One of the greatest parenting struggles facing us today is screen time. We read endless articles, often on our own smartphones, about the potential dangers of screen time and the impact on our children’s development, with theories and warnings changing at a rapid pace. On the other hand, technology departments at several schools are fundraising and writing grants to improve access to technology for their students, citing research showing how this progressive approach reaps great benefits to learning. Following certain rules and being mindful of a few basic principles can open doors and deepen learning in a progressive classroom by bringing opportunities to the classroom and creating a dynamic learning environment.

Purpose

A guiding purpose for screen time, both in-school and at-home, is purpose. If a child is engaging in screen time that serves a certain purpose, such as an interactive literacy app or a math game that a parent or teacher has approved, this can be both fun and educational. Parents and teachers should always know how the programs they allow their children to use, work, what the appropriate age is for use, and what the purpose is in reaching learning goals. With these things in mind, technology and screen time can enhance learning and help teachers differentiate and assess students in the classroom.

Balance

Screen time must be part of a larger picture that involves multiple entry points for learning. Educational apps should support the curriculum and be one of many ways that students practice emerging skills. If they play an addition game online, they should also work in small groups to design word problems using addition, use math manipulatives to represent their understanding of addition, and engage in classroom discussions about addition during lessons. The scaffolding and deeper understanding that comes from social interaction and hands-on learning is significant, and screen time should not replace that. However, there are creative ways to use screen time to enhance learning, such as podcasts of students solving each other’s math problems. When teachers know how to incorporate technology well, it can be a very fun and engaging tool in a classroom.

Supervision

Any time a child has access to screen time, an adult should be involved and supervising use. With supervision, a child can successfully use apps, learn applications such as Microsoft, Excel or Google Docs, search the web, and even create their own content in ways that are exciting and beneficial. While some parents use screen time as down time for their children, for a safe and healthy outcome, a parent should be very engaged when a child is on a device. School work that has an online component should also be supervised. Organic conversations about responsible technology use are the best ways for children to better understand the boundaries and learn to be safe.

With these guidelines in place, and a community of students, parents and educators who have a similar approach, technology can enhance the hands-on learning experience in a classroom. Teachers have access to many curriculum ideas and virtual experiences because of the amount of resources on the internet. Many museums and cultural institutions feature virtual tours and virtual field trips, and while this does not replace actual experiences, it can open doors. With independent studies and student-driven projects, purposeful technology can offer a breadth of information that goes well beyond what one might find in a school library.

Technology can also help students who struggle with a more traditional, book-based approach to learning. Through audio and visual sources, teachers in progressive classrooms often find that technology can be used to better reach students with a variety of learning styles. In this way, it can deepen the learning and create new opportunities for students to develop skills. Technology also expands the ways that children can demonstrate their understanding through presentations, videos, songs, artwork, and other creative outlets.

When teachers and parents are mindful of the use of technology and evaluate technology as a means to enhance learning, it provides many opportunities. On a regular school day in a classroom at Clarion School, instruction-based screen time is a way to complement other experiences rather than replace them. It is limited, directed and scaffolded by teachers. Also, as progressive teachers always do, they are discussing, evaluating and learning about the impact of technology to ensure the best outcomes for their students.