Screentime at School in Kindergarten

[Anonymous]

Looks like we got a lot of kindergarten experts here! Maybe you should apply to MCPS because you're so knowledgeable!

[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.

DP but yep this is the embarrassing part PP was referring to. A different book would not automatically be better because it's not delivered via "screen".

[Anonymous]

Yes, the experience for the kids would be objectively better. Maybe the book wouldn’t be as thematic, as current or whatever—but screen based will never be as rich, sensorial or connecting of an experience. How is this up for debate?

[Anonymous]

Why not play cosmic kids yoga instead of PE? It’s amazing content…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This may be a dumb question, but can teachers take books out of the public library? The local ones let you take out dozens and keep them for ages.

I use YouTube readalouds to source and preview new books. But I’m not showing them to my five-year-old. The minimal screen time she gets is for content I can’t deliver some other way—the relaxation of an animated Room on the Broom or an old Mr. Rogers touring a factory.

Yes but the seasonal/holiday books are hoarded by one or two teachers. It's fine if you need a book that isn't seasonal or holiday. I would never borrow library books for the students to use though. I learned my lesson the hard way my first year of teaching. I was very slowly building up my classroom library by going to garage sales, etc. I borrowed library books and a few were destroyed. I had to pay for them. That was the end of that.

[Anonymous]

People who are not in the classroom full time truly don't have any idea what is happening in the classroom. I teach K and probably use the smart board 15 minutes per day, if that. But a parent would never know that. Honestly, if you have an issue, OP, go and talk with your kid's teacher and stop spreading inaccuracies online.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Looks like we got a lot of kindergarten experts here! Maybe you should apply to MCPS because you're so knowledgeable!

Believe it or not, many parents are also informed about children and their needs! We watch them the other 70 percent of the time.

[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.

DP but yep this is the embarrassing part PP was referring to. A different book would not automatically be better because it's not delivered via "screen".

Except that for many people, it would in fact be preferable, hence this discussion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Looks like we got a lot of kindergarten experts here! Maybe you should apply to MCPS because you're so knowledgeable!

Believe it or not, many parents are also informed about children and their needs! We watch them the other 70 percent of the time.

Lol, I'm not a teacher, I'm a parent and I can definitely tell you most of the parents in this county rely on the schools to raise their children. Maybe try reading to your kids yourself. I know...you'd actually have to do your job as a parent-I know, it's a crazy idea!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love Obama but this is the worst part of his legacy. The idea that technology strengthens the school experience. Even if 10% of the time it is useful, what a huge loss overall. So many missed interpersonal connections, so many missed *neural* connections when paper, pencil and hand are pushed to the side. So much habituation to instant gratification. We are creating a generation of screen addicts with poor eyesight and no patience.

To those of you advocating for a readaloud on screen, do you not get what’s missing? The physical closeness of the teacher surrounded by a semicircle of kids. Getting to know and love your teacher’s reading voice. Kids jockeying to see better, strengthening their negotiating and self advocacy skills—and their eyesight. The reverence for a tangible product rather than a screen. Teacher slowing down to answer questions with no glitches or blue light. Also, kids benefit from repeating the same books and daily chapters from a long book.

Well said.

Especially in the younger grades. Kids in K and 1st grade would be happy to play games or do puzzles or color or play with LEGOs during indoor recess. But it’s easier and quieter to throw on a video, so that’s what happens.

My first grader gets toys every time there's indoor recess, I've never heard her mention a video and she's very excited to tell me about any videos they watch ever.

My 1st grader plays games on the chrome book when there is indoor recess (it was that way in kindergarten too). I doubt they have enough things like puzzles, legos to keep them occupied, it’s an entire grade that has recess at once and the indoor space isn’t comparable to outside. Overall I wish they’d lose screens less but recess isn’t something I’m going to fret about.

[Anonymous]

We need to start training them at a young age for their future as office drones who will stare at computers all day.

My kids K class had only 20 mins of recess due to “instructional hour requirements” but every day ended with a 30 minute cartoon while eating packaged processed food snacks. The latter counted as instructional time, but recess and lunch do not.

[Anonymous]

Oh and eventually they went to indoor recess all winter, and because it was too chaotic to have kids playing, it was just a tv show every day for “recess.”

[Anonymous]

I can’t believe they re-elected most of the school board. I pulled my kids from a W feeder elementary because of this indoor recess and screentime BS. I would love to send them back to MCPS, but the system is a mess and the parents are drones trying to pretend everything is okay and get upset and side eye anyone who questions the status quo as if you’re a crazy Republican. It’s horrible! They are destroying an excellent system by ignoring kids basic need to be taught and have recess, not screens all the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love Obama but this is the worst part of his legacy. The idea that technology strengthens the school experience. Even if 10% of the time it is useful, what a huge loss overall. So many missed interpersonal connections, so many missed *neural* connections when paper, pencil and hand are pushed to the side. So much habituation to instant gratification. We are creating a generation of screen addicts with poor eyesight and no patience.

To those of you advocating for a readaloud on screen, do you not get what’s missing? The physical closeness of the teacher surrounded by a semicircle of kids. Getting to know and love your teacher’s reading voice. Kids jockeying to see better, strengthening their negotiating and self advocacy skills—and their eyesight. The reverence for a tangible product rather than a screen. Teacher slowing down to answer questions with no glitches or blue light. Also, kids benefit from repeating the same books and daily chapters from a long book.

Why are we blaming Obama for this?

Remember when the Republican wet dream for a charter school is like Rocketship chartwrveverybody on computers all day and then you could pull kids out for individual instruction or something . Sure the assumption was that you could keep kids docile if they're always using technology

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I can’t believe they re-elected most of the school board. I pulled my kids from a W feeder elementary because of this indoor recess and screentime BS. I would love to send them back to MCPS, but the system is a mess and the parents are drones trying to pretend everything is okay and get upset and side eye anyone who questions the status quo as if you’re a crazy Republican. It’s horrible! They are destroying an excellent system by ignoring kids basic need to be taught and have recess, not screens all the time.

Rather kids go outside in the rain