NBC's Today Show ran a piece this week where 10th grade students at a school in Tumwater, Washington watched Screenagers and then had the chance to do a one-week digital detox and be filmed for TV. Only some kids agreed to do it and the results were unexpected. Watch this with your kids! My kids thought it was really well done.
We hear from teachers regularly about their frustration with kids using cellphones during class. Some teachers are happy that at least there are school policies and systems in place to address this issue, while others feel that policies are not well defined and they don’t have the support they need.
Whether or not a school has a cellphone policy, kids often find ways around it. I heard of a middle school girl who cut a hole in her book so she could use her phone during "reading time." My own daughter Tessa struggles with the temptation and sometimes goes on her phone during study hall, or even other classes. From time to time I set my OurPact app to block Tessa's social media sites during the school day. We talk about it before I do it and I explain to her why I'm doing it. Basically, I like to see how the day goes—I ask her if it was better not being pulled by her phone. More recently she does not seem to be going on social media very much during school and she is not that bothered when OurPact is on....but I know in this game, things can change quickly.
In Screenagers, Sherry Turkle refers to a study that found: “If you’re in a classroom where someone next to you has his device out, your performance degrades as well.”
For Tech Talk Tuesday this week let's talk about how often we use our cellphones at school:
December 6, 2016
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
NBC's Today Show ran a piece this week where 10th grade students at a school in Tumwater, Washington watched Screenagers and then had the chance to do a one-week digital detox and be filmed for TV. Only some kids agreed to do it and the results were unexpected. Watch this with your kids! My kids thought it was really well done.
We hear from teachers regularly about their frustration with kids using cellphones during class. Some teachers are happy that at least there are school policies and systems in place to address this issue, while others feel that policies are not well defined and they don’t have the support they need.
Whether or not a school has a cellphone policy, kids often find ways around it. I heard of a middle school girl who cut a hole in her book so she could use her phone during "reading time." My own daughter Tessa struggles with the temptation and sometimes goes on her phone during study hall, or even other classes. From time to time I set my OurPact app to block Tessa's social media sites during the school day. We talk about it before I do it and I explain to her why I'm doing it. Basically, I like to see how the day goes—I ask her if it was better not being pulled by her phone. More recently she does not seem to be going on social media very much during school and she is not that bothered when OurPact is on....but I know in this game, things can change quickly.
In Screenagers, Sherry Turkle refers to a study that found: “If you’re in a classroom where someone next to you has his device out, your performance degrades as well.”
For Tech Talk Tuesday this week let's talk about how often we use our cellphones at school:
December 6, 2016
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
For many across the country, if not back already, today marks the start of another school year! Educators, I hope you had a restful summer and your preparations for the new school year have gone well. Parents and guardians, likewise I hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful summer with family and rousing your kids for school this morning was relatively stress free :) It’s a busy day for everyone so I’ll keep it simple. Today's blog includes summaries and links to some of my previous writings around the subject of back-to-school and related topics.
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“I am a parent of two teenage daughters (16 and 14), both in high school. I am frustrated with how the schools encourage social media usage by using it for communication. The softball team communicates through Twitter. Clubs communicate through Instagram. The band uses Snapchat. How do we best encourage (request/demand) the schools to use non-social media platforms for activities, sports, and clubs?... Any advice?”
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I have been thinking a lot about going back to school, and recently, I listened to the behavioral scientist BJ Fogg uses the term “skill them up” when talking about how to help someone activate and reach a goal in their life. Today I share three key skills that can benefit our kids and students greatly.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
