Professional development is super important in the teaching profession. It allows opportunities to educators to learn from and with others. This week, we focused on an EdCamp which can be described as “a user-generated conference”. Prior to this course, I have never heard of an EdCamp before! If you are in the same boat as me, please follow this link to learn more about what an EdCamp is What Is Edcamp? An Overview For Teachers (teachthought.com). After I read the information on this helpful website, I learned that an EdCamp is a collaborative and hands-on opportunity for teachers to learn from eachother. In addition to this, there is a distinct contrast between an EdCamp which is more participant focused/active and traditional professional development which is more information focused/passive. Even though an EdCamp is a form of professional development, it is a different learning experience due to the requirement for participants to be actively engaged in choosing the topics of discussion.
Screen time in the classroom was the topic of discussion for the EdCamp. This is a highly important topic as technology is becoming ever present in the classroom and at home. Students are exposed to large amounts of screen time. Many classrooms have iPads, Chromebooks, SmartBoards, and other technological resources that students have access to. In addition to this, when students return home, they most likely have access to television, iPad, computer, cellphone, or a gaming system. This demonstrates that students have access to technology in all aspects of their lives. Therefore, I find that it is important to minimize screen time in the classroom. High quality teacher can be accomplished without the usage of students using technology.
With this being said, students must understand how to use technology and the internet responsibly. As a teacher, I play an important role in helping students understand their digital footprint. As I previously discussed in another blog post, what you post on the internet will stay there forever. Therefore, teachers must limit screen time in the classroom while also teaching appropriate digital citizenship information. This website provides great tips for teachers and parents on how to help students understand the importance of creating a positive digital footprint and the importance of reducing screen time, Screen time and children: How to guide your child – Mayo Clinic.
I found this TED talk that discusses the positive and negative effects of screen time. This video highlights how screen time impacts brain development in fascinating ways. In addition to this, it explains that screen time is not a “one size fits all” topic as the appropriate amount of screen time is dependent on the student.
My goal for this post is for you to understand that screen time is currently high for lots of students, so teachers should be aware of the amount of screen time that they are implementing in the classroom. There are many activities and lessons that can be accomplished without the usage of screens.
Goodbye!
Kyra
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