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Screens to Streams Home
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Wanna turn screen time into stream time?
Is it just me, or are we all on screens a lot these days? A Common Sense Media search on this topic will yield findings such as the fact that, on average, adults are spending 11 hours a day using screens. Children are not far behind. It's estimated that in the United States they are using some sort of screen-based media for an average of 50 hours a week. They are also spending 90% of their time indoors! Parents and teachers are rightly concerned. We have heard how excessive screen time can lead to a variety of health problems in children including obesity, decreased motor skills, and decreased attention. At the same time, we know that screens are not going anywhere anytime soon. Nor should they. Screen based technologies have captured children's attention for a reason. They can be entertaining, but they can also be incredibly empowering. A student with transliterate 21st Century skills is able to communicate fluidly across a range of technologies, media and contexts. The entire planet can be their audience. Technology is not the problem, but the way people interact with it can lead to problems. As educators, our role is to use technology in smart ways that empower children. This action research aims to show how while doing so, we can also improve our students' health and increase their environmental awareness. The aim of Screens to Streams is to integrate digital and natural worlds.
Through this research, and ironically thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic which put my initial plan on hold, I discovered an "outdoor photography homework" model which I would like to share with other teachers. It leverages students' skills and interests in screen based technologies in order to get them outdoors more, both in and out of school. iPads and smartphones, loaded with plant and animal identification apps like iNaturalist, Seek, and Audubon Society, in combination with media sharing platforms such as Google Slides, Padlet, Flipgrid, Class Dojo, WeVideo, and YouTube, for example, can motivate students to access outdoor environments, record their observations, and share those observations with peers, families, and much larger audiences. These tools empower students to DO science rather than just learn about it.
Screens to Streams Video:
Take Technology Outdoors to Do Science
The "AHA!" moment which led to this topic of study came several years ago when our school first got laptops for every child. That year when I asked parents in conferences what their concerns were for their children, 100% of them responded that too much screen time was at the top of their list. My excitement about our new one-laptop-per-child advancement quickly turned to concern. It's become clear since then that increasing screen time is a shared product of evolving parent attitudes and shifting school practices. On one hand, parent concerns about the safety of unsupervised play has had a negative impact on the amount of time children spend outdoors. On the other, there has been a nationwide push in schools to decrease the amount of recess given in order to squeeze as much classroom time as possible out of the school day. Concurrently, many schools have adopted “one-laptop-per-child” innovations which have added to students’ total daily dose of indoor screen time.
I have come to realize through my research that parents and educators must work together if we want to improve our kids' health. As children spend less time outdoors while out of school, educators must try to provide their students with more outdoor learning time during school hours. While at home, parents must find ways to get their kids outdoors in safe, structured, and healthy ways. What's the solution? My plan is to assign weekly outdoor photography homework. Parents accompany their children on outdoor walks to do this. The aim of this study is to use technology in an innovative way in order to not only get kids outdoors more, but also enhance Next Generation Science Standards instruction. Sharing observations with peers on digital platforms helps students to perform the eight NGSS practices.
As students access the natural world around them, handheld devices equipped with cameras and plant and animal identification apps give them the tools they need to make and record powerful and shareable first hand observations. On platforms such as Padlet, Flipgrid, Class Dojo, and Google Slides, students share their photos and videos with peers and organize them into slideshow or video reports. These can then in turn be shared with the world on YouTube.
The last wonderful discovery I came to during my research into this topic came from studies done by Louise Chawla, for example. Her findings showed that early exposure to outdoor environments is an important predictor to a person's positive attitude toward environmental conservation and their potential to advocate for environmental conservation as adults. So, if we want our students to grow up wanting to protect the environment, connecting them to nature early on could have a positive impact on their likelihood to do so. Let's do it!
I have come to realize through my research that parents and educators must work together if we want to improve our kids' health. As children spend less time outdoors while out of school, educators must try to provide their students with more outdoor learning time during school hours. While at home, parents must find ways to get their kids outdoors in safe, structured, and healthy ways. What's the solution? My plan is to assign weekly outdoor photography homework. Parents accompany their children on outdoor walks to do this. The aim of this study is to use technology in an innovative way in order to not only get kids outdoors more, but also enhance Next Generation Science Standards instruction. Sharing observations with peers on digital platforms helps students to perform the eight NGSS practices.
As students access the natural world around them, handheld devices equipped with cameras and plant and animal identification apps give them the tools they need to make and record powerful and shareable first hand observations. On platforms such as Padlet, Flipgrid, Class Dojo, and Google Slides, students share their photos and videos with peers and organize them into slideshow or video reports. These can then in turn be shared with the world on YouTube.
The last wonderful discovery I came to during my research into this topic came from studies done by Louise Chawla, for example. Her findings showed that early exposure to outdoor environments is an important predictor to a person's positive attitude toward environmental conservation and their potential to advocate for environmental conservation as adults. So, if we want our students to grow up wanting to protect the environment, connecting them to nature early on could have a positive impact on their likelihood to do so. Let's do it!