Screentime at School in Kindergarten

[Anonymous]

We are new to MCPS this year and my son is in kindergarten at a reputable ES.

I'm getting the impression the majority of his day is spent either watching a screen (Smartboard), watching YouTube videos, and time spent on his Chromebook. It all seems very excessive and also very misaligned with what we know about placing limits on screen time. He even told me they watched Cat in the Hat in art class as a "reward". He also voiced his teacher has only read a book aloud to them once this year, and instead, he watches YouTube videos of other people reading books. I don't think reading out loud to children should be considered old-fashioned, given the immense body of research that says read-alouds by adults is actually an invaluable way to become a better reader.

Is this just a post-COVID reality? Or is anything being done to address this? And if not, what can be done to address these sorts of things? I'm a teacher and it boggles my mind that there doesn't seem to be much uproar on this issue. a

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't consider the Smartboard screentime.

[Anonymous]

You're a teacher and you consider the use of a Smartboard "screentime?" Um.....

[Anonymous]

I think screentime on a smartboard is less of a concern in older grades. Seems unnecessary in kindergarten. It's a very passive way to learn at that age.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think screentime on a smartboard is less of a concern in older grades. Seems unnecessary in kindergarten. It's a very passive way to learn at that age.

Depends on what's put on the smartboard and how it's used.

[Anonymous]

Is it possible to opt out of the chrome book? I agree OP it just seems unnecessary. T

[Anonymous]

I worry about this too but I'd also take what your son says with a grain of salt. My kid has very restricted screen time at home, so when they do things like watch a movie or use Chrome books at school, it's always VERY top of mind for her and will be the first thing she tells me. This is especially true when they give the kids screen time as a reward for something.

But I've talked to the teachers and I know they aren't actually on screens all day. The Chrome books in their classroom are one of 8 centers they rotate through and the others are hands on or book based. The YouTube videos are usually one of a handful of teaching videos the teachers use for their welcome song or a phonics program they are doing this year -- it's a very small part of the day, maybe 5 total minutes of YouTube videos each day (I've seen the videos, they are cute and the phonics ones are genuinely helping my kid learn letter combinations). I know the teachers do read alongs, and they also have regular class visits to the school library and periodic field trips to the neighborhood library. They are supplementing with those read along videos, which are also a part of the centers OR something the teachers use if they are short staffed or someone is sick and can't project when they read (very relevant this fall with everything going around).

Yes, if you talk to my kid it sounds like they do nothing but screens all day. In reality, she's getting between 15 and 60 minutes of screen time on a given day, and the 60 minute days are outliers when they are given a movie as a treat or there is a staffing issue. The rest of the day is spent singing songs, practicing reading actual books, doing math out of books, arts and crafts, etc. I know because I've seen the results of all these things too, even if my DD only remembers to tell me that they got to watch a movie during lunch that day as a reward for earning a certain number of points as a class. I know they earned those points mostly doing stuff that doesn't involve screens.

[Anonymous]

Calling bullsh@! on you being a teacher OP. If you were, you’d know that children are not the most reliable narrators. You’d also know how to go about getting a better sense from the teacher themselves.
All that said, I see teachers relying on videos for read alouds more frequently now than a few years ago. I think part of it is due to resources they developed during virtual instruction and hard copies of books not being available (in classroom/school library) so it’s easier to find a video then look for an alternative title that fits their need.
Again, if you were a classroom teacher I think you’d understand this.
—elementary teacher

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Calling bullsh@! on you being a teacher OP. If you were, you’d know that children are not the most reliable narrators. You’d also know how to go about getting a better sense from the teacher themselves.
All that said, I see teachers relying on videos for read alouds more frequently now than a few years ago. I think part of it is due to resources they developed during virtual instruction and hard copies of books not being available (in classroom/school library) so it’s easier to find a video then look for an alternative title that fits their need.
Again, if you were a classroom teacher I think you’d understand this.
—elementary teacher

This seems like a ridiculous reason/excuse to not read to the kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think screentime on a smartboard is less of a concern in older grades. Seems unnecessary in kindergarten. It's a very passive way to learn at that age.

Depends on what's put on the smartboard and how it's used.

My kid’s teachers basically used it as a chalkboard. But instead of writing a lesson on the board, they had pre-made PowerPoint slides. Or they’d type or draw on their touchscreen, and it would display on the screen. And kids could come up and select an answer or move something to the correct column or whatever.

Unless you’re playing videos, it’s no more passive than an old-school chalkboard or a whiteboard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calling bullsh@! on you being a teacher OP. If you were, you’d know that children are not the most reliable narrators. You’d also know how to go about getting a better sense from the teacher themselves.
All that said, I see teachers relying on videos for read alouds more frequently now than a few years ago. I think part of it is due to resources they developed during virtual instruction and hard copies of books not being available (in classroom/school library) so it’s easier to find a video then look for an alternative title that fits their need.
Again, if you were a classroom teacher I think you’d understand this.
—elementary teacher

This seems like a ridiculous reason/excuse to not read to the kids.

*Sigh*, what is so hard to understand about it? Teachers do read alouds on a daily basis. However,once in awhile, the book is not available to them physically, so on occasion, they will find a Youtube video of someone that is doing a read aloud. THE HORROR.....

So many people here simply choose not to use their brains and instead just decide something is "bad"when they have no idea what they are talking about. It's embarrassing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think screentime on a smartboard is less of a concern in older grades. Seems unnecessary in kindergarten. It's a very passive way to learn at that age.

Depends on what's put on the smartboard and how it's used.

My kid’s teachers basically used it as a chalkboard. But instead of writing a lesson on the board, they had pre-made PowerPoint slides. Or they’d type or draw on their touchscreen, and it would display on the screen. And kids could come up and select an answer or move something to the correct column or whatever.

Unless you’re playing videos, it’s no more passive than an old-school chalkboard or a whiteboard.

It is totally possible to use it to play dumb, low-quality videos, though, and some teachers use it that way. Or interactive "games" that aren't actually that interactive (90% video, 10% kid doing something).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calling bullsh@! on you being a teacher OP. If you were, you’d know that children are not the most reliable narrators. You’d also know how to go about getting a better sense from the teacher themselves.
All that said, I see teachers relying on videos for read alouds more frequently now than a few years ago. I think part of it is due to resources they developed during virtual instruction and hard copies of books not being available (in classroom/school library) so it’s easier to find a video then look for an alternative title that fits their need.
Again, if you were a classroom teacher I think you’d understand this.
—elementary teacher

This seems like a ridiculous reason/excuse to not read to the kids.

*Sigh*, what is so hard to understand about it? Teachers do read alouds on a daily basis. However,once in awhile, the book is not available to them physically, so on occasion, they will find a Youtube video of someone that is doing a read aloud. THE HORROR.....

So many people here simply choose not to use their brains and instead just decide something is "bad"when they have no idea what they are talking about. It's embarrassing.

It’s not hard to understand, but some people would prefer the teacher just read a physical book. Like, choose a different one.

[Anonymous]

This was the case at our ES even before Covid. The kids play ridiculous games on their Chromebooks, most of which are a huge waste of time. And they watch YouTube videos of teachers reading books. It’s pretty bad, IMO.

Even our Media Specialist would sometimes put on a video of some other random person reading a book instead of actually reading the book herself.

And yes, they watched videos as ‘rewards’ or during indoor recess. It was pretty frustrating, but I guess it’s just easier to throw on a video.

It is just the way things work in MCPS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is it possible to opt out of the chrome book? I agree OP it just seems unnecessary. T

Can’t opt out of the Chromebook.