20 hrs ago
Philadelphia-Area Schools Reduce Devices and Screen Time
Several school districts near Philadelphia are giving young students less time with computers and tablets.
Some schools have stopped sending devices home.
One district is not giving iPads to kindergartners.
Another district now shares Chromebooks among younger students instead of giving each child one.
Some schools are also reducing online tests and limiting YouTube searches.
Parents who dislike classroom screens say the changes may reduce distractions.
They also think teachers may be able to lead lessons more directly.
Other parents worry that students will still use technology often in class.
These parents want schools to review technology use in older grades too.
Several Philadelphia-region districts are reducing classroom technology use, especially in elementary schools.
Colonial students can no longer take school laptops home overnight.
Tredyffrin/Easttown is not assigning iPads to kindergartners and restricts tablet use at home.
Methacton replaced individual devices with shared Chromebooks for kindergarten and first-grade activities.
Some parents welcome the changes, while others want broader technology reviews through higher grades.
- Who
- Public school districts in the Philadelphia region, along with parents and education-technology advocacy groups.
- What
- Districts are reducing or ending individual-device programs, limiting take-home devices, and cutting some online activities for younger students.
- Where
- Public schools across the Philadelphia region in the United States.
- When
- Why
- The changes respond to concerns about classroom screen use, distractions, and the role of technology in instruction.
Support Less Screen Use
Seek Broader Technology Access
Classroom instruction
Support Less Screen Use
Reducing devices could help teachers lead instruction more directly and reduce distractions.
Seek Broader Technology Access
Because students will continue using devices in many classrooms, the changes may have only a limited effect.
Scope of restrictions
Support Less Screen Use
Parents advocating less screen time want schools to reduce technology use, especially in elementary grades.
Seek Broader Technology Access
Other parents argue that schools should examine technology reliance in higher grades, where it is more deeply integrated into the curriculum.
Parent involvement
Support Less Screen Use
Technology review groups with parent representation could help districts make further changes.
Seek Broader Technology Access
Districts may continue using technology extensively, particularly in middle and high school, making broader reductions more difficult.
Key facts
- Colonial School District
- Elementary students are barred from taking laptops home at night.
- Tredyffrin/Easttown School District
- The district is not assigning iPads to kindergartners, and elementary students cannot take tablets home at the end of the day.
- Methacton
- Kindergartners and first graders use shared Chromebooks for centre-based activities instead of individual devices.
- Phoenixville Area School District
- The one-to-one device program ended for students from kindergarten through third grade.
- Wallingford-Swarthmore
- Students in kindergarten through second grade will take fewer online assessments, and students through fifth grade cannot search or browse YouTube.
- PA Unplugged
- The statewide group advocating limits on educational technology has about 5,000 supporters.
- Wallingford-Swarthmore enrollment
- The district has about 3,700 students.
Quotes
Alex Bird Becker
Wallingford-Swarthmore parent and activist with PA Unplugged, a group advocating limits on educational technology
“For many districts, reducing computer use in elementary schools "seemed like the low-hanging fruit,"”
NDTV
Sources
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