MPC and Screens

HOW MUCH TIME?  WHAT?  IT DEPENDS!

To use digital technology with children or not is no longer a relevant question. We believe more relevant questions concern how relevant it is to children’s learning and are they missing out on other relevant experiences by engaging with digital technology.

Chip Donaghue, a prominent researcher whose focus is Rethinking screen time for the digital age, provides many gems to think about, including:

• When asked the question “How much screen time should children have”, his response is “It depends”. This puts the onus back onto parents and teachers to be thinking about this question ourselves more carefully.
• The more you connect, the less you connect.
• Set screen time context, be aware of what children are watching and watch together.
• Model … reflect on our practices with screens.
• Think about screen use rather than screen time: when; where; how; what (content); are relationships being supported?
• Technology is neutral, how we use it is the question.
• All screens are not considered equal. (ECA conference Darwin 2017)

MPC has developed a digital technology statement to provide a framework and reflection tool for teachers, educators, children, families and committee members to inform decisions and understand technology use with and for young children. Changing technologies and the rate of change are ever increasing. Intentional decisions about each technology and the benefits, challenges and risks need to be made in context of place (MPC) and time.

When making decisions about each scenario using a digital technology (computer, ipad, interactive whiteboard, mobile device, camera, light table or projectors) we consider the context and a number of questions.
Is the technology/ interactive media used:-

• to support learning and to expand young children’s access to new content?
• intentionally, within the framework of developmentally appropriate practice, to support learning goals established for individual children/community of children?
• to strengthen relationships (adult/child; child/child)?
• age appropriate, individually appropriate, and culturally and linguistically appropriate?
• to integrate into the environment, curriculum, and daily routines?

To see the full list of questions and MPC: Digital Technology and Children Statement please visit https://mpc.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/MPC_Digital_Technology_Statement_May_2017.pdf