Screen Time (comments?) looking for a LOT of responses

[ChinaEYFSguy]

So it's been a while since I posted...quite busy...we don't have summer holiday here...

The school where I work...made me principal....

(as "principal" as it gets for a private-Chinese-chain school that's saying "EYFS" but doing something that looks more like a Maoist-era youth propaganda poster) (I literally had to take an order from the marketing department on what we would be doing for Halloween...as if they know anything about Halloween...or have ever celebrated it for real in any context)

ok...I'm doing more banging my head on the desk than actual work but I've made some slow changes.

Basically, @ this moment, I'm interested in hearing a resounding "HELL NO!" when it comes to screen time but I'll accept anyone's opinion on
the extent of computer/tv/etc used in your schools.

Our school has installed these 'e-white boards' and the tech is quite lovely...but I have to say...my staff is using them instead of any form of quality teaching, face-time...etc....so if you want to make a long reply, please do so.

Ladies...thoughts???

M
Beijing

ps (Yes...I'll be translating all your responses to Chinese in a sort of "here's what the educators you're presenting yourself as have to say about your horrible horrible white boards" petition)

[loocyloo]

HELLO!

I was wondering just the other day how you were getting on !!!!

I don't use any screen very much at all - my children are aged between 18mths and 3 1/2 yrs. we occasionally watch something on youtube - last week it was firework displays, a few weeks ago we were watching Asimo the robot. I've also found good little programmes about insects or animals that we might watch. because of this, we don't watch any television at all.

we occasionally play games on the tablet - mainly from the cbeebies website or just doing drawings on it. we love 'talking tom' and speaking to him and listening to him 'copy'. it is a really good tool for encouraging speaking! but these are very occasional activities as I prefer to be outside actually doing something practical.

good luck

[moggy]

No screens here. We learn from real, hand-on activities and are outside a lot of the time.

[Maza]

Hi there,
Huge congratulations on your promotion! The children need you!

Whiteboards can be fantastic as a way to enhance teaching - but not to replace teaching. Children are designed to be 'doing' - interacting with humans, nature and tangible resources.

It seems like you need to put in some boundaries around the use of whiteboards in the classroom, such as limiting the time the children spend watching it and making sure that the things they watch are closely linked to the 'next steps' for the children. x

[mama2three]

I regularly use 2 tyes of 'screen' - whiteboards and Overhead projectors.
when I say ''I'' what I mean is the children!
They love mark making on the whiteboard and gaining a new perspective and degree of creativity from the screen.
My current favourite tech is the old fashioned ohp. Lots and lots of ideas for how the children can benefit from it here... https://www.pinterest.com/kathmchale/light-table/

I think that with early years children all learning should be 'hands on' and interactive .. and if you work with that ethos then technology can be wonderful - but adult led screen time leave me cold.

[JCrakers]

I don't use whiteboards to teach here but I know they are used in schools for over 4-5's. They are used alongside teaching but don't rule the classroom. They can be used by both the children and the teacher. The children arrive in the morning at the local school and drag their name using their finger into either a hot dinner or a packed lunch depending on what they are doing. Our local school uses I-pads too but these don't take over the teaching.

Here in the EYFS setting I use old keyboards and mice for pretend play, to teach mouse skills and we use the computer to look for craft ideas. We don't sit and learn we learn as we play.

[AliceK]

I don't have any screens for the children here whatsoever, they do all know how to use technology and I do not feel it appropriate to provide any more for them. I would rather they play and interact together and that includes me sometimes.

However both my childrens schools use the interactive white boards (primary and secondary) and the nursery attached to the school uses one too.

xxx

[samb]

In terms of childminding 1-3s... I barely use screens and was actually thinking maybe I should use more. I use to use cbeebies clips and also have a dedicated children's computer which I would tend to use more if I only had 1 child up and the others down for a nap as a quiet time activity. I don't have anywhere to put a kids computer now so have been looking at buying a tablet to use with the little ones. I definitely think they have their place as long as they are used for a purpose and not just to occupy children or just to sit and do nothing.