Screentime at School in Kindergarten

[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.

Having a video of a book playing with the words displayed gigantically so the whole class can see it too? Awesome. Way better than a teacher reading a book holding it up where the kids can barely see it. Use your minds folks. There are so many ways technology can help us. Perhaps avoid the reflexive view that all technology must be bad?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I just posted about the benefit of seeing the words in big print. Tell me the benefits of the teacher reading the physical book and the kids not seeing the text.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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).

Yes; it’s possible to play “dumb” videos. Is that what your child’s teacher is actually doing?

[Anonymous]

I volunteered in my kid’s class and saw each kid got about 15 minutes on Chromebook as one center. Then at dinner DA confidently told his dad he got to spend “all afternoon” on it. I was there so I know it didn’t happen!

I would prefer none at all but I also don’t think 15 minutes of nonsense will hurt my kid. Won’t help him but won’t hurt him either.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

Does your child go to MCPS? The bolded surprises me - don't they all have their own Chromebooks?

[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.

Yeah this explanation hardly makes me feel better about what OP posted. Just makes it seem more accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

+1

[Anonymous]

It does seem like a lot, but what do I know. The favorite part of DD’s day is watching a pbs kids show at the end of the day.

[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.

Yeah this explanation hardly makes me feel better about what OP posted. Just makes it seem more accurate.

I’m the teacher who posted this. I am in no way defending the use of a video read aloud vs an actual read aloud by the teacher in the classroom. I am reporting what I have seen in my building. It’s not most teachers nor is it most of the time. I do see it more frequently than I did prior to March 2020 though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I just posted about the benefit of seeing the words in big print. Tell me the benefits of the teacher reading the physical book and the kids not seeing the text.

I could care less if my kid gets 10% more sight words crammed in in a day. Would much rather she get to relax and enjoy a story read by her teacher. Truly don’t get why this is hard to understand. Kindergartners are there to build connections, learn social/life skills and develop a love of learning. Of course they get a lower quality experience from screens.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

Does your child go to MCPS? The bolded surprises me - don't they all have their own Chromebooks?

DP

I don’t get this either. My K kid got her own Chromebook and used it all the time. Her oldest sibling was in K about 10 years ago, when they did have a Chromebook cart.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It's like you're not even listening to what people are saying. 99% of the time teachers are reading aloud to their students. Once in awhile, they want to read a book that is relevant to what they are teaching but don't have physical access to the book, so they use a Youtube read-aloud. Hardly the crisis situation you seem to think it is. You sound like a petulant child though.. "like..choose a different one *pouts*" Grow up and join the rest of us in the year 2022, where sometimes (NOT ALWAYS) but once in awhile, we use technology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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

Teacher here. Do you know who buys all of the books teachers read to students? Teachers buy them. It took me many, many years to build up my classroom library. If I don't have a book and nobody in my school has it, I show it on YouTube.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It's like you're not even listening to what people are saying. 99% of the time teachers are reading aloud to their students. Once in awhile, they want to read a book that is relevant to what they are teaching but don't have physical access to the book, so they use a Youtube read-aloud. Hardly the crisis situation you seem to think it is. You sound like a petulant child though.. "like..choose a different one *pouts*" Grow up and join the rest of us in the year 2022, where sometimes (NOT ALWAYS) but once in awhile, we use technology.

You sound very intent on justifying use of screens!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

It's like you're not even listening to what people are saying. 99% of the time teachers are reading aloud to their students. Once in awhile, they want to read a book that is relevant to what they are teaching but don't have physical access to the book, so they use a Youtube read-aloud. Hardly the crisis situation you seem to think it is. You sound like a petulant child though.. "like..choose a different one *pouts*" Grow up and join the rest of us in the year 2022, where sometimes (NOT ALWAYS) but once in awhile, we use technology.

Don't waste your breath-the people with brains understand this. Unfortunately, DCUM is full of woefully inept and ignorant people who think their way is the only way and therefore, everyone else should follow suit.