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There are mixed opinions on technology in the classroom. While it can enhance engagement, there are concerns about excessive screen time. Parents worry about the effects of screen time on children, and research shows that it can dysregulate the nervous system and induce stress. It is important to use technology as a creative outlet rather than for passive consumption. There is a lack of research on the impact of technology in education, and schools should make informed decisions about which technologies to invest in. Technology can provide individualized learning and reduce prep time for teachers. It is also becoming more affordable for school districts. While excessive screen time should be avoided, technology has potential benefits in education. There are a lot of opinions when it comes to technology in the classroom. Many are open to the idea of enhancing engagement and buy-in from students, but not entirely convinced that sticking students in front of a screen for eight hours a day is the way to go. While there are some technology benefits, there are some drawbacks as well. We would like to discuss both sides of the coin, the benefits, drawbacks, and issues of finding vetted and trustworthy technology for the classroom. How can we help students have a responsible amount of screen time while instilling real-life skills that will follow them well beyond their education years? A big concern for a lot of parents is the effect screen time is having on their children. Pew Research released a report parenting children in the age of screens, and it showed that 71% of parents of children 12 and under are concerned about the effects of screen time. The pandemic has forced us to be more reliant on technology, both in the classroom and at home. This means our children are getting more screen time than ever before. Experts agree that screen time counts whether in the classroom setting or during passive time at home. Studies are finding that rapid displays and lighting dysregulate the nervous system. It doesn't matter what's being displayed on the screen, it just has to be in front of their eyes. The child's brain becomes overwhelmed when viewing a screen for long periods. The brain reacts to this by releasing a stress hormone. This makes the child feel emotional. Are we teaching our children to engage with thoughts over nature and peers? Are we removing a child's ability to cope by inducing stress hormones and emotional reactions? Researchers are saying yes. I think we can help reduce this exposure by ensuring when we are using technology in the classroom, we are using it as a creative outlet in response to a lesson, rather than a mode for consumption of information. I think another big issue is how we vet the technology we are relying on. We need to make sure it's only being used when necessary and it's valid and reliable. Hello, everybody, and thank you, Erika, for that handoff. My name is Matt Harris. I'll be kind of talking about the lack of research and technology. There's a gap in technology research and how it applies in the school system. I'll also be talking about how schools identify their needs for technology. And to just kind of get into it, technology is not a teacher replacement. It shouldn't be used to provide a primary source of education. So in the schools, we've got to make sure we're not relying on technology as the main form of education. Technology is a tool and it should be used to help facilitate a lesson and really drive home those concepts. If you look at the new Metaverse commercials for the Oculus virtual reality gaming system, if you would, those commercials show students sitting in a classroom taking a virtual field trip to a museum and walking with dinosaurs. Those are the useful impacts that technology can have in a classroom. We often associate technology with screen time, and there's more research done on the impact of screen time than there is on the actual impact technology would have in a classroom. To be clear, technology does not equal screen time. It's simply an application of scientific knowledge, and that comes in many forms that, you know, most times don't include a screen. So it kind of begs the question, how should schools decide which technologies to invest in and how should they utilize them? I think the simplest answer is it really depends on the school's needs and their intents. The Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, now describe a gap in education technology research, and they highlight only 4% of these educators indicated that they use evidence-informed decision-making, relying on research evidence and professional expertise to inform new technology implementations. This is a severe hurdle for any organization serious about investing in any kind of technology. Technology is a, you know, it's a financial investment. It's a personnel investment. So making informed decisions is pretty key to having success. With limited research in this area, schools need to start having some serious conversations to understand what their needs are and what tools technology offers that can help them reach their goals. Using technology as a tool or a resource is much different than relying on it to facilitate learning. Technology opens up doors to help creative ways to engage with students, and it also gives you that flexibility to do this in and outside the classroom. So the potential for use of technology in schools is limitless if it's properly optimized. And with that, I'm going to pass it over to April to close us out for the evening. Using technology in the classroom also has advantages. Computer learning programs that are intended for classrooms are set up to provide individualized learning based on the student's progress and initial testing session. Students are also more apt to buy into the learning because the programs are intended to get their attention and hold it for a period of time. There's no prep needed by the teachers, creating a seamless learning environment for both teacher and student. What teacher couldn't use less prep with their busy weeks? The last advantage that many school districts are looking at is the cost. Many of these learning programs have come down enough in cost to where more and more districts are able to afford them. Technology also has come down in prices, allowing more one-on-one ratio of the students to the computer. While a student shouldn't be put in front of a screen for their whole school day, the benefits of technology is certainly getting a lot of attention by educators. And thanks a lot, guys, for joining us on our first podcast. Thank you, Erica and April, for helping set this up and get this thing knocked out. And with that said, everybody enjoy the rest of their evening. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. Bye-bye.