DIGITAL LITERACY & SCREEN TIME
BY : MICHAEL PRICE
Passive screen time - this is often the way screen time is automatically stigmatised . There is little to no interaction occurring or an engagement on an individual level . However , this can be seen positively in the form of entertainment or relaxation . Watching a film , reading the latest headlines and scrolling social media all fall into this category .
Digitally literate students
A
laughable ideal or an achievable goal ? Digitally literate students are able to use technology , express themselves and develop their ideas through technology . Students are purposeful and critical of content . A misconception is that as soon as any student receives a device , they almost instantly switch off and are lost to the world around them . It ’ s vital to flip that screen around and explore what is actually occurring when we consider the term ‘ screen time ’.
An instinctive argument of many teachers , leaders and parents is to reduce screen time , but what if that student is communicating with family on the other side of the world ? Or interacting with a virtual reality heart to understand the ventricular system in much greater detail before working on a practical model ? How does this variation of activity change your perception of positive or negative screen time ?
As a leader in Digital Innovation and Strategy , parents often ask how much screen time is right for their child . They also explain that they feel their children know more about technology and the internet than they do . It is not too difficult to see the reasoning behind these arguments . It took 38 years for mainstream radio to reach 50 million users . It took mainstream TV 13 years to reach the same milestone . But it took ‘ Angry Birds ’ 35 days to reach the big 50 million , and Pokémon Go ? Just 14 days . The size of our global technosphere is gaining momentum with each passing second . This is not a time to panic but a chance to reflect , refocus and bring Digital Literacy to the forefront of education and children ’ s development more than ever before .
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen devastating consequences . Trying to find the silver lining is a challenge , but purposeful technology usage does have a glimmer that may offer some hope . Video calling and conferencing exploded onto the scene with household names , such as Zoom and Teams , that were previously relegated to the corporate world . It ’ s essential to view the time of Remote Learning within schools as a pillar in the digital technology experience of a student of any age . We are at a pivotal stage right now to reshape children ’ s experience of using screens into a more purposeful , educational and longer-lasting journey .
What is happening on the screen ?
It ’ s vital for educators and parents to understand that screen time is not always one thing . It can be a range of activities taking place and categorised into :
Communicative screen time - from emails to WhatsApp , FaceTime to voice notes , screens are a vital form of communication for most adults . For teachers , this is essential to get the right messages and content to the right people at the right time . We ’ ve come a long way , from writing letters as a means of communicating with other human beings , which is as old as time itself . This is the latest iteration of that communication .
Creative screen time - this could be composing music , recording a podcast , digitally painting artwork or taking photos and videos . We ’ ve seen students , from our very youngest three-year-olds , able to take a photo of their favourite animal and use it as a talking point with their parents and teacher , stimulating conversations , questions , thoughts , ideas , challenges and ultimately : learning .
Active screen time - from playing the latest games to searching for answers , recipes and looking up information . Students here are active participants when engaging with digital content . It ’ s our role as teachers and parents to enable the development of the criticality of this content . The interactive nature of this screen time is often the most stimulating and largest endorphin producer of these categories .
All of these types of screen time have benefits and drawbacks . They can also occur simultaneously , and when we are exploring screen time with children , dissecting ‘ screen time ’ into these four areas is a great way to stimulate the conversation and support children in understanding their screen time .
16 Term 1 Sep - Dec 2022
Class Time