Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 19:35     Subject: Re:Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Anonymous wrote:I’m one of the “maniacs” above. I’m not irate about YouTube readalouds themselves, but what they represent: the sweeping acceptance that digital substitutes are acceptable when they are a net negative and everyone knows it! Readalouds are probably one of the least problematic substitutions. See PP’s great point about math manipulatives. See the proliferation of app assessments. Encanto screenings at celebrations. On and on.

I don’t blame teachers for any of it. Edutech is a big business, as is curricular design, as is IT support…and Covid just accelerated the trend. meanwhile Silicon Valley execs send their kids to tech-free schools.



I teach in another MD district. We are required to use the various platforms a minimum amount each week per student. Amplify, iReady, Zearn, etc. Results of usage are sent to principals weekly and the rankings are shared during principal meetings. No principal wants to be at the bottom of the list so they come back to school and create incentives for classes to use these platforms. It's considered personalized learning and the time is built into our schedule but we have so much to cover during the day that was often don't get to it.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 16:47     Subject: Re:Screentime at School in Kindergarten
I understand posters who accept the status quo and aren’t up in arms—but those of you who *want* a five year old interfacing with tech throughout the day… I just don’t get it. You really think they need to build these skills, now?
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 16:05     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I love that they're starting in K with digital literacy. Screen time is essential for building the skills of tomorrow.


nobody born after 2000 will have a problem with digital literacy. No additional exposure is needed.


Ask a kid how to hack into YouTube past the mcps firewalls and I'm sure they can give you five or six solutions ask a kid how to open up a word document and save it and then open it up later they will be confused.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 15:57     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
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


You are enrolled at a school district with 30 plus kids as normal. What did you expect?
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 15:16     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I'd argue I had more computer time at school in the late 90s early 2000s than kids have today. We had a dedicated computer lab and we spent an hour in the lab once or twice a week. We even *gasp* used that time to just play games like Number Munchers and Oregon Trail. Parents didnt lose their minds and we all turned out perfectly fine. The pearl clutching is just over the top.


Same, and we watched plenty of TV too. But overall, it was more balanced - we had zero phone/tablet exposure, more physical activity, and more social/neighborhood play time. (And even back then we were still worried about kids being couch potatoes.). Also, there is a difference between the screen appropriateness for K/1 vs older grades.


The complaint here is about KINDERGARTEN. People sending their 5 year old babies off to school for the whole day expect a maternal, affectionate, nurturing teacher reading to the kids and singing songs, not planting them in front of a laptop like drones.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 14:30     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Anonymous wrote:I'd argue I had more computer time at school in the late 90s early 2000s than kids have today. We had a dedicated computer lab and we spent an hour in the lab once or twice a week. We even *gasp* used that time to just play games like Number Munchers and Oregon Trail. Parents didnt lose their minds and we all turned out perfectly fine. The pearl clutching is just over the top.


An hour in the computer lab twice a week is still WAY less than what my ES kid gets.

And, when we had ‘Computer Lab’ time in ES, they actually taught us programming sometimes (BASIC).

MCPS has not ever done programming. Or typing.

I don’t really see parents on this thread ‘losing their minds’. I see them expressive valid concerns about the over-reliance on screens, especially for our younger learners.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 13:49     Subject: Re:Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I’m one of the “maniacs” above. I’m not irate about YouTube readalouds themselves, but what they represent: the sweeping acceptance that digital substitutes are acceptable when they are a net negative and everyone knows it! Readalouds are probably one of the least problematic substitutions. See PP’s great point about math manipulatives. See the proliferation of app assessments. Encanto screenings at celebrations. On and on.

I don’t blame teachers for any of it. Edutech is a big business, as is curricular design, as is IT support…and Covid just accelerated the trend. meanwhile Silicon Valley execs send their kids to tech-free schools.


There are no tech-free schools because it is 2022, not 1950. You are all so ridiculous. Technology shouldn't be used for everything, but you need to start accepting that is used more widely and at EVERY SCHOOL. Education should evolve and adapt with the times. You clearly haven't.


I have heard this argument and find it unpersuasive. There will always be people who are willing to go with the flow of the times and argue that that is a good thing. And then there are people who can think critically and evaluate whether it is objectively helpful to go with the flow. Whether the current trend will help or detract from the goal of raising informed and contributing members of society.

Also, using and teaching technology is wholly different from relying on technology to teach other things that are better taught with other methods. I have nothing against the former; of course technology needs to be taught. But it doesn't sound like that is what MCPS is doing (see posts above about not teaching typing). Instead, it sounds like they are using technology to teach other things and that raises legitimate questions of effectiveness vis a vis traditional methods.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 13:46     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Anonymous wrote:I'd argue I had more computer time at school in the late 90s early 2000s than kids have today. We had a dedicated computer lab and we spent an hour in the lab once or twice a week. We even *gasp* used that time to just play games like Number Munchers and Oregon Trail. Parents didnt lose their minds and we all turned out perfectly fine. The pearl clutching is just over the top.


Same, and we watched plenty of TV too. But overall, it was more balanced - we had zero phone/tablet exposure, more physical activity, and more social/neighborhood play time. (And even back then we were still worried about kids being couch potatoes.). Also, there is a difference between the screen appropriateness for K/1 vs older grades.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 13:26     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
I'd argue I had more computer time at school in the late 90s early 2000s than kids have today. We had a dedicated computer lab and we spent an hour in the lab once or twice a week. We even *gasp* used that time to just play games like Number Munchers and Oregon Trail. Parents didnt lose their minds and we all turned out perfectly fine. The pearl clutching is just over the top.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 13:22     Subject: Re:Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Anonymous wrote:I’m one of the “maniacs” above. I’m not irate about YouTube readalouds themselves, but what they represent: the sweeping acceptance that digital substitutes are acceptable when they are a net negative and everyone knows it! Readalouds are probably one of the least problematic substitutions. See PP’s great point about math manipulatives. See the proliferation of app assessments. Encanto screenings at celebrations. On and on.

I don’t blame teachers for any of it. Edutech is a big business, as is curricular design, as is IT support…and Covid just accelerated the trend. meanwhile Silicon Valley execs send their kids to tech-free schools.


There are no tech-free schools because it is 2022, not 1950. You are all so ridiculous. Technology shouldn't be used for everything, but you need to start accepting that is used more widely and at EVERY SCHOOL. Education should evolve and adapt with the times. You clearly haven't.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 12:56     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
The one thing that would be useful---typing----they don't teach. It makes no sense!
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 12:55     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Or, you can go online, place books on hold, and pick up at your local library.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 12:38     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
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.


+1. Schools won't buy teacher's books for read-alouds? GTFO. Let a parent know. Those books will find their way into a classroom.


Not in a Title 1 school. Barely half of my students bring in school supplies. No parent is buying books for my class. Most of the kids don’t have books at home.


MCPS has TONS of money. They even admitted so during one of the BOE meetings. Make your voice heard and ask the BOE to spend more money on the things that actually help the kids (versus stupid initiatives like the Kid Museum and bocce).

We are at a FOCUS school, and we have plenty of low-income families. Our PTA still manages to get book donations for the media center and for classrooms.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 11:34     Subject: Re:Screentime at School in Kindergarten
I’m one of the “maniacs” above. I’m not irate about YouTube readalouds themselves, but what they represent: the sweeping acceptance that digital substitutes are acceptable when they are a net negative and everyone knows it! Readalouds are probably one of the least problematic substitutions. See PP’s great point about math manipulatives. See the proliferation of app assessments. Encanto screenings at celebrations. On and on.

I don’t blame teachers for any of it. Edutech is a big business, as is curricular design, as is IT support…and Covid just accelerated the trend. meanwhile Silicon Valley execs send their kids to tech-free schools.
Anonymous
Post 11/10/2022 11:15     Subject: Screentime at School in Kindergarten
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I love that they're starting in K with digital literacy. Screen time is essential for building the skills of tomorrow.


nobody born after 2000 will have a problem with digital literacy. No additional exposure is needed.


Just want to point out that kids are extremely good at using computers for entertainment but most of them do not know how to use computers as learning tools which is why you need to explicitly teach typing and how to use different software.



MCPS does not teach typing. We taught our kids over the summer using an online course.


Mine picked it up from playing Minecraft.