cognitive depth, and emotional reserve.
But ... if the environment is negative,
conflictual, insensitive, disengaged,
abusive, or inappropriately stimulated
(which includes too much screen
time), the brain will hardwire patterns
of aggression, dysphoria, dysregula-
tion, and learning problems that may
become a lifelong pattern.”
In addition, the more TV a child
watches, the more opportunities they
have to be exposed to inappropriate im-
ages. Even when I watch family shows
and sports with my children, I am
surprised by the sexual explicitness of
reality TV, the ever-present erectile dys-
function commercials, and how women
are depicted in beer advertisements.
Nowadays, it is basically impossible to calculate the amount of your
child’s screen time. Screens already fit
in our children’s pockets, and chips
just continue to get smaller, cheaper,
and more ubiquitous. Even minivan
“Paying attention” to educational movies to the point of acting comatose
may not be the kind of engagement we are looking for.
advertisements argue that harmony in
the automobile is a given because of the
existence of headrest-mounted DVD
players. All that means is that we now
have the option to mind-numb our
children instead of engaging them in
conversation about license plates from
other states, playing 20 Questions or I
Spy, or making up stories.
Don’t get me wrong—children can
benefit from strategic uses of screen
time. Shows such as Sesame Street,
Modern Marvels, and the HBO show
Master Class are all great sources of
educational content. But just so I am
clear, “paying attention” to educational
movies to the point of acting comatose may not be the kind of engagement we are looking for.
With all things, there is a need for bal-
ance. As educators, we must not only be
aware of how screen time fits the class-
room curriculum, but also its part in the
whole-day educational process, includ-
ing home, school, and childcare. It is
critical to use class time to its fullest and
to use computers for only the highest
levels of cognitive thought and learning.
That means we should use computers
only to enhance the curriculum and not
just because we need a break from class-
room management or because grades
are due the next day.
It is preposterous to suggest that
students get too much screen time in
school. Even in schools with a laptop
per child, computers tend to be quite
underused, especially in constructive,
creative ways. The average student in
a Western industrialized nation uses
a school computer less than an hour
per week. Too often that paltry time
is squandered on school concoctions
like keyboarding instruction, tech
literacy assessment, or making PowerPoint files on topics of no interest
to the student or likely anyone else.
It seems odd that “ed tech professionals”
would make blanket arguments about
technology use. Perhaps we need a greater vision and better ability to articulate
the value of computers in education.
It all depends on how you define
“screen.” You never hear thoughtful
adults complain about too much piano
time or pencil time or paintbrush
time or book time. Only an immature
experts need more screen time, not
less. What if what children did with
computers was good? That standard
should replace all others.
Perusing the exhibit hall of an ed
tech conference could easily lead one
to want to keep children away from
screens altogether. Confections like
interactive whiteboards, clickers,
and data management systems may
produce an illusion of modernity,
but they rob children of agency and a
chance to achieve their full potential.
There is an alternative. Students
using computers to compose music,
program simulations, design video
games, make films, conduct science
experiments, and collaborate with
