Showing posts with label Cell Phones. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cell Phones. Show all posts

Monday, October 26, 2020

Back by Popular Demand: LIKE Documentary + Expert Panel


Back by popular demand, Minnetonka is hosting a fourth (virtual online) screening of the compelling documentary LIKE followed by a discussion panel on Thursday, November 12, from 7-8:30 pm.

Last year, more than 800 K-12 parents and all Minnetonka students in grades 6-12 saw this powerful film about the very real effects social media can have on our lives. Watching/re-watching this film together will help continue conversations. Even parents of elementary students found the film incredibly valuable to see as they set up guidelines for their children around the use of personal technology tools. LIKE captures interviews with students, parents, psychologists, doctors and experts from a wide-range of fields and perspectives.  

This time, we are adding a panel discussion with experts featured in the film who will share ideas and resources to help parents and students work toward a healthy relationship with social media, personal technology, and entertainment screen time. Panelists include:
  • Max Stossel, Head of Education & Content at Center for Humane Technology

  • Dr. Jerry Bubrick, Senior Psychologist at Child Mind Institute

  • Scilla Andreen, CEO and Co-Founder of IndieFlix 

  • Dave Eisenmann, Director of Instructional Technology for Minnetonka Schools

RSVP on our District Digital Health & Wellness website to reserve a spot for the free screening or to receive access to a recording of the event for 48 hours afterwards. On the webpage, you may also view trailers of the film, watch a 20 minute talk I gave about managing screen time and setting technology guidelines, and view numerous tips and resources around iPads and more.

Thank you for your help discussing these topics with your students and family!

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        Monday, May 18, 2020

        Excellent Pandemic Parent Digital Well-Being Guidelines from The Center for Humane Technology

        Recently Max Stossel, Head of Education for the Center for Humane Technology, worked with child health experts to create some great digital well-being guidelines for parents during the COVID pandemic. I have a picture of the main guidelines below, but be sure to visit their site so you can expand each guideline and learn more. These guidelines nicely point out the importance of understanding the how and why behind technology tools and apps: how they work to grab our attention, sway our opinions, alter our emotions and affect our relationships. There’s no time better than now with extra space on our schedules to make time to discuss the role of technology in our lives and become more cognizant of our use—“Techcognition” as I've called it.
         
        Source
        Use some of your extra pandemic free time to discuss these important topics with your kids! 

         Note: Max was the narrator of the "Like" Documentary About the Impact of Social Media we showed to all Minnetonka 6-12 grade students and parents this year. If you haven't seen the LIKE documentary, consider watching Max Stossel's 45 minute recorded student assembly and/or 60 minute parent presentation here. It's almost the identical content, just not professionally produced like the documentary which included interviews and graphics, etc.

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        Wednesday, May 13, 2020

        Make the Most of Extra Pandemic Screen Time: Keep Entertainment In Check!

        Our family has an enormous amount of free time due to canceled activities  during the COVID-19 pandemic. My wife and I are no longer like passing ships shuttling kids between sports practices, music concerts, school events, church activities and more. Even though we are missing friends and activities, we have found the extra time to be a gift, enjoying relaxed, less stressful evenings and weekends together. We especially cherish the extra time with our college daughter who is once again at the dinner table. We all spend more time on walks, playing games, doing puzzles, completing house projects, reading and of course, time with entertainment technology, social media and reading the latest news.

        Despite all the extra time we still work to keep a healthy balance with our use of entertainment technology. We limit the amount of shows and movies we watch, the amount of time playing video games and time consuming social media and news. We have increased the amount of entertainment screen time per day by an hour--from about 90 minutes per weekday to around two and a half hours--but still have “guardrails” in place.         We continue to use Apple Screen Time Restrictions to limit the time spent on non-educational technology. Rather than have unlimited access, our kids have an hour for non-violent video games like Minecraft and an hour for Netflix. Our high school kids also have 30 minutes a day for social media. We also consider the content on the screen--whether or not it is engaging vs. mindless entertainment--and make exceptions to our guidelines as necessary.

        Perhaps you haven’t set up any guardrails and much of your free time while sheltering in place is consumed by entertainment technology, social media & news. It’s not too late to make some changes! Years from now when things are back to “normal” (and you have a fully booked calendar), it would be great to think back to this time as something that brought your family closer together, rather than something that was simply endured. Make the most of it now!

        You may also want to check this article         on Screen Time in the Age of Coronavirus from another one of my favorite resources, Common Sense Media.

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        Monday, February 10, 2020

        My 20 Minute Ed Talk: Screen Time & Student Well-being


        The recording of the 20 minute EDTalk I gave last month in Minneapolis is now available. The talk was titled How to Raise Tech Healthy Kids. I spoke about creating habits that lead to digitally healthy individuals and shared simple tips to help both kids and adults balance the use of technology in our lives. In addition to the video above, there also is an audio recording of it if you'd prefer. After the EDTalk there was an audience Q & A session which you can view below.



        Prior to my talk, Erin Walsh from the Spark & Stitch Institute gave a great presentation about Students, Social Media and Mental Health. That recording can be watched below.



        Learn more about Achieve Minneapolis EDTalks.

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        Monday, December 30, 2019

        EDTalks: Screen Time & Student Well-being, January 13 @ 6pm


        I'm excited to join Erin Walsh from the Spark & Stitch Institute as we give two inspiring EDTalks on technology and student health on Monday, January 13,  2020, 6:00-7:30pm at the Icehouse in Minneapolis. Register here. Here are the details:

        It's Complicated: Students, Social Media and Mental Health 
        Students spend an average of 53 hours each week on social media and other technology – more than any other activity but sleeping. While many assume technology is inherently bad for student mental health, evidence suggests that it can either boost or undermine what young people need to thrive. As more and more schoolwork goes online, both the opportunities and challenges are magnified, and educators need to learn how to respond. Erin Walsh will describe the key ingredients for digital wellness and share strategies to help students thrive in a world of screens.

        Presenter: Erin Walsh, M.A, is co-founder of Spark & Stitch Institute, which translates brain science into practical strategies for parents and educators who want to raise courageous and connected kids. A national consultant on digital media and youth, she is co-author of the 10th anniversary edition of the bestseller, Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen, and lead program facilitator for Youth Frontiers, where she directs retreats for educators on the science of stress and why connection unleashes learning.

        Raising Tech-Healthy Kids   
        Tablets, smartphones, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube and more... technology is a central part of young people’s lives today. Keeping up can be challenging, but a positive and well-informed approach can have a big impact on a child’s future and in creating new habits that lead to digitally healthy individuals. Learn simple tips to help both kids and adults balance the use of technology in our lives.

        Presenter: Dave Eisenmann, M.A. Ed., is director of instructional technology and media services for Minnetonka Public Schools and a former classroom teacher. Dave has spoken to over 65,000 students, educators and parents about digital wellness and technology use. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Saint Mary's University Minneapolis, where he teaches classes on technology integration. 

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        Monday, November 11, 2019

        Relay, a Great Screen-less Starter Phone for Kids

        Relay (image source)
        A few years ago I wrote that it was best to wait until at least middle school to get a smartphone for a kid. I still believe that and don't think smartphones are needed in elementary school, but understand that some parents may like the ability to contact their kids and/or see where their kids are at any moment--did they remember to ride the bus home, are they at the park, how can I find them to let them know that our plans changed, etc.? There are certainly times where knowing this for our own current and former elementary aged kids would have been really helpful and/or provided peace of mind for my wife and me!

        Over the past couple of years a few friends with elementary aged children have opted to purchase a Relay. It basically is a push-button cellular walkie talkie with GPS and an accompanying parent app. The Relay costs about $45 plus a $10/month subscription fee. Parents and kids can contact one another to talk. The device blinks if the child has a voicemail. Pre-programmed approved numbers can be added. Parents can view the location of the RelayGo on a map in the app, set up alerts marking off a geofence, listen to missed messages and get alerts when the device's rechargeable battery power is low. Kids can name their device, add music and a few other things like a "daily joke" channel, translation channel and voice changer. An armband and a case with lanyard and carabiner can also be purchased. It's water resistant.

        A Minnetonka employee and parent using Relay explained to me that she and her husband wanted to start their fifth grade daughter on a screen-less communication device and not a smartphone. Their daughter wanted to bike on her own this summer. They wanted her to be able to be independent yet also keep in touch with her. The Relay was a way to build trust. They found it to be a great tool. She did mention that calls on WiFi were clear but initially they had to teach their daughter to not hold the Relay right next to her mouth when speaking on the cellular connection so they could understand her. 

        There are other options beside the Relay. Companies like Verizon offer the Gizmo kid's watch for about $130 with a two year contract. I have seen a few elementary students wearing these. If you have experience with them, let me know what you think. 

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