understanding how 'screen time' affects learning
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Understanding How ‘Screen Time’ Affects Learning
Becoming Media Mentors for Young Children
Lisa Guernsey
NAEYC 2013
About me
Director, Early Education Initiative at New America in Washington, DC
Researcher and policy analyst
Edu, sci & tech journalist
Author, Screen Time ScreenTimeBook.com
Published by Basic Books * Paperback Spring 2012
Today’s talk
1. Quick poll
2. 5 assumptions about screen time
3. How the The Three C’s may help
4. The need for media mentors
Photo: Messina1017 on Flickr
How old are the children in your life?
__ Infants (0-1 yr olds)
__ Toddlers (1-3 yr olds)
__ Preschoolers (3-5 yr olds)
__ Early elementary (5-8 yr olds)
Which screen media did they consume/interact with yesterday?
__ Traditional TV and DVDs
__ Video games via console with TV set
__ Packaged computer software (like Jump Start)
__ Apps and other games on a tablet (like an iPad)
__ Video clips/photographs on a computer or tablet
How would you describe your feelings about children’s media use?
__ I don’t worry very much about my kids using screen media.
__ I worry about the impact of screen media on their development.
__ I don’t know whether to be worried or not because I don’t know enough about how screen media is affecting them.
Smartphone ownership by age
Source: Pew Internet and American Life Project, May 2013
Trends in time spent
SOURCE: Common Sense Media, 2011; Kaiser Family Foundation, 2005.
*2011 results reflect answers to the use of apps, iPod and iPads across all four types of activities. In 2005, apps did not exist and were not part of the survey.
Minutes spent w/screen media per day among 6 mo – 6 yr olds
What media means to family life and children’s learning
Daily routines: Where does digital media fit? How is it connected to what children want to learn and need to learn?
What kind of content are they watching or playing with?
And where: Bedrooms? Living rooms? Libraries?
Why are children captivated? Does that mean they are learning? What *aren’t* they learning?
How True Are Our Assumptions About Screen Time?
In recent issue of NAEYC for Familieshttp://families.naeyc.org
Assumption 1: As long as the content is “educational,” it’s good for children.
What the research shows: Children don’t always learn what the program creators intend; sometimes they actually
learn the opposite.
Well-designed video: Positive impact on emergent literacy skills at age 5
Study: Could SuperWhy! give children a leg-up on being able to identify sounds, letters and words?
Results: •Reduced many of the typical gaps in pre-reading skills seen between disadvantaged children and well-off children •Even just 3 or 4 episodes made a difference
SOURCE: Linebarger, 2010, retrieved from http://pbskids.org/read/files/SuperWHY_Research_View.pdf
Interaction via a screenEvidence of learning when children
are interacting with character on screen.
Toddlers who show signs of participating with the person on screen were the same ones who used the on-screen information successfully in a “find-the-toy” task
• (Troseth & Saylor, 2006)
Touchscreens with 3-year-olds
Touching a spacebar to “find the puppets” in a computer game led children to find the puppets in a physical version of the game as well.
Interacting with the content seemed to improve the ability to learn from the screen.
- Lauricella et al, 2010
What to look for in screen media
Straightline storytelling
Participation
Labeling on screen
Engagement
Repetition, review, routine
Non-violence
Assumption 2: The TV may be on in the background, but my children aren’t affected.
What the research shows: The TV shows in the background may be impacting your child more than you think.
Study: Does background TV impact play and parent-child interaction?
When the TV is always on…
Results: Worse play. Reduced interactions.
SOURCE: Anderson, 2007; Kirkorian, 2009
“Parents wereless responsive to their children in the presence of television.”
Assumption 3: All media for children under age 2 is damaging.
What the research shows: If parents use media with children under 2, they should make sure that screen time leads to social interactions with their babies and toddlers, instead of replacing those interactions. Parents should avoid exposing their very young children to adult-directed programming.
Scratch, scratch, what are you?
With permission from Judy DeLoache, UVa
Before age 2
• Attachment and security are paramount
• Social interaction as foundation for learning
• AAP guidance• Mixed evidence
of learning from passive viewing
Assumption 4: Scary movies and TV shows just go over children’s heads.
What the research shows: Scary programs influence children’s sleep and more.
Video not designed for preschoolers: Negative effect on executive function
A small but growing number of studies are pointing to a critical difference between programs made for young children and those that aren’t
• Adult-directed TV longitudinal study by Barr et al, 2010
• Spongebob experiment by Lillard & Peterson, 2011
Assumption 5: E-books are distracting to young children.
What the research shows: It’s all about how they are used.
Photo by JGCC Research Team
In short, the science says:
Content matters• Ask yourself: Can children follow the story? What
are the signs that they are absorbing its lessons?
Context matters• Focus on social interactions, back-and-forth
conversation, setting healthy daily routines
Every child is different• Parents should tune in to the needs of each
individual child, foster curiosity & exploration
The Three C’s
Content Context Child
See ScreenTimeBook.comPublished by Basic Books * Paperback Spring 2012
The hazard
The Imperative
Media Mentors
Trying to fill the need for curation & evaluation
•Common Sense Media•Early Learning Environment (Ele)•Children’s Technology Review•Little eLit blog•ASLA “best apps for teaching and learning”•Parents’ Choice•Appolicious, YogiPlay
On route to media mentorship
- Remember the Three C’s
- Limits are part of raising kids, but probe why you’re imposing them
- Consider how to introduce media as springboard for co-learning and co-exploration, online and offline
Photo by Joan Ganz Cooney Center Research Team
Contact Information
Lisa GuernseyDirector, Early Education InitiativeNew America Foundationeducation.newamerica.net
Author, Screen Time: How Electronic Media – From Baby Videos to Educational Software – Affects Your Young Child (Basic Books, 2012)
www.screentimebook.com
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