Following the recent conversation around the Wall Street Journal’s reporting* on YouTube, Chromebooks, and screen use in American classrooms, I wanted to share some information presented at last week’s Curriculum Committee meeting.
One finding that stood out: among 127 of our elementary classrooms reporting, the most common Chromebook usage in math, reading, science, and social studies was 0–15 minutes per day per subject.
District leaders also shared that they plan to take a deeper dive into K-3 screen time this fall to ensure technology is supporting (not hindering) the intensive literacy work happening in our elementary classrooms.
I appreciate that approach.
As I’ve said before*, I don’t view this as a “pro-tech” or “anti-tech” conversation.
The real questions are:
• Are our tools helping students learn?
• Are they supporting strong literacy and math outcomes**?
• Do we have the right policies and guardrails in place to maximize learning and minimize distraction?
• And are our investments aligned with our mission and 2030 Vision***?
The more local data, classroom perspectives, and input from teachers, students, and parents we can gather, the better.
You can review the Curriculum Committee presentation and meeting recording:
Slides: https://bit.ly/4nP5InT
Recording (discussion starts around the 1hr42min mark): https://bit.ly/4uzWnmo
* My take on the WSJ article: https://bit.ly/4u86kqc
* My conversation with Jim from Traverse Talks about the WSJ article: https://bit.ly/4wKF4AQ
** Our most recent math/reading outcomes: https://bit.ly/4rfmNaV
*** Our new 5-year strategic plan: https://bit.ly/tcaps-values
”We were thrilled to welcome back our Westwoods Alumni for one last walk through the halls where it all began! Congratulations to all of you. We wish you the absolute best of luck in your next chapter!”
TY FOR TCAPS 
Leave a comment