Is All Screen Time Bad?
Last night I led a parent information session about technology at our school and how to keep kids safe online. It was good to use Zoom again after being away from it for so long. I recently upgraded my computer to Big Sur and had to wipe most of the data on my HD, so I needed to reinstall Zoom. The problem on my end was that I did not remember some of the functions, so as I was presenting I was blind to much of what was happening. Fortunately, there was a good team of people around me to field questions and monitor the chat.
One question that came up multiple times was about screen time and parents being concerned that their kids are getting too much screen time.
Screen time - bad
And yes, on the surface it might look like that. Our grades 5 & 6 are 1:1 and the younger grades do digital activities during the day. We also assign short amounts of skill-building activities through websites such as IXL or Raz Kids as homework. Not only do these sites build skills, but they also give teachers important formative data.
But the thing is that not all screen time is created equal.
Not all screen time is equal.
I am spending time in front of my screen right now making connections between various ideas, writing it down, choosing how I want it to be shown, deciding on my audience, and publishing for others to read and connect with.
Web Literacy for the Student Fact Checker
