ClassX Video Lessons Prioritize Digital Well-Being for Back-to-School With These Resources | Monday Morning Momentum
Welcome to another insightful session on back-to-school tips and tricks, brought to you by Kristen Oesa, Education Marketing and Community Coordinator at Common Sense Education. Joining Kristen is Jennifer Ehhalt, Senior Education Manager, to discuss an essential topic for the new school year: digital wellness in the classroom.
As students increasingly use digital devices both at school and home, concerns about mental health and excessive screen time have become more prominent. Teachers are now more mindful of their teaching methods concerning digital wellness. This awareness is crucial, especially at the beginning of the school year, as educators seek resources to foster a healthy digital environment.
Jennifer introduces the Digital Well-Being lesson collection, a valuable resource for educators, administrators, and families. This collection comprises 14 comprehensive lessons, each lasting about 45 minutes, complete with pacing guides. A standout lesson, “My Values in Tech,” is tailored for middle and high school students and serves as an excellent starting point for the academic year.
The lessons are designed to be user-friendly, featuring slides and posters to facilitate teaching. Developed in collaboration with the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard School of Education, these lessons are grounded in extensive research. They encourage educators and students to reflect on how their values align with their use of media and technology.
By exploring personal and classroom values, educators can create a classroom culture that supports learning and well-being. Revisiting these values periodically, such as before winter break or at the end of the year, allows for reflection on what strategies were effective and what areas need improvement.
The lesson collection also delves into topics like media balance and digital distractions. These lessons aim to turn potential classroom disruptions into teachable moments, helping students develop a balanced relationship with technology.
All lessons come with customizable slides and scripts, allowing teachers to adapt them to their unique classroom dynamics. This flexibility ensures that the lessons remain relevant and effective, regardless of changes in classroom composition from year to year.
For administrators and professional development leaders, these resources offer an excellent opportunity to engage staff in discussions about technology integration in classrooms and personal lives. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of community and shared purpose among educators.
To access these valuable resources, visit the back-to-school landing page at Common Sense Education. Here, you’ll find all the links and downloads needed to incorporate these lessons into your teaching strategy, adding a crucial element to your back-to-school checklist.
We wish educators everywhere a successful and enriching back-to-school season!
Engage in a reflective journaling exercise where you document your daily digital habits and their impact on your well-being. Consider how these habits align with your personal values and identify areas for improvement. This activity will help you become more mindful of your digital consumption and its effects on your mental health.
Participate in a group discussion with your peers about the challenges and strategies for maintaining media balance. Share personal experiences and collectively brainstorm solutions to common digital distractions. This collaborative activity will enhance your understanding of media balance and provide practical tips for managing screen time.
Join an interactive workshop where you explore and establish classroom values related to digital wellness. Work with classmates to create a set of shared values that promote a positive digital environment. This activity will help you contribute to a supportive classroom culture that prioritizes well-being.
Analyze a case study that highlights a scenario involving digital distractions in the classroom. Discuss the potential impacts on learning and propose strategies to address these challenges. This analytical exercise will deepen your understanding of digital distractions and enhance your problem-solving skills.
Work in pairs to customize a digital well-being lesson from the provided collection. Adapt the lesson to suit your unique classroom dynamics and present your version to the class. This activity will develop your ability to tailor educational resources to meet specific needs and foster a more engaging learning experience.
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the YouTube transcript:
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Hi everyone, it’s Kristen Oesa, Education Marketing and Community Coordinator here at Common Sense Education. We’re back for another episode of back-to-school tips and tricks as you get started in your classrooms this fall. Today, I have Jennifer Ehhalt, Senior Education Manager, with me.
Jennifer, good morning! How’s it going?
Hi Kristen! Are you getting excited for back to school yet?
I am! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.
Absolutely! We’re so fortunate to work at an organization that does so much for educators, especially at the start of the school year. One of the big themes we’ve been discussing this year in education is the concept of digital wellness in the classroom. We know that students are increasingly exposed to devices both in school and at home, and mental health has become a significant concern regarding excessive device time.
Teachers are becoming more reflective about their teaching practices as they relate to digital wellness. As they think about this, especially early in the school year, what resources do we have to offer them that they might incorporate into their classrooms?
I’m excited to introduce our Digital Well-Being lesson collection, which is one of my favorites. From my experience, it has been very well-received by various audiences, including administrators, professional learning coaches, tech coaches, educators, and even students and families.
This collection includes 14 lessons, and we also provide pacing guides since these lessons can be around 45 minutes long. One lesson I want to highlight is “My Values in Tech,” which is available for middle and high school. This lesson is a great starting point for the school year.
Our lessons are designed to be turnkey, complete with slides and posters. At the beginning of the year, you can explore personal and classroom values with your students. We partnered with the Center for Digital Thriving at Harvard School of Education to develop these values based on extensive research.
The goal is to encourage educators and students to think about how these values relate to the media and technology they use. It’s important to consider whether our use of media and technology supports these values and enhances learning or if it hinders it.
This approach can help establish the classroom culture you want to create. It’s also beneficial to revisit these values after some time, such as before winter break or at the end of the year, to reflect on what worked well and what could be improved.
The lesson collection also covers topics like media balance and well-being, and it addresses digital distractions—those little things that can pop up in our classrooms and become teachable moments. We hope this collection serves as a practical resource for educators teaching in classrooms with devices.
All of our lessons come with slides and scripts, and they are customizable to meet the needs of individual classrooms. We understand that classroom dynamics can change from year to year, so teachers can adapt these lessons accordingly.
If you’re an administrator or lead professional development, this is also a great activity to engage staff in discussions about how they want technology to be integrated into their classrooms and personal lives. It fosters camaraderie and highlights that we’re all in this together.
Thank you, Jennifer! We’re excited for back to school. Where can these lessons be found?
We have a back-to-school landing page at Common Sense Education, where you can access all the links and download the resources we discussed. Everything you need will be available there, so hopefully, this adds one more item to your checklist!
Thank you, Jennifer, for showcasing our resources. We wish educators everywhere a happy back-to-school!
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Digital Wellness – The practice of maintaining a healthy relationship with technology, ensuring it supports mental and physical well-being. – Students are encouraged to practice digital wellness by taking regular breaks from screens and engaging in physical activities.
Mental Health – A person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being. – Schools are increasingly focusing on mental health by providing resources and support for students to manage stress and anxiety.
Screen Time – The amount of time spent using devices with screens such as computers, tablets, and smartphones. – Educators are advised to monitor students’ screen time to ensure it does not negatively impact their learning and health.
Classroom Culture – The environment, values, and practices that characterize a classroom and influence student learning and behavior. – A positive classroom culture can enhance student engagement and foster a supportive learning community.
Media Balance – The practice of using media in a way that is healthy and balanced, ensuring it does not interfere with other important aspects of life. – Teachers can help students achieve media balance by integrating offline activities into their curriculum.
Digital Distractions – Interruptions or diversions caused by digital devices that can detract from focus and productivity. – To minimize digital distractions, students are encouraged to use apps that block notifications during study sessions.
Teaching Methods – Strategies and techniques used by educators to facilitate learning and engage students. – Innovative teaching methods, such as flipped classrooms, can enhance student participation and understanding.
Professional Development – Continuous training and education to improve skills and knowledge in one’s professional field. – Teachers are required to participate in professional development workshops to stay updated with the latest educational trends.
Customizable Resources – Educational materials that can be tailored to meet the specific needs and preferences of learners. – Online platforms offer customizable resources that allow teachers to adapt lessons to different learning styles.
Technology Integration – The effective use of technology tools in educational settings to enhance learning and teaching processes. – Successful technology integration in the classroom can lead to more interactive and engaging lessons for students.
