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OPINION: Children today are facing a mental health crisis. Smartphones are making it worse

The Hechinger Report

I am a dad of two teenage sons, the only ones in their respective grades without smartphones. Today’s teens spend up to nine hours a day on screens or smartphones, while children ages 8 to 12 are on for four to six hours, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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A Practical Way to Increase Access to Mobile Technology Regardless of Age

A Principal's Reflections

We still have a long way to go in many places, but the increase in access provides kids with an array of innovative learning opportunities that continue to evolve. With that being said I do want to share a pretty cool and practical idea I stumbled upon during one of my coaching visits with Wells Elementary School.

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Robotics and Computer Science for Elementary Level Learners

User Generated Education

I absolutely love all of the new robotics toys that have been coming out for elementary age learners. ® is a non-profit dedicated to expanding access to computer science, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented minorities. Sphero is robotic ball that connects to your smartphone or tablets over Bluetooth.

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Why we should teach coding in elementary school

eSchool News

Every student should have access to technology, whether it be computers, smartphones, or tablets because almost everything we do requires some form of programming. There are several advantages of learning to code in elementary school. Why coding instruction should begin as early as possible.

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Deciding At What Age To Give A Kid A Smartphone

MindShift

So what’s a parent to do when a child, possibly a very young child, asks for a smartphone? We hear that smartphones can be addictive, that screen time can hurt learning , but can’t these minicomputers also teach kids about responsibility and put educational apps at their tiny fingertips?

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SplashLearn - a game based learning program free for teachers and schools to use

Educational Technology Guy

SplashLearn stands with schools/districts affected with closure due to COVID-19 (Corona Virus) outbreak : All educators have free access to SplashLearn with Home Access to enable remote learning. SplashLearn is curriculum-aligned and covers Pre-kindergarten through Grade 5 for math, and elementary reading for kids from 3 to 8 years.

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Balance the Delivery

Ask a Tech Teacher

While already aware of the effects smartphones had on students’ attention, I tried to keep a balanced approach to using technology in my classroom. So, I took it upon myself to implement it in my classroom with some success selecting certain days during the instructional week to limit screen access.