Key takeaways
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Screen time associated with high-quality education technology can be valuable for boosting student learning.
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Look for one or more of the following characteristics in EdTech: evidence of effectiveness; relevant, hands-on learning; real world and career connections; and teacher support and training.
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Equipped with the right information, education leaders can confidently address concerns about screen time in their school or district.
Many families and experts are carefully considering how much screen time is healthy for kids of all ages, so it should be no surprise to see the question “Should schools limit screen time?” being discussed. Some technologies in schools only play a background role, like an LMS, but others like cellphones and education technology programs will comprise the bulk of screen time each day. The various types and applications of technology in schools mean that setting a screen time number is no simple task, but educators caution that a complete ban is not the solution. For example, students will likely need to gain and apply knowledge about different technologies for career success.
In this article, we’ll walk through what to look for in education technology solutions that makes their associated screen time valuable and how Discovery Education programs match up.
What Are Key Education Technology Characteristics?
While their focus, scope, and interface may differ greatly, EdTech solutions are generally developed to improve student growth and teacher efficacy. Discovery Education believes that the best solutions—the ones that help teachers and students make the most of screen time—have some or all of the following characteristics:
- Evidence of effectiveness
- Relevant, hands-on learning
- Real-world and career connections
- Teacher support and training
Why Ask for Evidence of Effectiveness?
Given the ongoing conversation about whether schools should limit screen time, it’s more important than ever that education leaders be able to point to the positives that EdTech can offer. One of the best ways to inspire confidence that a solution is worth using is having clear evidence of effectiveness. That evidence might come in different forms, like third-party analysis of instructional design or research showing significant improvements in high-stakes test scores over time.
Specifically, ask whether a solution’s instructional design is based on findings from the sciences of learning and teaching. Beyond this, are there any case studies or other research that draw upon real-world classroom, school, and/or district use? For example, that the solution qualifies for any of the four ESSA evidence tiers based on different types of research.
Discovery Education Program Examples
Our programs are backed by a variety of evidence of effectiveness, such as:
- Experience: AZ study from 2022–2023 in grades 3–8; ESSA Evidence Level IV
- DreamBox Math: NC study from 2022–2023 in grades K–8; ESSA Evidence Level III
- Science Techbook: ESSA Evidence Level III; ESSA Evidence Level IV
- Reading Plus: SC study from 2022–2023 in grades K–8; “Strong” Rating by Evidence for ESSA
Why Do Students Need Relevant, Hands-on Learning?
Capturing students’ interest and motivating them to explore new concepts through real-world phenomena and authentic problems has been shown to strengthen engagement and learning. Specific learning goals should be tied to the projects and activities that students complete, which will aid progress monitoring and instructional decision-making. For those students who need extra support, EdTech solutions may offer easy or automatic differentiation that helps teachers keep them meaningfully engaged and able to make progress.
We can see that relevant, hands-on learning screen time is different and offers significant value compared to passive screen time, like simply watching videos, which parents and educators are most concerned about.
Discovery Education Program Examples
Our programs provide relevant, hands-on learning for students:
- Experience: Lessons and activities focus on real-world topics. Students actively explore these topics through immersive learning, Virtual Field Trips, and multimodal resources.
- Science Techbook: Real-world phenomena anchor every lesson. Students use scientific thinking and analysis to investigate each phenomenon through multiple activities.
- Social Studies Essentials: Investigations into history, geography, civics, and economics connect the past to the present through civic inquiry. Students learn from multimedia content, immersive experiences, and a mix of primary and secondary sources.
How Does EdTech Connect Learning to the Real World and Careers?
Merely digitizing academic content won’t help students understand why academic learning has value and how it will be useful in the real world, like when starting a career. However, education technology can make learning relevant by giving it authentic contexts, including career examples, industry challenges, and professional voices. This can not only make academic concepts concrete and more meaningful but also give students an idea of where their learning can lead.
Discovery Education Examples
Our programs build career-readiness and connect to real professions:
- Experience: The Careers Hub offers resources to help students discover career possibilities, and live Career Connect speakers inspire students with authentic examples of career success.
- Corporate Partnerships: Industry-leading companies such as IBM, 3M, and DC provide resources that give educators easy ways to make connections to the real world.
How Can Teacher Support & Training in EdTech Make a Difference?
Besides the students themselves, teachers are the largest influence on student achievement, so having a knowledgeable, confident, well-trained staff is critical. Technology solutions can serve two functions that support long-term teacher satisfaction and success:
- Providing resources such as content, strategies, and easy or automatic differentiation that reduce the planning and prep workload and improve instructional effectiveness
- Offering multiple levels and means of professional development so that teachers with different amounts of experience and preferences can continue to learn and grow
When a solution can give teachers time back to spend interacting with their students and research-backed ways to engage and cement learning, even those with little experience can make an impact. And because of the nature of teaching, it’s best to have options for scheduling in-depth professional learning or fitting in a microlearning when the opportunity opens up.
Discovery Education Examples
Our programs are packed with teacher supports and trainings, and we also offer separate professional learning solutions:
- Experience: Ready-to-teach lessons include point-of-use guidance. Curriculum-aligned, curated resources connect to core curricula. The Instructional Strategy Center provides practical, research-based strategies, and Everyday Teaching Essentials offers on-demand microlearnings.
- DreamBox Math: Automatic differentiation, continuous formative assessment, and real-time dashboards drive and support personalized lessons and pathways to learning.
- Science Techbook: Ready-to-teach lessons in editable slideshow format include point-of-use support such as prompts and scaffolds. Differentiation tools, scaffolds, and formative assessments extend access to Tier 1 instruction.
- Social Studies Essentials: Classroom-ready lessons with built-in implementation support provide editable slides and printable resources. Embedded formative and summative assessments provide insight into student understanding.
- Professional Learning: Choose from in-person, virtual, and hybrid solutions based on district goals.
Conclusion
While the short answer to the question “Should schools limit screen time?” is yes, a better answer is, “Yes, screen time should primarily be associated with technology that we are confident improves teaching and learning.” High-quality education technology can certainly play a large role in this since it may offer distinct benefits, including student support and classroom experiences that are hard to duplicate. You just have to identify which solutions meet the criteria for justifying their screen time.
Why not explore how Discovery Education programs and resources can support your school or district needs? Request a demo today!
