Hello lovelies! I’m so happy you stopped by and today we have a very big discussion to have. We are tackling a topic that’s been plaguing this academic school year (for sure!) for our students and parents. The much dreaded topic of at home remote learning. I know it’s not everyone’s favorite and definitely not mine, but it’s important to discuss none the less, especially for the well being of our kids.
Remote learning (which is primarily a form of online learning) has taken the world by storm since the pandemic hit early in 2020. However, this is not it’s first introduction. Online learning for kids has been growing at a rapid pace the last few years, especially since the approval of k through12 online schooling. And of course there are online college options, online graduate degree options, and your wide range of adult online learning courses as well.
It does not look as if online learning is slowing down. It actually seems to be doing the opposite, and ramping up. Therefore it’s time we look more closely at remote learning and it’s effect on our kids.
So let’s jump right in!
1. What Does Remote Learning Mean For Screen Time Levels
This should actually present as pretty straight forward, one area I’m sure all adults have felt the impact of at some point.
Lets be honest with ourselves, we all know screens garner a host of negative results that occur from over use of tech products. Yes, this includes our beloved tvs, our phones, our laptops.
However, no matter the amount of love we put towards these devices, we have to come to the understanding that they are detrimental to our overall health when used in excess.
And that’s no different for your child. If anything…it’s actually more harmful as your child is still growing and developing their basic foundations. Typically this is done in an appropriate manner through regular hands on learning, practical socialization scenarios, and real life situations. All are key.
Unfortunately, remote learning and its increase of screen time cause an array of issues for kids and adults alike. Some of these include, overstimulation (hugely identifiable especially in young children), severe and consistently occurring headaches, eye soreness, overall exhaustion, lack of mental clarity, and more. The list goes on but it’s so easy to understand that you would not want this for yourself let alone your child. It’s just not conducive to a healthy growing child or a healthy productive adult.
In addition, did you know that there are actual studies showing an increase in specific hyperactivity behaviors since the use of screens has increased?
And studies like this were completed before remote learning really took off, prior to the pandemic, but still have data driven results. And it’s not looking good.
The reasoning behind this is that these over indulgent technologies basically play piano on your child’s sensory receptors through the use of it’s techno mimicking light shows, neon colored scenes and characters, and a strong purpose of creating an overstimulating scene to keep your child addicted. Yes… addicted.
And the more they use these technologies the less regulation their body is able to apply to help balance it out, and the less regulation your child will learn to utilize in general off screen.
Now why am I saying all this? It’s not to make you feel bad at all.
It’s just that remote learning will not be going anywhere in the near future. So our best option is to practice compromise and balance. However, it is also our responsibility as educators and parents to know the effects these screens are having on our kids and students, what they’re going through, how they’re feeling and how their body is coping.
(Also parents, it’s not that different for adults either! Try and find your own balance along the way too.)
2. Socialization Impact
The next area I’d like to touch on is the impact your child’s socialization is getting with the heavy inclusion of the newly added remote learning this year.
It’s quite evident that one of the specific consequences of remote learning is how strictly it limits your child’s socialization abilities and growth.
And as much as we’d like to think that google classrooms or zoom break away groups provide the same result, they will simply never do so on the same level.
Socialization is a key aspect in your child’s overall early and elementary developmental stages. And unfortunately with the onset of remote learning, it seems as if this area of development no longer really matters, which is simply ludicrous.
It is very important to create a focus on this area as it is getting little light shed on it by school teams. It’s even more crucial that we do what we can to continue to create and support a social aspect outside of schools.
3. Self Development and Independence
The last of the 3 areas I’m identifying in this post is the impact remote learning has on your child’s self development and autonomy. Now this may not sound as something that would be too hard hit by remote learning but it really is.
When your child is young, during their early childhood, elementary, and secondary school years, they are really working to discover who they are, what they think, learning to make independent choices for themselves and more! It’s quite the exciting time!
These are the formative years all children need to find their confidence and independence. When you factor in remote learning amongst other screen time devices, it draws your child into a world of technological whimsy and pulls them away from real life situations. Gone are the days that children learn cause and effect, or conflict resolution, or discover social norms, etc.
By increasing their screen time, opportunities that are meant to help them discover their sense of self, are simply discarded. It’s through real life situations and real life learning moments that kids learn independence, but yet this year are being told to do so through a computer monitor. It just won’t work.
Specifically looking at the early childhood years, most of the learning for this age group is done through hands on means and discovery. By switching to remote learning it loses independence in doing almost anything because your child’s literal learning world is solely on screen.
It’s definitely something to keep in mind when thinking about ways you can foster your child’s independence and inspire their growth and development. The screens have taken away a lot. Now it’s time to see how we can help balance that out with support at home and across other contexts.
* Summary
We’ve just discussed three of the areas hardest hit by your child’s remote/hybrid learning programs. I know it may seem a little bleak, but this does not mean that all remote learning is bad. That’s not the point of this discussion. It’s to highlight areas of need, that we can now focus on more and create a strong sense of balance and support to make sure our little ones are still thriving more than ever.
We have to be honest in saying that technology has and always will be the future. And it’s only going to get more popular as we move forward.
It’s already happening with many jobs over the pandemic. Many businesses and corporations have found that most of their employees function more successfully via working remotely. And it’s just a little ways away from that occurring more and more with diverse options of schooling.
So we do need to get with the times. There has to be balance created so that we stay consistently progressive but with the health and positive development of our kids at the forefront. We’ll truly have to see what the future holds with regards to remote online learning but finding balance, as it always is, is key.
And for the current moment, just keep these reminders in the back of your mind if you find yourself slipping on the screen time boundaries. We all could use a little reminder now and then :).
And as always, If you have any questions, comments, or ideas please share them in the comments section below with your fellow parents! And definitely subscribe to the newsletter for updates and ongoing happenings at TylekTeaches.com. The subscription link is just at the bottom of this post.
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