What To Know About Kids And Screen Time

ARHS Principal Mark Jackson shared the following information about screen time:

What To Know About Kids And Screen Time

Almost as soon as they can focus past the end of their noses, babies today are waving at Grandpa on video chat and swiping the screens on all kinds of devices. There’s a lot of panic, anxiety, guilt and shame out there about kids and screens.

And now there’s a book from one of NPR’s Ed team members. Anya Kamenetz’s latest, The Art of Screen Time: How Your Family Can Balance Digital Media And Real Life, set out to answer the question: What’s the best approach to take to tech? She says she feels it— all of it — as a mother. And as a reporter she has been interested in the intersection of children and technology for many years.

Take the Screen Time quiz

Check out our previous coverage on young children and small screens

View a round up of some of the latest research on screen timeAs always, send tips, responses or story ideas to npred@npr.org.

As always, send tips, responses or story ideas to npred@npr.org.

GENERATION ZAPPED: Documentary Screening/Discussion at the Jones Library on January 18

A new documentary revealing the high cost of our addiction to digital devices and the health risks, especially for children and teens, from exposure to wireless radiation will be screened at the Jones Library on January 18, 2018 at 6:30 PM. The screening will be followed by a discussion with Diane Testa, a Senior Lecturer of Biomedical Engineering at Western New England University, to answer questions relating to this topic and the upcoming legislative bills.

Like cigarettes and toxic chemicals before it, emerging science is revealing the concerning reality that some people suffer health impacts due to radiation from wireless devices. In GENERATION ZAPPED, scientists, physicians and health researchers discuss the mounting scientific evidence on links to serious diseases and newly developed illnesses, such as Electrical Sensitivity (ES).  Children and teens are especially susceptible to radiation from baby monitors, tablets and cell phones, and wireless routers in the classroom. GENERATION ZAPPED empowers audiences to understand how to reduce their exposure to protect themselves and their families.

Currently, there are seven bills in the Massachusetts state legislature relating to the use of wireless in schools, Electrical Sensitivity, cell towers, and Smart Meters. Wireless Education, a non-profit with offices in Ashland, is working with Generation Zapped to screen the film through Massachusetts to raise awareness about the issue.

Free and open to the public.

For more information about the library event, please contact Janet Ryan, Head of Programming & Outreach, at 413/259-3223.  For more information about the documentary, please visit http://generationzapped.com.  For more information about Wireless Education, please visit https://www.wirelesseducation.org/.

Technology Resources for Students

Here are some useful resources from our Technology Teacher, Trevor Takayama:

Check out my Wave Tech website for good K-6 websites to visit:

        bit.ly/frwavetech

Subscribe to the Tech Twitter feed:

        @FortRiverTech

Throughout the year, I will focus on digital life concepts found on this website.

Feel free to use it as a reference: http://bit.ly/frdlife

Technology Classroom Requests - Please Help!

Our new Technology teacher, Mr. Takayama, requests donations of equipment for a new Yearbook club and Makerspace!

Donations can be either new or used in good condition.

• Digital cameras (at least 3 - used are fine, but new enough to be practical - for yearbook club)
• A kinect (1 or 2 - Xbox for a makerspace- 3D scanning)
• LEGO's (any kind/type for a makerspace)

Please contact Mr. Takayama with questions at takayamat@arps.org. Thank you for your support of these exciting new programs!