Islanders invited to weigh in on new screen time guidelines for schools
People can review the document and provide feedback via email until Feb. 6
Islanders can have a say on new draft guidelines for screen time in schools, which the P.E.I. government released this week to encourage healthy screen-use habits in classrooms.
The Department of Education and Early Years published the draft on Thursday offering recommendations for more purposeful screen use and inviting people to review the document and provide feedback via email until Feb. 6.
Maribeth Rogers-Neale, director of English education, programs and services, said the guidelines are needed more than ever as technology now plays an increasing role in education and daily life.
"Our ultimate goal will be the well-being of children and youth in school," she told CBC News.
"We wouldn't want to — by introducing learning around technology — do any undue harm with exposing students to too much screen time."
Health risks
The guidelines were developed with input from Travis Saunders, acting chair of UPEI's Applied Human Sciences Department.
The professor said high screen time can negatively affect children's physical and mental health, posing higher risks of anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, posture issues and obesity. It can affect kids' academic performance, too.
"We also know that the average kid on P.E.I. is getting about four times more than what's recommended. The recommendations are two hours a day," he said.
The guidelines are based on a lot of research over the past decade, Saunders said, including screen recommendations from the Canadian Paediatric Society, and aim to provide clear recommendations for Island teachers, students and parents.
"The big benefit to this is that this gets everyone on the same page."
Rogers-Neale said the guidelines aim to support teachers in deciding when and how to use technology effectively in their teaching in order to benefit students' learning and skill development. The document specifically recommends avoiding the use of screen-based classroom management tools.
"We don't want to think about just replacing paper and pencil and putting a Chromebook in front of a student. We want to get them using digital citizenship skills and digital skills to enhance their knowledge with technology," she said.
The guidelines also recommend using screens purposefully to enhance learning and avoiding passive consumption.
For example, they recommend that students avoid screen use during meal and snack times, as screens can distract from mindful eating and lead to over- or undereating, though eating in front of screens has become common.
"It's kind of a way of life, and we know it is in students' lives and society's lives, but now we have research that says, you know, what's the long term impacts of of this lifestyle?" Rogers-Neale said.
More could be done
David Schult, president of the P.E.I. Home and School Federation, welcomes the guidelines. The group asked province last year for policies to address screen use in schools.
He said there are beneficial recommendations in the document, including the need to take periodic breaks when screens are used, as well as their consideration of not only students but also families and teachers.
"We need to work harder on modelling our good behaviour, so our children can learn from us," he said.
We wouldn't want to — by introducing learning around technology — do any undue harm with exposing students to too much screen time- Maribeth Rogers-Neale
Schult also pointed to how the guidelines recommend avoiding passive screen use.
"Technology in the classroom has has several uses, and the lowest level is that passive absorption of information where you're just watching a movie, where you're just answering questions on a screen and it's just taking the place of what used to be on a movie projector," he said.
"That's not really a valuable use of technology."
However, he believes the guidelines could go further by addressing how teachers can use technology in more innovative ways to foster problem-solving and creative thinking.
He said meaningful use of technology requires breaking down traditional subject barriers and designing lessons that connect with students' passions. For example, a student interested in hockey could work on creating a safer helmet, a project that would involve biology, math, physics and more.
"It could be improved by incorporating more teacher education, and especially creating lessons and creating lessons that are designed to bring about that higher level of thinking for the students where they're solving problems that they're passionate about," Schult said.
With files from Jackie Sharkey and Wayne Thibodeau