WSJ Tech News Briefing: How Screens Are Taking Over Classrooms
Release Date: January 23, 2025
Host: Julie Chang
Reporter: Sarah Randazzo
Producer: Julie Chang with Supervising Producer Katherine Milsop
Introduction
In this episode of WSJ Tech News Briefing, host Julie Chang delves into the escalating presence of screens in American classrooms. Accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, technology has become an integral part of the educational landscape. Reporter Sarah Randazzo explores the multifaceted impact of this shift on students, teachers, and parents, while examining the broader implications for student learning and educational equity.
The Shift to Digital Classrooms
The transition from traditional teaching methods to technology-driven classrooms has been a gradual yet significant change. Sarah Randazzo outlines how this evolution has been characterized by the widespread distribution of personal devices to students.
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Evolution of Technology in Schools:
- “When you and I were in school, maybe we had a computer lab,” Randazzo notes, highlighting the contrast to today's environment where “every student pretty much in America has their own device, whether it's a tablet or a Chromebook” (05:40).
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Prevalence of Screen Time:
Integration of Technology in Teaching
Teachers are leveraging technology in diverse and innovative ways to enhance the learning experience, albeit with mixed feelings.
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Creative Teaching Methods:
- In a high school Spanish class, technology orchestrates the entire lesson through interactive slides, quizzes, collaborative activities, and multimedia resources (07:10).
- Randazzo describes scenarios where “teachers create often essentially a PowerPoint slide where they go from one thing to the next, guided by the tech” (07:10).
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Challenges Faced by Educators:
- Managing student engagement becomes more complicated with increased screen usage. Teachers report difficulties in preventing distractions such as gaming or unauthorized internet browsing (08:21).
- “It's basically this constant ebb and flow of managing the students getting too distracted and trying to utilize it for the good and creative uses,” explains Randazzo (08:21).
Stakeholder Perspectives
Teachers' Views
Teachers exhibit a spectrum of opinions regarding screen usage in classrooms.
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Positive Feedback:
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Negative Feedback:
- Balancing educational benefits with the temptation for students to become distracted poses a significant challenge (08:21).
Parents' Concerns
Parental attitudes towards increased screen time in education are similarly divided.
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Supportive Sentiments:
- Approximately 75% of parents acknowledge positive educational impacts, recognizing the benefits of technology in enhancing learning (09:20).
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Apprehensions:
- Conversely, around 40% of parents express concerns about excessive screen time, fearing potential negative effects on their children's well-being (09:20).
- Some parents actively seek to reduce their children's screen exposure by advocating for policy changes or opting out of technology use entirely (09:20).
Students' Experiences
Students' responses to increased screen usage in their education reflect a range of experiences.
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Negative Experiences:
- Reports of “fatigue” and “headaches” from prolonged screen exposure are common, with some students preferring traditional note-taking methods (10:10).
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Positive Experiences:
- Many students find digital platforms more convenient for submitting assignments and tracking homework, aligning with their familiarity with technology (10:10).
Impact on Educational Outcomes
The efficacy of increased screen time in classrooms remains a subject of ongoing debate and research.
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Mixed Research Findings:
- Randazzo references a review of 24 studies which concluded that note-taking by hand can lead to better information retention compared to digital methods (10:38).
- Criticism is directed at corporate-sponsored research, suggesting potential bias and questioning the validity of claims that technology significantly boosts educational performance (10:38).
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Equity in Education:
- Technology serves as an equalizer in lower-income districts by providing all students with access to devices, thereby bridging gaps that previously favored higher socioeconomic groups (11:37).
Conclusions and Future Implications
The incorporation of screens in classrooms presents a complex interplay of benefits and challenges. While technology has democratized access to educational resources and enabled innovative teaching methods, concerns about excessive screen time and its impact on learning efficacy persist. The future of education will likely continue to balance these factors, striving to harness the advantages of technology while mitigating its drawbacks.
Notable Quotes
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Sarah Randazzo on Classroom Technology Integration:
- “Teachers can bring students into other worlds in ways that they couldn't before.” (07:10)
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Sarah Randazzo on Parents' Mixed Reactions:
- “In one survey, about three in four parents said that computer use was having a positive effect on their child's learning. But in another survey, 40% of parents said kids spend too much time on screens.” (09:20)
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Sarah Randazzo on Educational Equity:
- “Devices are really a great equalizer. Families who couldn't afford to buy devices on their own now really are benefiting.” (11:37)
Final Remarks
Julie Chang wraps up the episode by acknowledging the intricate dynamics at play as technology becomes increasingly embedded in educational settings. The dialogue highlights the necessity for ongoing evaluation and thoughtful implementation to ensure that the integration of screens in classrooms serves to enhance, rather than hinder, student learning and development.
Timestamp Reference:
- Times in brackets (e.g., 05:40) correspond to the minutes and seconds in the transcript for easy navigation to specific segments.