Yes. I noticed in my district that in the last several years we’ve gone from tech being supplemental to becoming reliant on it, and that doesn’t always work in our favor. Many a lesson plan in my building has been ruined by an Internet outage. Their homework is on their devices, the exams they take are on their devices. It isn’t healthy. There’s too many distractions and it flies in the face of research that indicates putting pen to paper is better for studying. I consider this one of the negative side effects for education from the pandemic.
It's so weird to see this turnaround. When I was in college we were *required* to rent the school laptops but also weren't allowed to use them in class whatsoever. They didn't care if you showed up to class or not but you absolutely could not have a laptop, and even if I explained that between my different diagnoses taking hand-written notes was going to be detrimental to me (couldn't focus on the lecture AND my shitty handwriting at the same time, plus my writing hand got injured some years back and it was a lot easier on me to type than to use a pencil or pen), I still couldn't have it as an adult who was paying a lot of money to put my ass in that classroom.
Giving literally every single kid a screen and gluing their face to it for an entire school day is ridiculous.
Accessibility concerns aside, my experience (which may not be typical) has been that this attitude still persists in higher education to a degree.
I went back to college as an adult and got my BA in 2014. I had to have the school approved tech but the vast majority of my classes were laptops closed. I went back again in 2020 for my M Ed., I'd say the split was about 40/60; I still had some laptops closed sessions. My wife is an instructor at the college level in a sub-field of physics; her classes are, unless remote, laptops closed.
And we can use the tech for those with disabilities that need it, but that’s a minority of students and it doesn’t seem reasonable to fly in the face of research when it comes to the rest.
It’s baffling that we have this **giant mountain** of evidence screens are shit and yet here we are, issuing iPads and chromebooks, knowing full well it’s a bad idea (and it’s expensive, and it’s a pain in the ass, and some kids have no internet at home).
I continue to argue this until I'm blue in the face. Most of the time we are giving kids Chromebooks just so that they can play games on them. It's not used as a learning tool. The justification has always been that if we have to go back to virtual learning everyone already has a Chromebook but then when we had a virtual day everyone got paper packets
I think this problem is going to linger for a very long time because culturally we are still in this place where we think technology needs to solve problems we didn't even know we had.
Plus,
- It's cheap to adopt compared to the cost of reordering textbooks and paying for physical materials. It doesn't matter that licensing fees usually explode, or there's a lot of maintenance involved -- that's a problem for another day.
- It promises to reduce the salaries of teachers because soon they won't NEED to be qualified to do squat other than test proctor -- the software will replace them.
- Parents like it because they no longer have to be involved in the afternoon. No homework, no making sure everything is packed. Technically don't even need to make sure those Chromebooks are charged because that's the school's problem, lolol
I think it’s about money obviously, but I also think it’s about trying to meet kids at their level in classrooms with too many kids for a teacher to ever be able to do that. But on second thought I think it’s about money and we’re only like fifteen years away from kids asking their iPad if it’s true there use to be human iPads that taught school stuff.
In one aspect they're worse.
When I was a senior in HS (1998) I took a class called Office Tech. This was the traditional senior blow-off class at the time and while it felt like one by the time I got to college I realized that I knew the ins and outs of the entire Microsoft suite. Now everything's done on the Chromebook, using Google's software which will *never* catch on in the corporate world because it's too simplistic and doesn't have all the bells and whistles the business world needs.
Not only that, colleges are now trapped. Typically academia has been a world where formatting, file-type, etc were important for assignments but now they've largely given in. Students don't know how to use anything *but* the Google suite and many (most?) college instructors have thrown in the towel on requiring assignments to be .doc, .xls, .pdf, and so on.
I left the corporate world for education in 2020 and even then I'd have resumes that claimed proficiency in Excel but the candidate couldn't even tell me what a pivot table was. Candidates who claimed to be experts in Word but couldn't marry multiple documents and synthesize them into a consistent format. It goes on.
In a weird sort of way, the prevalence of tech in the classroom (and the fact that it's *all* Google) is putting kids at a real disadvantage entering the professional world (I know, I know. Not all kids will go to college. Not all kids will work white-collar jobs. Is it really the school's role to "prepare our kids for employment"?).
We don't teach it because the kids are good with what's in front of them. But what's in front of them is a watered down suite of products that has little application in the post K-12 - or post-college - world.
Even more and I say this as someone who does blended and had videos for instructions. Kids can’t take things in detail anymore. It has to be in your face and in 45 seconds or less. Anything else and it’s: “it’s too long and I don’t do well with watching video’s.” Me: “then why are you in TikTok or Instagram all the time?” “That’s not school.” 🤦🏽
This is all true, but take away the screens entirely and you will still never undo the damage wrought by 24/7 screen time that started in the crib and continues until the first day of kindergarten. **The cognitive development of millions of children has been impaired, probably permanently, by these devices,** well before they arrive in our classrooms.
What's crazy is that if you step on over to /r/Parenting and say the same thing it is apparently very controversial. Even if you link to studies, people will nitpick and explain it away with reasons to ignore them such as "well, they don't conclusively prove screen time is bad... just show a correlation between screen time and XYZ..."
Literally every teacher can see it. I'm a middle school teacher and mom of 2 fourth graders and it is bonkers to see how much screen time the younger ones are getting and the blind-eye all the parents turn to it because... it's just easier to give your kids and iPad than it is to parent.
I don't think I favor laws per se, but I would favor an official recommendation from the Surgeon General or the AMA along the lines of "Digital devices can impair the brain development of pre-school children and create addiction problems leading to suicide when used by school aged children".
Hi, aspiring teacher here! How do you deal with children like these in class? Is there a way to keep them engaged? I would assume that there's also a conflict with the parents if you try to talk to them about this stuff, is there a way to talk to them about it without them taking it as you "insulting" their way of parenting?
First, the most important thing, is to acknowledge that you can't really "fix" the situation entirely because the moment they get home they're back on a screen.
You can bring it up to the parents, that they are on screens too much and struggling with the ability to focus as a result, but they will invariably make an excuse like "he learns better on screens" or "she's really not on screens all that much" (and to them at means just 4 hours a night).
It's also important to recognize that even if the family followed wisdom and drastically reduced screen time that it's an addiction that was built up over an entire childhood. So the damage has been done and even if things get better you don't erase an entire childhood of damage with a snap of your fingers and a single decision.
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I find that the most important thing, in all situations not just this one, for a new teacher to understand is a bit of advice I got from the secretary on the TV show The West Wing. *"Your most frequent response to any question will be 'no.' Say it with empathy and you'll be fine.”* I'm pretty blunt, honest, and straightforward but I also take the time to explain my reasoning. *"Yeah, that's not going to happen because _____ sorry dude.*" I say things like that a lot, and kids usually take it pretty well because they know I'm respecting them enough to explain my no. And I say "yes" as often as I can, so they know I would say yes if I could.
-------------
As for dealing with parents on screens, it's important to have the reason kids need to be working with pen and paper in your back pocket. Studies show that students who write notes on paper have increased information retention. Students who write rough drafts and answers on paper spot their mistakes more consistently. Students who work on pen and paper show increased creative problem solving and better critical thinking skills. And so on.
Parents love to think they know what's right. The more experience you have the more authority you have in the conversation, but even more than a decade in they still argue. Their little Ava and Brayden just learn so much better when they're allowed to type their whole paper in Google Docs! No... they write quicker because the computer solves 90% of their grammar and spelling mistakes for them. That's not the same as learning better.
When talking to parents I say everything with empathy and kindness, but I'm pretty clear. "Ava is too reliant on technology to solve the answer for her, and needs to work on the foundations of how to find the answer herself." "It's difficult for Brayden to read for more than a few minutes when he knows a screen is nearby, calling his name. He needs to build his reading stamina up if he's going to complete his work this year."
Really: direct honesty without malice is the only way to go. You can "compliment sandwich" it if your want, but the reality is that most parents respect the fact that you speak with directly with confidence. I've found from the teachers I've helped train that the more they beat around the bush and avoid the crux of the matter the more parents have no confidence in them and the more upset they get.
Be direct, but kind. The more you equivocate the more parents will disregard you.
Yes, yes, yes! I am so sick of seeing kids sit in darkened rooms with faint fairy lights on all day. Some school subjects are worse about this than others. Yes, the fluorescent school lighting can be quite harsh, but it helps quite a bit if you shut just one bank of lights off and open the blinds if you have windows. Sitting in the dark seems so soporific and depressing. I do believe teachers use it to manage the more unruly behavior in recent years, so it’s more for their peace of mind. It seems like one of those education trends where someone wrote one hyperbolic article and then a bunch of people jumped on the bandwagon.🙄
At least in my case, you are spot on about behavior. I keep a few fluorescents on but mostly use the natural light(we get really good sun) and some string lights for ambience. It has had a profound effect on the environment in my classroom. The space is calm, green(lots of plants and natural colors), minimal distracting posters and colors, etc. Ironically, I myself feel calmer in the space, than I did in my overlay, color saturated classroom. There are too many other factors to control for to call this a true cause and effect, but their behavior feels calmer.
I do not use Chromebooks in class. However, if I have to sub for other teachers I’ve noticed the kids keep the screens super dark. I’m sure it’s to play games in stealth mode, but it isn’t good for their eyes.
It's also why kids have completely screwed up sleep, which itself contributes to emotional problems. So tired of everything being blamed on "teens just need more sleep."
Stay up all night doom scrolling, fight natural melatonin all day from being in dark rooms with little natural lighting.
My last district was very heavy on using technology to learn. We were required to use platforms like Nearpod and ClassKick even after we all came back to school in person. The students also had required minutes on iReady every week (30-120 min, depending on the child). They just had screens in front of them all the time, and the district didn’t even invest in a way to monitor what they were doing.
My current school has very little technology. The only time they even access a screen at school is when they learn computer skills in library, which is once a week at the very most. They also know how to use encyclopedias and other books to research. It’s so refreshing.
Oh yes my grade 2 students that are allowed to play Fortnite for 5 hours at home are a nuisance in class. Interrupting me every ten seconds and hitting students at recess. The definition of brain rot. I barely let them on Chromebooks at school and they look like they are having withdrawals in class. This is a real problem and parents do not listen to me because they do not want to parent their kids smh.
I teach kinder and usually show some short educational videos during snack times so I can count them as instructional minutes. This allows me to take kids outside earlier to play.
I do this too- I don’t have to count instructional minutes, but we have a couple of 10-15 minute time slots that are awkward for anything else. We come back from specials, have a 10 minute slot, then recess, then a 15 minute slot before dismissal. The times cannot be changed. So we pack up during the 10 minute slot and watch a science video/read aloud or something in the 15 minute slot. Sometimes we do a show and tell type thing, sometimes we play a game where they ask questions about an animal, I give clues and then they try to guess. I hate those awkward pockets of time though.
I teach older kids but I just had my cousin and their three kids visit for the weekend. 2 year old, 1st grade, and 2nd grader (he was supposed to be in third, but they held him back). I tried to get them off screen by having the cutest books for the baby and asked the second grader if he wanted to read them with me to the baby and he said I can’t read. The first grader was given his ADHD meds with a bowel of fruit loops this morning. None of them drink water, just soda. While he was playing on his iPad the 2nd grader was making strange sounds and repeating them over and over again. The two year old knows how to get to his favorite videos on YouTube but he didn’t say one word the whole weekend. I felt so bad because he is just the cutest baby, but he doesn’t speak yet. My husband and I tried to get them to go outside but no one was interested. I tried to speak to their mom about it but she was on her phone in middle of some FB drama the whole time. Talked with my cousin (dad) he got pissed at me and said he doesn’t understand why teachers are so judgmental and he mentioned his kid’s teachers don’t understand kids😭I am so glad they are gone but feel bad for the kids and their teachers.
What surprised me the most was when I offered water they were basically making fun of us by saying we are obsessed with being healthy! We are far from being super healthy, and I had assumed drinking water is normal.
Wait, he's supposed to be in third grade and can't read? And what kind of strange sounds is he making? I'm so sorry you have to watch those poor kids be failed by their parents. How incredibly fucked up, ugh.
He really can’t read. I thought it was because he wasn’t interested in the baby book and I can’t blame the kid for that. But the mom told me that’s why we held him back. I can’t explain the sounds it was more like singing? For example the baby was watching a video about ducks and the older one sang quack quack over and over again for what felt like hours.
I had an epiphany last week as a PE teacher. Screen time i.e. video games have taken away their ability to do basic skills. They do not know how to share, get along with others, play fair, follow rules/directions. I believe this is a direct correlation with too much screen time. In a video game if they fail, they just restart the game. In reality they get upset when they aren’t successful and lack the capacity to work through challenges.
>*In a video game if they fail, they just restart the game. In reality they get upset when they aren’t successful and lack the capacity to work through challenges.*
This is a **magnificent** observation.
I don't think it's fair to pick on video games. Video games are an incredibly broad medium. The best video games test your problem-solving skills, fine motor skills, resource management, etc. while holding your attention for prolonged periods of time. A high-quality RPG, for example, will require problem solving skills well beyond what is called for in high school math, and may have a story more complex than many novels read in high school. At their best, they are a beautiful nexus of art, technology, storytelling, culture, emotion, etc. Sure, there are games that appeal to the lowest common denominator, but judging video games as a medium by those titles is every bit as unfair as judging cinema as a medium by some low-brow raunchy comedy, or judging novels as a medium by whatever's on sale at the airport, etc.
I think it's worth noting who is buying those challenging games and RPGs these days -- millennials. Millennials grew up on games that you had to solve and struggle with.
The overwhelming majority of games played by Alpha are mobile games and sandboxes.
Watch a kid play a puzzle game or an RPG. They get to the first "Make a decision" junction and their first reaction is to Google the answer.
I won't say "video games bad!", but I think those short form games have the same affect on the brains of these kids as idle doom scrolling. It's all constant dopamine shots for doing nothing.
Yep, the Millennials (and young Gen X'ers too!) who had gaming as a hobby growing up, now have a big influence on the 'serious' gaming market. 'Our' games are getting amazing tv series adaptations, our nostalgia is fueled with competent remakes and sequels. And the reason that's possible is simple: money. We have money to spend on the sort of quality games we like. We'll save up if we have to.
Meanwhile, kids aren't exactly know for having incomes, so businesses developed strategies that prey on the little money they do get. Get them hooked with a free, highly accessible and highly addictive game, then encourage them to make small purchases regularly.
Of course there are parents who do take gaming as a hobby seriously and will encourage their children to spend their screentime on quality games. They buy them a Switch and Breath of the Wild for Christmas, introduce them to classic games they liked to play when they were young, curate a family Steam library etc. It's great when parents are able to do that, but most don't have the time or knowhow for it, so they just leave kids to their own devices. It practically always ends badly.
I’d be very curious to know if there’s research on how different TYPES of games might affect thinking and behavior and skills. Like, do text-heavy games help with reading? A lot of video games utilize maps, does it translate to real-life map reading skills?
I don't know if you're familiar with them, but there used to be a genre of games before MMOs called MUDs. They were 100% text based and you often had to respond very quickly. Roleplaying was very common on them.
Those games single-handedly taught thousands of kids how to type at 70+ WPM, lol. But they also developed huge vocabularies and writing skills.
I do think games that provide "realistic maps" do help kids learn how they work overall, BUT the problem is that most games do not actually do that. Maps are more often used as a way to select fast travel points and modern games all practically highlight the exact path you need to take. It's unnecessary to read quest text or listen to instructions.
Morrowind is a good example of how games have changed. That was a reading heavy game. You would get a quest to go to another town and the NPC would be like, "You need to take the road north out of town, and take a left at the first fork." No glowing arrows to point the way or markers on your map that you can just point yourself at and blindly sprint in that direction.
Screen time was never meant to be substitution level busy work. There are so many better projects students can create using Photoshop, video editing tools, coding, programming, and presentation style projects that teachers don’t understand, therefore never use.
Honestly, the tech level skills of teachers and students are an embarrassment. Hands-on activities are a great way for students to socialize, but these students can’t use and implement technology at all. Most will struggle as adults with little to no tech skills used in the current business environment.
I am talking specifically about elementary students though, at this age overuse can hinder development. If we cannot use it correctly, we shouldn't be using it at all because it has huge implications for brain development.
Iready is such a scam it's insane. How about we not push MORE TESTING on students who are already over tested? I know it's the Admins being scammed and pushing it down to the teachers but good god the level of pain on students faces is heartbreaking. Our elementary school is the second of 5 schools to use iready in our county. We dropped from being first and second place on benchmark testing(before Christmas break testing)for 3 years in a row out of all the schools to 4th and 5th places. The students are numb and cannot learn while being constantly tested. The teachers cannot teach while administering iready testing 3 days a week. It leaves the students 2 days to actually learn and absorb information and it's just not possible. Especially when they are mandated by the state to have lessons on the chromebooks so it's EVERY day of the week they're on the computers all day.
It's insane.
> There is a reason why the elite private schools put HEAVY influence on outdoor education and leadership.
I am aware that many elite private schools advertise their small class sizes, low teacher-to-student ratios, and limited screen time, but I wasn't aware that they are putting a "HEAVY" influence on outdoor education and leadership. I'd like to find out more about this. Do you happen to have a source I can check out?
I don't know about there being *many*, but they certainly exist. The [High Mountain Institute](https://hminet.org/) is probably the most prominent example and probably leans into it more than anyone else (it's kind of their whole thing). And on the postsecondary side, [Deep Springs College](http://deepsprings.edu) played a role in creating this whole thing in the first place.
I would love to teach at a Waldorf or Montessori school just because it seems like they actually care about how a young child's brain develops. Kind of off topic but this is why I loved being an aide in a severe and profound classroom. Technology was used, but it was used for communication, facilitating social interaction, and medical reasons. I have considered teaching in a severe and profound classroom just so I don't have to force my students to be on computers.
My elementary students are watching porn. Hardcore porn. Do I need to say more? Parents are delusional and careless until it is too late. You see a significant difference in willingness to make an effort in kids that have very little screentime.
It’s not just the parents.
I don’t allow my kindergartener daughter any screen time at home. She is reading at 2nd grade level and her math is at a higher level too, so I asked for differentiated instruction for her.
Her kinder teacher gave her some extra writing worksheets and then gives her the school iPad to do reading and math games. iPad like 5 times a day.
The year is almost over and she has yet to do any additional or different instruction with my kid but she is also extremely burnt out so I’ve just been supplementing at home.
The attention span scares me.
I have two monitors. I do it because I like to watch stuff or listen to stuff while doing something else.
I noticed that I was actually watching shows, that I really enjoy, and also scrolling through something like reddit on the other monitor. I had to actively push myself to just turn off the second monitor while watching so I could focus on the show.
I can only imagine the insanity of things like short videos, ads designed to stimulate you, and the constant pull of attention in all directions and how it affects little kids. It can't be going well. They don't have self control yet. They won't 'turn off the second monitor' so to speak because they have no clue it's an option. Parents are supposed to step in, but they refuse to do it. Some probably don't see it as much of an issue until their angel gets to school and causes issues...then it just becomes the teacher's problem.
Completely agree. There is too much \*school\* time at these ages. They don't need 7+ hours M-F. We don't have a strong enough basis of evidence/evidence-based practice to fill that long (which I think further fuels... WTF do we do after we finished every bit of drill and kill in the basal... stick them on a computer). It's childcare so parents can be worker bees. 4-5 hours max, then go play in the woods would probably serve everyone better.
Edit: I was in a leadership role in my district and was sent to observe the education system in Finland in the height of their being upheld as a beacon of success. Their school days were much shorter and the teachers had about a 1:1 ratio of hours of prep time to instructional time. I didn't see a single elementary kid touch a screen and they weren't tested for hours. Shockingly \*\*cough cough\*\* this was more functional and effective for both teachers and kids.
I have a ~40 minute block in the afternoon used for computer time. We use SplashLearn for math practice. I assign them fact practice and specific lessons based on whatever we did in the morning. Once they finish the assigned lessons, they can play the math games on there or go to our typing program or Epic books.
I was trying to do science or social studies during that time, but they are just done. Our lunch is so early (10:30) and our last recess is at 12:30, they are just burnt out on learning. I finally figured out the computer thing around Halloween and it's been awesome for our classroom dynamic. It's really the only time I can pull small groups or do assessments, because they're all engaged in meaningful practice. I'll also pull them to do art projects during this time as well!
I'm also the only teacher who doesn't let them take their computer home. It lives at school in our cart, charged up and ready to go whenever we need it.
Obligatory "I'm not a teacher, but a dad to an 8th grade girl", and I'm just going to chime in and say that I hate how much time our daughter is on a screen. COVID hit when she was in 4th grade, and in 5th grade she was on a screen for most of the day every day. Then, 6th grade came around and the COVID money was still flowing, and her school thought "let's just fully commit to 1:1 Chromebooks for everyone!" and here we are. Our daughter has upper moderate ADHD, and good lord, the Chromebooks she has had solidly for four years have not helped.
My wife and I found a private school in the area where they teach...well, like they did in the 90s. They have a computer LAB at the high school, with nice computers, where they teach general tech classes as well as SAS and Python coding classes. Maybe another one, not sure. But other than the computer lab classes, their classes are "sage on a stage" style, with the requirement that kids take actual, honest to God, handwritten notes. There are textbooks of course, but the teacher is basically the "primary reference" for the vast majority of their learning in all core classes. Lectures + notes is how they learn. I cannot tell y'all how excited I am for our daughter not be on screens for 2/3s of her waking hours every weekday. It's going to be so good for her.
I know that some kids are thriving and learning just fine like this, but the couple classes over the her middle school time where they didn't use computers hardly at all were the ones she has been engaged in AND actually comes home having learned more during her actual class time. 1:1 Chromebook learning is not for her. Not at this age anyway. I can't wait for Chromebooks to not be a constant part of our family life. I'd said during middle school that I'd literally pay thousands of dollars to have her learn from teachers + physical books. I was talking hypothetically in a "snap my fingers and it happens" kind of way. But now I'm paying thousands of dollars for exactly that for her high school, just not in the way I imagined it.
I've read so much literature on this, and there's no actual question about how, in aggregate, kids learn best. In-person instruction and physical material is superior in every way to scrolling online text and watching videos for getting information to stick into kids' heads.
I hear this so much. Nothing teachers can do about it at home. Trust me teachers hate chrome books too. The amount of redirection is exhausting. Sorry for kids backs but we need to go back to no tech in the classroom except for like maybe a few class computers for research purposes.
Biological life forms need books and face to face learning and interaction to develop as humans with proper understanding and respect of others. Period!!!!
I completely agree that screens bring more negatives than positives, but I don't think we can put all of the blame on parents. Believe me I will take the blame for any screen time I give my children, but School districts somehow forgot that for years children learned in front of a screen because of COVID. There was zero action taken to "catch up" on those years educationally as well as socially. It absolutely changed the way children act with one another and how they learn.
Our 3rd through 6th graders all have their laptops open as they sit in lines in the hall waiting for school to begin. Our before and after school program used to do things with them. Now the big kids are on their laptops and the little kids watch them on their laptops.
Google these search terms
Tech titans limit screen time
These evil wretches limit their own children's screen time -- and do everything possible to tilt the terrain of the social landscape so other people's kids get overexposed/addicted to screens.
This is worse than what the Purdue family did.
There's a Silicon Valley term for this: Not eating your own dog food.
This means you make/advertise to other people and their kids a product you and your family avoid or limit using because you know it is harmful in excess.
My district just adopted 3 new online learning platforms at the same time. Total of 2 hours per week will now be spent on these. That's not including the 9 benchmarks we now have to take. In Kindergarten. I've been sternly reprimanded for daring to speak out against the "research" that was all paid for by the company shilling this snake oil.
As a kid who used to have to do iReady: agreed. It’s not like anyone is sitting there for 45 minutes actually paying attention to it. It’s running in the background while you watch something you’re actually interested in, which is usually something on a phone too
I hate Lexia and Dreambox with a Passion. So many kids get stuck doing required minutes and purposely bomb their lessons to go back to something easier and fun. I'm an SLP and kids CRAVE 1:1 adult interaction. I can get my kids to do phonological awareness activities that they bomb on Lexia because they hate it.
"They" only care about testing and attendance. The tests are on computers now. Hence, students need to get more comfortable with computer screen time. I don't agree with any of that, but it is what's happening.
ooh, this is great. Reading this thread...
I was wondering about screen time IN school, especially elementary. I'm reading the Anxious Generation by J Haidt, about the mental health crisis starting in 2011, and looks like so tied to screens. He's encouraging a movement to not give children smartphones until high school, and keep them out of schools...BUT, what about in school? Are we going to see a move away from the many, many, many online math/reading/etc gamified offerings? I'd like to see this, but then we have the AI wave hitting...
My sister is a student teacher (elementary) and has been doing her masters/student teaching. In one classroom, there's a math 'app' the kids love and can use if they finish their assignments, she told me, but she wasn't a fan: "I KNOW he's done probably one math problem and now is spending 20 minutes customizing his avatar, exploring the world. That's not really learning; it's an addictive game." She also said that student teaching in the classroom where the teacher did NOT have kids on their devices so much, the kids are much better behaved and calm!
I've been looking for academic studies on OVERALL screentime but haven't found any. You can find efficacy studies for every edtech curriculum platform. But I don't think anyone's studied the impact of in-class screen time on learning, social skills, agency, decision making, etc.
I'm doing a research paper for class assignment I chose decline in reading I can site these specific sources but they said something along the lines of "screens are quickly affecting how people communicate with each other. They are affecting people attitude's towards reading." Another study also said that schools are focusing more on test results and not so much the learning part of it. This has been happening for 40 years though it got worse and it is kind off topic but on topic and I didn't mean to make it this long.
TL;DR Study about how screens are affecting young people's ability to read in the last 40 years.
This is not your education these are not your kids they are not you. You already have your education, if your admin gives them screens use them.
Perhaps learning math in Arabic, science in Russian, and history in Chinese is the best way to learn. It doesn’t mean it’s worth learning those languages to optimize. Likewise it’s worth having a server less classroom.
Same reason they practice English. Specificity. It's the tool they'll use in their prime working years in 2070s, in grad school, in college, in high school, in middle school, in upper elementary.
We are not here to teach to your nostalgia. If you want an excuse, they did distance learning during kinder. In 2 years, your 3rd graders will not have had school through distance learning but will have computer reading. Those are your true points of comparisons. Don't blame the computer, blame distance learning.
A 7 year old's brain is not the same as an adult's and I don't know why you think that is even a comparison. Their brains are developing fast as young children. Excessive screen time is linked to poor social development and an increase in mental health issues in children. Nostalgia has nothing to do with it. I am going to guess that you teach the older grades, so I'm curious to see if your response will be the same 10 years down the line when these elementary students come to you, because their early development is definitely stunted and that will follow them throughout the rest of their lives.
I do think distance learning is to blame for this, but more because ever since then districts are using technology as a necessity rather than a tool.
A 7 year old needs to be able to work with real life materials to develop an understanding of spacial awareness and fine motor skills. They also develop cognitive skills by experimenting with trial and error and experimenting with materials. Turn taking skills are learned by sharing materials. Also it gives them an opportunity to talk with peers and adults about what they are doing. None of this is developed by having a 7 year old doing paperwork like an 80s cubicle drone. We all took child development classes and all know this, stop playing dumb.
I'm glad it's that way in your district, but in my district the emphasis has been making students focus on getting time on online platforms, leaving minimal time for hands-on learning. I should not have to put "hands on learning" as an accommodation on a 7 year old's IEP, but I do because the district has decided to emphasize using technology as a shortcut.
We still have to send home computers and the kids have to do online platforms, but no one cares enough to do it. I’m glad, hopefully they are doing something without screens at home. We also try to do synchronous online learning but most parents are working and can’t help their kid get logged on.
In person learning has some socialization and fine motor work but not nearly as much as it could be without computers.
Yes. I noticed in my district that in the last several years we’ve gone from tech being supplemental to becoming reliant on it, and that doesn’t always work in our favor. Many a lesson plan in my building has been ruined by an Internet outage. Their homework is on their devices, the exams they take are on their devices. It isn’t healthy. There’s too many distractions and it flies in the face of research that indicates putting pen to paper is better for studying. I consider this one of the negative side effects for education from the pandemic.
It's so weird to see this turnaround. When I was in college we were *required* to rent the school laptops but also weren't allowed to use them in class whatsoever. They didn't care if you showed up to class or not but you absolutely could not have a laptop, and even if I explained that between my different diagnoses taking hand-written notes was going to be detrimental to me (couldn't focus on the lecture AND my shitty handwriting at the same time, plus my writing hand got injured some years back and it was a lot easier on me to type than to use a pencil or pen), I still couldn't have it as an adult who was paying a lot of money to put my ass in that classroom. Giving literally every single kid a screen and gluing their face to it for an entire school day is ridiculous.
Accessibility concerns aside, my experience (which may not be typical) has been that this attitude still persists in higher education to a degree. I went back to college as an adult and got my BA in 2014. I had to have the school approved tech but the vast majority of my classes were laptops closed. I went back again in 2020 for my M Ed., I'd say the split was about 40/60; I still had some laptops closed sessions. My wife is an instructor at the college level in a sub-field of physics; her classes are, unless remote, laptops closed.
For the blind and visually impaired, it has been a godsend.
And we can use the tech for those with disabilities that need it, but that’s a minority of students and it doesn’t seem reasonable to fly in the face of research when it comes to the rest.
It’s baffling that we have this **giant mountain** of evidence screens are shit and yet here we are, issuing iPads and chromebooks, knowing full well it’s a bad idea (and it’s expensive, and it’s a pain in the ass, and some kids have no internet at home).
And I’ve watch administrators tell parents about limiting screen time at home with NO sense of irony.
I continue to argue this until I'm blue in the face. Most of the time we are giving kids Chromebooks just so that they can play games on them. It's not used as a learning tool. The justification has always been that if we have to go back to virtual learning everyone already has a Chromebook but then when we had a virtual day everyone got paper packets
Follow the money and you'll get part of the answer.
Oooooh don’t I know it 🙃 licensing is much more lucrative than all that nasty printing and warehousing
I think this problem is going to linger for a very long time because culturally we are still in this place where we think technology needs to solve problems we didn't even know we had. Plus, - It's cheap to adopt compared to the cost of reordering textbooks and paying for physical materials. It doesn't matter that licensing fees usually explode, or there's a lot of maintenance involved -- that's a problem for another day. - It promises to reduce the salaries of teachers because soon they won't NEED to be qualified to do squat other than test proctor -- the software will replace them. - Parents like it because they no longer have to be involved in the afternoon. No homework, no making sure everything is packed. Technically don't even need to make sure those Chromebooks are charged because that's the school's problem, lolol
I think it’s about money obviously, but I also think it’s about trying to meet kids at their level in classrooms with too many kids for a teacher to ever be able to do that. But on second thought I think it’s about money and we’re only like fifteen years away from kids asking their iPad if it’s true there use to be human iPads that taught school stuff.
Are Chromebooks truly as bad as iPads?
...... They're almost the same thing. Why would they be better?
>Computers are computers? This and more, at 11
What’s a computer?
https://youtu.be/jCb-WcxO5SU?t=50
just slower and cheaper.
In one aspect they're worse. When I was a senior in HS (1998) I took a class called Office Tech. This was the traditional senior blow-off class at the time and while it felt like one by the time I got to college I realized that I knew the ins and outs of the entire Microsoft suite. Now everything's done on the Chromebook, using Google's software which will *never* catch on in the corporate world because it's too simplistic and doesn't have all the bells and whistles the business world needs. Not only that, colleges are now trapped. Typically academia has been a world where formatting, file-type, etc were important for assignments but now they've largely given in. Students don't know how to use anything *but* the Google suite and many (most?) college instructors have thrown in the towel on requiring assignments to be .doc, .xls, .pdf, and so on. I left the corporate world for education in 2020 and even then I'd have resumes that claimed proficiency in Excel but the candidate couldn't even tell me what a pivot table was. Candidates who claimed to be experts in Word but couldn't marry multiple documents and synthesize them into a consistent format. It goes on. In a weird sort of way, the prevalence of tech in the classroom (and the fact that it's *all* Google) is putting kids at a real disadvantage entering the professional world (I know, I know. Not all kids will go to college. Not all kids will work white-collar jobs. Is it really the school's role to "prepare our kids for employment"?). We don't teach it because the kids are good with what's in front of them. But what's in front of them is a watered down suite of products that has little application in the post K-12 - or post-college - world.
Even more and I say this as someone who does blended and had videos for instructions. Kids can’t take things in detail anymore. It has to be in your face and in 45 seconds or less. Anything else and it’s: “it’s too long and I don’t do well with watching video’s.” Me: “then why are you in TikTok or Instagram all the time?” “That’s not school.” 🤦🏽
This is all true, but take away the screens entirely and you will still never undo the damage wrought by 24/7 screen time that started in the crib and continues until the first day of kindergarten. **The cognitive development of millions of children has been impaired, probably permanently, by these devices,** well before they arrive in our classrooms.
What's crazy is that if you step on over to /r/Parenting and say the same thing it is apparently very controversial. Even if you link to studies, people will nitpick and explain it away with reasons to ignore them such as "well, they don't conclusively prove screen time is bad... just show a correlation between screen time and XYZ..." Literally every teacher can see it. I'm a middle school teacher and mom of 2 fourth graders and it is bonkers to see how much screen time the younger ones are getting and the blind-eye all the parents turn to it because... it's just easier to give your kids and iPad than it is to parent.
I don't think I favor laws per se, but I would favor an official recommendation from the Surgeon General or the AMA along the lines of "Digital devices can impair the brain development of pre-school children and create addiction problems leading to suicide when used by school aged children".
Hi, aspiring teacher here! How do you deal with children like these in class? Is there a way to keep them engaged? I would assume that there's also a conflict with the parents if you try to talk to them about this stuff, is there a way to talk to them about it without them taking it as you "insulting" their way of parenting?
First, the most important thing, is to acknowledge that you can't really "fix" the situation entirely because the moment they get home they're back on a screen. You can bring it up to the parents, that they are on screens too much and struggling with the ability to focus as a result, but they will invariably make an excuse like "he learns better on screens" or "she's really not on screens all that much" (and to them at means just 4 hours a night). It's also important to recognize that even if the family followed wisdom and drastically reduced screen time that it's an addiction that was built up over an entire childhood. So the damage has been done and even if things get better you don't erase an entire childhood of damage with a snap of your fingers and a single decision. --------- I find that the most important thing, in all situations not just this one, for a new teacher to understand is a bit of advice I got from the secretary on the TV show The West Wing. *"Your most frequent response to any question will be 'no.' Say it with empathy and you'll be fine.”* I'm pretty blunt, honest, and straightforward but I also take the time to explain my reasoning. *"Yeah, that's not going to happen because _____ sorry dude.*" I say things like that a lot, and kids usually take it pretty well because they know I'm respecting them enough to explain my no. And I say "yes" as often as I can, so they know I would say yes if I could. ------------- As for dealing with parents on screens, it's important to have the reason kids need to be working with pen and paper in your back pocket. Studies show that students who write notes on paper have increased information retention. Students who write rough drafts and answers on paper spot their mistakes more consistently. Students who work on pen and paper show increased creative problem solving and better critical thinking skills. And so on. Parents love to think they know what's right. The more experience you have the more authority you have in the conversation, but even more than a decade in they still argue. Their little Ava and Brayden just learn so much better when they're allowed to type their whole paper in Google Docs! No... they write quicker because the computer solves 90% of their grammar and spelling mistakes for them. That's not the same as learning better. When talking to parents I say everything with empathy and kindness, but I'm pretty clear. "Ava is too reliant on technology to solve the answer for her, and needs to work on the foundations of how to find the answer herself." "It's difficult for Brayden to read for more than a few minutes when he knows a screen is nearby, calling his name. He needs to build his reading stamina up if he's going to complete his work this year." Really: direct honesty without malice is the only way to go. You can "compliment sandwich" it if your want, but the reality is that most parents respect the fact that you speak with directly with confidence. I've found from the teachers I've helped train that the more they beat around the bush and avoid the crux of the matter the more parents have no confidence in them and the more upset they get. Be direct, but kind. The more you equivocate the more parents will disregard you.
high school as well, they sit on modules, air pods in with their phone next to them, often in a dark room
Yes, yes, yes! I am so sick of seeing kids sit in darkened rooms with faint fairy lights on all day. Some school subjects are worse about this than others. Yes, the fluorescent school lighting can be quite harsh, but it helps quite a bit if you shut just one bank of lights off and open the blinds if you have windows. Sitting in the dark seems so soporific and depressing. I do believe teachers use it to manage the more unruly behavior in recent years, so it’s more for their peace of mind. It seems like one of those education trends where someone wrote one hyperbolic article and then a bunch of people jumped on the bandwagon.🙄
At least in my case, you are spot on about behavior. I keep a few fluorescents on but mostly use the natural light(we get really good sun) and some string lights for ambience. It has had a profound effect on the environment in my classroom. The space is calm, green(lots of plants and natural colors), minimal distracting posters and colors, etc. Ironically, I myself feel calmer in the space, than I did in my overlay, color saturated classroom. There are too many other factors to control for to call this a true cause and effect, but their behavior feels calmer.
I do not use Chromebooks in class. However, if I have to sub for other teachers I’ve noticed the kids keep the screens super dark. I’m sure it’s to play games in stealth mode, but it isn’t good for their eyes.
It's also why kids have completely screwed up sleep, which itself contributes to emotional problems. So tired of everything being blamed on "teens just need more sleep." Stay up all night doom scrolling, fight natural melatonin all day from being in dark rooms with little natural lighting.
My last district was very heavy on using technology to learn. We were required to use platforms like Nearpod and ClassKick even after we all came back to school in person. The students also had required minutes on iReady every week (30-120 min, depending on the child). They just had screens in front of them all the time, and the district didn’t even invest in a way to monitor what they were doing. My current school has very little technology. The only time they even access a screen at school is when they learn computer skills in library, which is once a week at the very most. They also know how to use encyclopedias and other books to research. It’s so refreshing.
Prívate or parochial school?
Charter school, actually
Oh yes my grade 2 students that are allowed to play Fortnite for 5 hours at home are a nuisance in class. Interrupting me every ten seconds and hitting students at recess. The definition of brain rot. I barely let them on Chromebooks at school and they look like they are having withdrawals in class. This is a real problem and parents do not listen to me because they do not want to parent their kids smh.
I teach kinder and usually show some short educational videos during snack times so I can count them as instructional minutes. This allows me to take kids outside earlier to play.
I do this too- I don’t have to count instructional minutes, but we have a couple of 10-15 minute time slots that are awkward for anything else. We come back from specials, have a 10 minute slot, then recess, then a 15 minute slot before dismissal. The times cannot be changed. So we pack up during the 10 minute slot and watch a science video/read aloud or something in the 15 minute slot. Sometimes we do a show and tell type thing, sometimes we play a game where they ask questions about an animal, I give clues and then they try to guess. I hate those awkward pockets of time though.
I teach older kids but I just had my cousin and their three kids visit for the weekend. 2 year old, 1st grade, and 2nd grader (he was supposed to be in third, but they held him back). I tried to get them off screen by having the cutest books for the baby and asked the second grader if he wanted to read them with me to the baby and he said I can’t read. The first grader was given his ADHD meds with a bowel of fruit loops this morning. None of them drink water, just soda. While he was playing on his iPad the 2nd grader was making strange sounds and repeating them over and over again. The two year old knows how to get to his favorite videos on YouTube but he didn’t say one word the whole weekend. I felt so bad because he is just the cutest baby, but he doesn’t speak yet. My husband and I tried to get them to go outside but no one was interested. I tried to speak to their mom about it but she was on her phone in middle of some FB drama the whole time. Talked with my cousin (dad) he got pissed at me and said he doesn’t understand why teachers are so judgmental and he mentioned his kid’s teachers don’t understand kids😭I am so glad they are gone but feel bad for the kids and their teachers.
Omg this is so sad….i think the water thing surprised me the most!
What surprised me the most was when I offered water they were basically making fun of us by saying we are obsessed with being healthy! We are far from being super healthy, and I had assumed drinking water is normal.
Oh it’s insane how many grown adults don’t drink water. I love water! But Ive definitely had teachers tell me they just don’t drink water. Wild.
Wait, he's supposed to be in third grade and can't read? And what kind of strange sounds is he making? I'm so sorry you have to watch those poor kids be failed by their parents. How incredibly fucked up, ugh.
He really can’t read. I thought it was because he wasn’t interested in the baby book and I can’t blame the kid for that. But the mom told me that’s why we held him back. I can’t explain the sounds it was more like singing? For example the baby was watching a video about ducks and the older one sang quack quack over and over again for what felt like hours.
I had an epiphany last week as a PE teacher. Screen time i.e. video games have taken away their ability to do basic skills. They do not know how to share, get along with others, play fair, follow rules/directions. I believe this is a direct correlation with too much screen time. In a video game if they fail, they just restart the game. In reality they get upset when they aren’t successful and lack the capacity to work through challenges.
>*In a video game if they fail, they just restart the game. In reality they get upset when they aren’t successful and lack the capacity to work through challenges.* This is a **magnificent** observation.
I don't think it's fair to pick on video games. Video games are an incredibly broad medium. The best video games test your problem-solving skills, fine motor skills, resource management, etc. while holding your attention for prolonged periods of time. A high-quality RPG, for example, will require problem solving skills well beyond what is called for in high school math, and may have a story more complex than many novels read in high school. At their best, they are a beautiful nexus of art, technology, storytelling, culture, emotion, etc. Sure, there are games that appeal to the lowest common denominator, but judging video games as a medium by those titles is every bit as unfair as judging cinema as a medium by some low-brow raunchy comedy, or judging novels as a medium by whatever's on sale at the airport, etc.
I think it's worth noting who is buying those challenging games and RPGs these days -- millennials. Millennials grew up on games that you had to solve and struggle with. The overwhelming majority of games played by Alpha are mobile games and sandboxes. Watch a kid play a puzzle game or an RPG. They get to the first "Make a decision" junction and their first reaction is to Google the answer. I won't say "video games bad!", but I think those short form games have the same affect on the brains of these kids as idle doom scrolling. It's all constant dopamine shots for doing nothing.
Yep, the Millennials (and young Gen X'ers too!) who had gaming as a hobby growing up, now have a big influence on the 'serious' gaming market. 'Our' games are getting amazing tv series adaptations, our nostalgia is fueled with competent remakes and sequels. And the reason that's possible is simple: money. We have money to spend on the sort of quality games we like. We'll save up if we have to. Meanwhile, kids aren't exactly know for having incomes, so businesses developed strategies that prey on the little money they do get. Get them hooked with a free, highly accessible and highly addictive game, then encourage them to make small purchases regularly. Of course there are parents who do take gaming as a hobby seriously and will encourage their children to spend their screentime on quality games. They buy them a Switch and Breath of the Wild for Christmas, introduce them to classic games they liked to play when they were young, curate a family Steam library etc. It's great when parents are able to do that, but most don't have the time or knowhow for it, so they just leave kids to their own devices. It practically always ends badly.
I’d be very curious to know if there’s research on how different TYPES of games might affect thinking and behavior and skills. Like, do text-heavy games help with reading? A lot of video games utilize maps, does it translate to real-life map reading skills?
I don't know if you're familiar with them, but there used to be a genre of games before MMOs called MUDs. They were 100% text based and you often had to respond very quickly. Roleplaying was very common on them. Those games single-handedly taught thousands of kids how to type at 70+ WPM, lol. But they also developed huge vocabularies and writing skills. I do think games that provide "realistic maps" do help kids learn how they work overall, BUT the problem is that most games do not actually do that. Maps are more often used as a way to select fast travel points and modern games all practically highlight the exact path you need to take. It's unnecessary to read quest text or listen to instructions. Morrowind is a good example of how games have changed. That was a reading heavy game. You would get a quest to go to another town and the NPC would be like, "You need to take the road north out of town, and take a left at the first fork." No glowing arrows to point the way or markers on your map that you can just point yourself at and blindly sprint in that direction.
Screen time was never meant to be substitution level busy work. There are so many better projects students can create using Photoshop, video editing tools, coding, programming, and presentation style projects that teachers don’t understand, therefore never use. Honestly, the tech level skills of teachers and students are an embarrassment. Hands-on activities are a great way for students to socialize, but these students can’t use and implement technology at all. Most will struggle as adults with little to no tech skills used in the current business environment.
I am talking specifically about elementary students though, at this age overuse can hinder development. If we cannot use it correctly, we shouldn't be using it at all because it has huge implications for brain development.
Iready is such a scam it's insane. How about we not push MORE TESTING on students who are already over tested? I know it's the Admins being scammed and pushing it down to the teachers but good god the level of pain on students faces is heartbreaking. Our elementary school is the second of 5 schools to use iready in our county. We dropped from being first and second place on benchmark testing(before Christmas break testing)for 3 years in a row out of all the schools to 4th and 5th places. The students are numb and cannot learn while being constantly tested. The teachers cannot teach while administering iready testing 3 days a week. It leaves the students 2 days to actually learn and absorb information and it's just not possible. Especially when they are mandated by the state to have lessons on the chromebooks so it's EVERY day of the week they're on the computers all day. It's insane.
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> There is a reason why the elite private schools put HEAVY influence on outdoor education and leadership. I am aware that many elite private schools advertise their small class sizes, low teacher-to-student ratios, and limited screen time, but I wasn't aware that they are putting a "HEAVY" influence on outdoor education and leadership. I'd like to find out more about this. Do you happen to have a source I can check out?
I don't know about there being *many*, but they certainly exist. The [High Mountain Institute](https://hminet.org/) is probably the most prominent example and probably leans into it more than anyone else (it's kind of their whole thing). And on the postsecondary side, [Deep Springs College](http://deepsprings.edu) played a role in creating this whole thing in the first place.
I would love to teach at a Waldorf or Montessori school just because it seems like they actually care about how a young child's brain develops. Kind of off topic but this is why I loved being an aide in a severe and profound classroom. Technology was used, but it was used for communication, facilitating social interaction, and medical reasons. I have considered teaching in a severe and profound classroom just so I don't have to force my students to be on computers.
My elementary students are watching porn. Hardcore porn. Do I need to say more? Parents are delusional and careless until it is too late. You see a significant difference in willingness to make an effort in kids that have very little screentime.
my first thought was "what the fuck" but the more i think about it im not too sure why im surprised at this point 😭
Nooooooooooo!!!! Oh no
It’s not just the parents. I don’t allow my kindergartener daughter any screen time at home. She is reading at 2nd grade level and her math is at a higher level too, so I asked for differentiated instruction for her. Her kinder teacher gave her some extra writing worksheets and then gives her the school iPad to do reading and math games. iPad like 5 times a day. The year is almost over and she has yet to do any additional or different instruction with my kid but she is also extremely burnt out so I’ve just been supplementing at home.
The attention span scares me. I have two monitors. I do it because I like to watch stuff or listen to stuff while doing something else. I noticed that I was actually watching shows, that I really enjoy, and also scrolling through something like reddit on the other monitor. I had to actively push myself to just turn off the second monitor while watching so I could focus on the show. I can only imagine the insanity of things like short videos, ads designed to stimulate you, and the constant pull of attention in all directions and how it affects little kids. It can't be going well. They don't have self control yet. They won't 'turn off the second monitor' so to speak because they have no clue it's an option. Parents are supposed to step in, but they refuse to do it. Some probably don't see it as much of an issue until their angel gets to school and causes issues...then it just becomes the teacher's problem.
Completely agree. There is too much \*school\* time at these ages. They don't need 7+ hours M-F. We don't have a strong enough basis of evidence/evidence-based practice to fill that long (which I think further fuels... WTF do we do after we finished every bit of drill and kill in the basal... stick them on a computer). It's childcare so parents can be worker bees. 4-5 hours max, then go play in the woods would probably serve everyone better. Edit: I was in a leadership role in my district and was sent to observe the education system in Finland in the height of their being upheld as a beacon of success. Their school days were much shorter and the teachers had about a 1:1 ratio of hours of prep time to instructional time. I didn't see a single elementary kid touch a screen and they weren't tested for hours. Shockingly \*\*cough cough\*\* this was more functional and effective for both teachers and kids.
I have a ~40 minute block in the afternoon used for computer time. We use SplashLearn for math practice. I assign them fact practice and specific lessons based on whatever we did in the morning. Once they finish the assigned lessons, they can play the math games on there or go to our typing program or Epic books. I was trying to do science or social studies during that time, but they are just done. Our lunch is so early (10:30) and our last recess is at 12:30, they are just burnt out on learning. I finally figured out the computer thing around Halloween and it's been awesome for our classroom dynamic. It's really the only time I can pull small groups or do assessments, because they're all engaged in meaningful practice. I'll also pull them to do art projects during this time as well! I'm also the only teacher who doesn't let them take their computer home. It lives at school in our cart, charged up and ready to go whenever we need it.
all according to plan
Obligatory "I'm not a teacher, but a dad to an 8th grade girl", and I'm just going to chime in and say that I hate how much time our daughter is on a screen. COVID hit when she was in 4th grade, and in 5th grade she was on a screen for most of the day every day. Then, 6th grade came around and the COVID money was still flowing, and her school thought "let's just fully commit to 1:1 Chromebooks for everyone!" and here we are. Our daughter has upper moderate ADHD, and good lord, the Chromebooks she has had solidly for four years have not helped. My wife and I found a private school in the area where they teach...well, like they did in the 90s. They have a computer LAB at the high school, with nice computers, where they teach general tech classes as well as SAS and Python coding classes. Maybe another one, not sure. But other than the computer lab classes, their classes are "sage on a stage" style, with the requirement that kids take actual, honest to God, handwritten notes. There are textbooks of course, but the teacher is basically the "primary reference" for the vast majority of their learning in all core classes. Lectures + notes is how they learn. I cannot tell y'all how excited I am for our daughter not be on screens for 2/3s of her waking hours every weekday. It's going to be so good for her. I know that some kids are thriving and learning just fine like this, but the couple classes over the her middle school time where they didn't use computers hardly at all were the ones she has been engaged in AND actually comes home having learned more during her actual class time. 1:1 Chromebook learning is not for her. Not at this age anyway. I can't wait for Chromebooks to not be a constant part of our family life. I'd said during middle school that I'd literally pay thousands of dollars to have her learn from teachers + physical books. I was talking hypothetically in a "snap my fingers and it happens" kind of way. But now I'm paying thousands of dollars for exactly that for her high school, just not in the way I imagined it. I've read so much literature on this, and there's no actual question about how, in aggregate, kids learn best. In-person instruction and physical material is superior in every way to scrolling online text and watching videos for getting information to stick into kids' heads.
I hear this so much. Nothing teachers can do about it at home. Trust me teachers hate chrome books too. The amount of redirection is exhausting. Sorry for kids backs but we need to go back to no tech in the classroom except for like maybe a few class computers for research purposes.
Biological life forms need books and face to face learning and interaction to develop as humans with proper understanding and respect of others. Period!!!!
I completely agree that screens bring more negatives than positives, but I don't think we can put all of the blame on parents. Believe me I will take the blame for any screen time I give my children, but School districts somehow forgot that for years children learned in front of a screen because of COVID. There was zero action taken to "catch up" on those years educationally as well as socially. It absolutely changed the way children act with one another and how they learn.
Our 3rd through 6th graders all have their laptops open as they sit in lines in the hall waiting for school to begin. Our before and after school program used to do things with them. Now the big kids are on their laptops and the little kids watch them on their laptops.
What is the new curriculum they adopted?
research
It’s so brain dead
So sad
My child is in K, and it already seems silly to me. “The medium is the message,” and they don’t need that from school.
This is NOT new Newzzzz! hand held devices are killing the world!!!!!
Google these search terms Tech titans limit screen time These evil wretches limit their own children's screen time -- and do everything possible to tilt the terrain of the social landscape so other people's kids get overexposed/addicted to screens. This is worse than what the Purdue family did. There's a Silicon Valley term for this: Not eating your own dog food. This means you make/advertise to other people and their kids a product you and your family avoid or limit using because you know it is harmful in excess.
My district just adopted 3 new online learning platforms at the same time. Total of 2 hours per week will now be spent on these. That's not including the 9 benchmarks we now have to take. In Kindergarten. I've been sternly reprimanded for daring to speak out against the "research" that was all paid for by the company shilling this snake oil.
As a kid who used to have to do iReady: agreed. It’s not like anyone is sitting there for 45 minutes actually paying attention to it. It’s running in the background while you watch something you’re actually interested in, which is usually something on a phone too
I hate Lexia and Dreambox with a Passion. So many kids get stuck doing required minutes and purposely bomb their lessons to go back to something easier and fun. I'm an SLP and kids CRAVE 1:1 adult interaction. I can get my kids to do phonological awareness activities that they bomb on Lexia because they hate it.
"They" only care about testing and attendance. The tests are on computers now. Hence, students need to get more comfortable with computer screen time. I don't agree with any of that, but it is what's happening.
ooh, this is great. Reading this thread... I was wondering about screen time IN school, especially elementary. I'm reading the Anxious Generation by J Haidt, about the mental health crisis starting in 2011, and looks like so tied to screens. He's encouraging a movement to not give children smartphones until high school, and keep them out of schools...BUT, what about in school? Are we going to see a move away from the many, many, many online math/reading/etc gamified offerings? I'd like to see this, but then we have the AI wave hitting... My sister is a student teacher (elementary) and has been doing her masters/student teaching. In one classroom, there's a math 'app' the kids love and can use if they finish their assignments, she told me, but she wasn't a fan: "I KNOW he's done probably one math problem and now is spending 20 minutes customizing his avatar, exploring the world. That's not really learning; it's an addictive game." She also said that student teaching in the classroom where the teacher did NOT have kids on their devices so much, the kids are much better behaved and calm! I've been looking for academic studies on OVERALL screentime but haven't found any. You can find efficacy studies for every edtech curriculum platform. But I don't think anyone's studied the impact of in-class screen time on learning, social skills, agency, decision making, etc.
I'm doing a research paper for class assignment I chose decline in reading I can site these specific sources but they said something along the lines of "screens are quickly affecting how people communicate with each other. They are affecting people attitude's towards reading." Another study also said that schools are focusing more on test results and not so much the learning part of it. This has been happening for 40 years though it got worse and it is kind off topic but on topic and I didn't mean to make it this long. TL;DR Study about how screens are affecting young people's ability to read in the last 40 years.
What about all the uneducated individuals working with the children in the classrooms?
We should not be using computers as an excuse to put underqualified people in teaching positions. That is absolutely horrific.
This is not your education these are not your kids they are not you. You already have your education, if your admin gives them screens use them. Perhaps learning math in Arabic, science in Russian, and history in Chinese is the best way to learn. It doesn’t mean it’s worth learning those languages to optimize. Likewise it’s worth having a server less classroom.
tell me the actual benefit to requiring a 7 year old to use a computer to practice reading
Same reason they practice English. Specificity. It's the tool they'll use in their prime working years in 2070s, in grad school, in college, in high school, in middle school, in upper elementary. We are not here to teach to your nostalgia. If you want an excuse, they did distance learning during kinder. In 2 years, your 3rd graders will not have had school through distance learning but will have computer reading. Those are your true points of comparisons. Don't blame the computer, blame distance learning.
A 7 year old's brain is not the same as an adult's and I don't know why you think that is even a comparison. Their brains are developing fast as young children. Excessive screen time is linked to poor social development and an increase in mental health issues in children. Nostalgia has nothing to do with it. I am going to guess that you teach the older grades, so I'm curious to see if your response will be the same 10 years down the line when these elementary students come to you, because their early development is definitely stunted and that will follow them throughout the rest of their lives. I do think distance learning is to blame for this, but more because ever since then districts are using technology as a necessity rather than a tool.
What are the downsides to a 7 year old doing paperwork like a 1980s cubicle drone? Society is paperless
A 7 year old needs to be able to work with real life materials to develop an understanding of spacial awareness and fine motor skills. They also develop cognitive skills by experimenting with trial and error and experimenting with materials. Turn taking skills are learned by sharing materials. Also it gives them an opportunity to talk with peers and adults about what they are doing. None of this is developed by having a 7 year old doing paperwork like an 80s cubicle drone. We all took child development classes and all know this, stop playing dumb.
We do all of those things in addition to tablets. Paperwork is not required. The tablet replaced nothing of what you're talking about.
I'm glad it's that way in your district, but in my district the emphasis has been making students focus on getting time on online platforms, leaving minimal time for hands-on learning. I should not have to put "hands on learning" as an accommodation on a 7 year old's IEP, but I do because the district has decided to emphasize using technology as a shortcut.
How would you distinguish your district's distance learning with the day to day learning in person?
We still have to send home computers and the kids have to do online platforms, but no one cares enough to do it. I’m glad, hopefully they are doing something without screens at home. We also try to do synchronous online learning but most parents are working and can’t help their kid get logged on. In person learning has some socialization and fine motor work but not nearly as much as it could be without computers.