SMMUSD parents push back on classroom video viewing
A first-grade parent told the school board her kids are watching movies instead of PE and recess, as the district weighs a new screen-time policy.
By Hans Laetz
Parents in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District descended on the school board meeting Thursday to complain about too much video in the classroom — not kids bringing their own pocket games or phones to school, but videos being shown during class time on school-issued tablets or on big monitors.
One parent, Sylvia Ewald, has a first grader at a school in Santa Monica. She said the evidence shows young kids learn best through personal interactions with teachers, students and staff, and through hands-on activities, and that screens can increase behavioral issues and decrease attention span and learning.
She said her kids are coming home talking about watching movies instead of doing recess and watching videos instead of doing PE — specifically Angry Birds 2, a sequel to a movie about a phone game.
The school board is grappling with a new policy limiting overall screen time for students, covering both personal devices and video monitors and tablets used in class.
Comments (2)
You're right, JustMe157436, Context is missing. It was about far more than watching a single movie on a hot day. It was about the lack of a SMMUSD tech policy. It was about putting iPads in 4 year old's hands... at school. It was about 1st graders getting AI search results. It was about slightly older kids speedily half-assing classwork so they could get a "screen-time reward" (in class). It was about teachers and parents who didn't know "Opting-Out of Youtube" on the Aries portal does not prevent children from watching Youtube videos that teachers embed in lessons or homework. It was about stemming the tide of edTech's encroachment into education that gamifies learning to the point where students are engaged and occupied for record time year over year -- even as their test scores, attention spans, and cognitive capabilities are going down the drain. Here's a link to more expansive coverage of the school board meeting https://www.smdp.com/parents-press-santa-monica-malibu-school-board-to-rein-in-classroom-screen-time/ And if you're really interested in the subject, I'd recommend that you read "The Digital Delusion".
Context is missing... was this movie viewing specific to the days that have been close to 90 degrees outside? Or a long running issue before Summer? Also, who selects the movies? Couldn't they be based on books that students are reading? (or being read to, if talking about 5 & 6 year olds). Agree, cartoons should not be part of the school day