The Northwest Council for Computer Education (NCCE) is committed to the proposition that technology does and must play a pivotal role in enhancing learning experiences, especially for students with learning challenges. However, our modern world’s increased reliance on digital devices for everything from communication to education to entertainment has led to legitimate concerns from many quarters, including parents and educators, about screen time and its impact on students’ well-being.
Promoting the use of technological tools such as tablets and computers for learning is one thing. But screens are everywhere: homes, restaurants, schools, businesses, doctor’s offices, waiting rooms, and even street corners. Today, many school kids carry smartphones in their pockets, backpacks, lockers, or purses from an early age. Realizing their utility and benefits is fine, but when is screen exposure too much?
There’s no question that kids who spend too much time online instead of engaged in personal interaction can suffer physical, emotional, intellectual, and social setbacks. To confront this, NCCE is committed to supporting educators in navigating this challenge by suggesting strategies for managing screen time effectively, ensuring that technology is a net-positive tool for optimal learning rather than a detractor.
Understanding the Impact of Screen Time
Excessive screen time can lead to problems, including eye strain, reduced physical activity and its attendant health problems, and fewer social interactions and skills. In the classroom, prolonged use of digital devices may contribute to decreased attention spans when engaged in classroom lessons and hinder the development of critical interpersonal skills. Recognizing these potential drawbacks is essential for educators aiming to create balanced and effective learning environments.
Some Strategies for Managing Screen Time
It is not enough to tell schoolchildren to cut down on screen use. It is unrealistic to expect them to exercise the self-discipline and awareness necessary to effectuate a healthy balance between engaging with technology and interacting with the physical world.
Instead, educators should establish easy-to-follow rules and then enforce them. They should enlist the support of parents in this endeavor at home and discuss the issue with students so that they fully understand that screentime limitations are not punishments but support for a more healthy and balanced life.
Below are some strategies that can help enforce a better approach to screen use.
Implement the 20-20-20 Rule for Eye Strain
At least every 20 minutes, students should look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. In the classroom, educators can adopt this exercise with fixed breaks and encourage students to adopt this habit at home. This simple exercise can reduce eye fatigue and promote visual health.
Balance Digital and Offline Activities
If your lesson plans involve screen use, proactively strive for a harmonious blend of screen-based and offline tasks within every lesson plan. Incorporate varied activities such as group discussions, hands-on experiments, and physical exercises to provide students with diverse learning experiences that do not solely rely on digital devices.
Establish Clear Screen Time Guidelines
Set explicit rules regarding when and how digital devices should be used in the classroom, and post those rules for all to see and reference. Clearly communicating these guidelines to students and consistently enforcing them fosters a structured learning environment for all involved.
Keep it simple, such as designating specific periods for device usage, keeping certain activities screen-free, and limiting access to screens. These guidelines help sensitize students to the concept that screens are appropriate for specific times and places and not for others.
Encourage Self-Regulation Skills
Empower students to manage their own screen time by teaching them self-regulation techniques. To aid this effort, you can use apps that limit access or operation of devices. Discuss the importance of taking breaks, setting personal limits, and recognizing signs of digital fatigue. Developing these skills enables students to navigate technology use responsibly both inside and outside the classroom.
Create Screen-Free Zones and Times
Designate areas within the school, such as cafeterias or outdoor spaces, where screen use is discouraged or prohibited. Additionally, establish specific times during the school day, like recess or lunch breaks, as opportunities for students to engage in face-to-face interactions without the interference of digital devices.
Foster Open Discussions About Technology Use
Engage students in conversations about the benefits and drawbacks of screen time. Encourage them to reflect on their technology habits and collaboratively develop strategies to use digital devices more mindfully. This approach raises awareness and promotes a sense of ownership over their learning experiences.
Utilize Technology to Monitor Screen Time
In addition to using apps that limit screen time, you can leverage apps and tools that track and report screen usage. Sharing this data with students can help them become more conscious of their screen time patterns and motivate them to make adjustments. However, ensure that the use of such tools respects student privacy and is implemented transparently and in a positive way.
Provide Healthy Alternatives
To counteract the temptation to spend more time using devices and help students control their reliance or addiction to screens, encourage their participation in activities that do not involve screen technology, such as sports, fitness, clubs, games, dancing, debate, drama, or other active pursuits. When children learn to love alternate activities, they have less difficulty putting aside their phones and tablets when prompted.
NCCE’s Role in Supporting Educators
NCCE supports the use of many innovative technologies that benefit students by engaging different types of learners, giving them more hands-on experiences, and preparing them for a technology-rich job market. However, like almost any tool, using technology in a way that yields net benefits requires discipline.
Too much screen time can stunt other necessary avenues for growth and development in students, and educators are at the forefront of dealing with the challenge of managing screen time. Through workshops, webinars, and collaborative forums, NCCE equips teachers with practical strategies to balance technology use, ensuring that digital tools enhance rather than hinder the learning process.
NCCE intentionally fosters a community of educators committed to mindful technology integration, promoting practices that prioritize student well-being and academic success. NCCE encourages ongoing dialogue among teachers, students, and parents to create cohesive strategies tailored to individual students and classroom needs.
For more information on how NCCE can support your efforts to enhance education through the integration of technology, please contact NCCE today. Together, we can create balanced and effective learning experiences that harness technology’s benefits while prioritizing students’ well-being.