even function! Anyway, I digress.

So simply because of the reason of technology, rather than holding a class on how to tell time, the schools are hanging digital clocks on the wall. "Having a traditional clock in the room could be a cause of unnecessary stress," an administrator says. Opinion, but if telling time causes student anxiety, how are these kids going to function in the world? When you apply for a job, "telling time" shouldn't have to be listed in the "job requirements" section. When could you tell time? I remember, I must have been 3 or 4 when I learned and was good at it, but I remember kids in my first grade class struggling to learn from one of those brightly-colored toy clocks the teacher would use to demonstrate with. Nevermind adding roman numerals to the equation.. See the original story here. #SaveAnalogClocks

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Students Can't Tell Time, Get Digital Clocks In Class - Mix 96

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Since students are struggling to tell time, rather than teaching it, schools are replacing analog clocks with digital ones. Schools are starting to replace the good old fashioned analog clocks with regular clocks because young people can't tell time. Yes, children these days can't read a clock, so rather than teaching, we're enabling.

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The clocks aren't broken, the kids just can't read them, and that's just not right, not even twice a day.

Apparently, younger generations in Britain have been spending so much time on their digital devices that they can no longer tell time on analog clocks, reports Inspire To Change. So, rather than educate kids to properly read an analog clock, schools have elected to remove the clocks entirely from exam halls.

"In the UK, many educators are phasing out analog clocks in favor of digital ones," reports the outlet. "Students taking the GCSE and A-level exams were complaining that they couldn't read the time. In order to make everything 'as easy and straightforward as possible,' they are making the switch to digital time reading."

Not only that, the clock removals are happening in northwest London at schools like Ruislip High School, a city known for its gargantuan clock. Stephanie Keenan, Head of English at the high school, said teachers are "removing analog clocks from examination halls because teenagers are unable to tell the time."

Since students are under strict time limits during aptitude examinations, analog clocks will be swapped in favor of digital ones. Often the students will interrupt the test to ask the proctor how much time is left. The digital clocks will not only allow the students to keep track, they will lead to less interruptions.

Malcolm Trobe, deputy general secretary at the Association of School and College Leaders, simply said that the new generation cannot read a traditional clock due to the presence of digital technology. "The current generation isn't as good at reading the traditional clock face as older generations," he told The Telegraph in 2018. "They are used to seeing a digital representation of time on their phone, on their computer. Nearly everything they've got is digital so youngsters are just exposed to time being given digitally everywhere."

Trobe added that teachers want the kids to feel as relaxed as possible during their exams without interruption.

"You don't want them to put their hand up to ask how much time is left," he said. "Schools will inevitably be doing their best to make young children feel as relaxed as they can be. There is actually a big advantage in using digital clocks in exam rooms because it is much less easy to mistake a time on a digital clock when you are working against time."

To put it more bluntly, that means students taking tests to measure their intelligence cannot so much as perform the basic task of reading a piece of technology that has existed for several centuries ... And. The. Schools. Are. Enabling. This.

Sally Payne, a pediatric doctor, told The Telegraph that excessive use of digital technology is making it difficult for students to so much as hold a pencil.

"To be able to grip a pencil and move it, you need strong control of the fine muscles in your fingers. Children need lots of opportunity to develop those skills," she said. "It's easier to give a child an iPad than encouraging them to do muscle-building play such as building blocks, cutting and sticking, or pulling toys and ropes. Because of this, they're not developing the underlying foundation skills they need to grip and hold a pencil."

This tyke-tock illiteracy extends beyond the shores of Britain and into the United States where teachers have also suggested that analog clocks be swapped for digital ones. School curriculums, however, have not dropped the ball.

"In 2014, an Arizona teacher suggested that it may be time to retire the analog clock," said the Inspire To Change report. "However, currently United States schools are still keeping analog clocks. Learning to read the hands of a clock is part of the core curriculum in many schools."

Carol Burris, executive director of the advocacy Network for Public Education, told USA Today that children benefit tremendously by learning analog time due to the mathematics involved. "The skills that you need to read an analog clock are skills that kids when they're young begin to learn," she told the outlet. "There's a lot of very complex mathematical manipulations that are involved in being able to tell time with an analog clock. It takes some of the math skills students are learning and gives them an important real world context."

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British Schools Removing Analog Clocks From Exam Halls Because Kids Can't Read Them

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The clocks aren't broken, the kids just can't read them, and that's just not right, not even twice a day. Apparently, younger generations in Britain have been spending so much time on their digital devices that they can no longer tell time on analog clocks, reports Inspire To Change.

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Schools in UK ditching the analog clock.

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Children of the digital age struggling to read analog clocks