The Parents Across America (PAA) website has some good information for parents. This posting is going to focus on some of the great information, recommendations, and questions they provide parents with regard to the use of educational technology. Here are three webpages parents should make note of:
PAA recommendations for appropriate, effective, healthful use of EdTech
Questions parents should ask about EdTech
Our Children @ Risk: PAA reports detail the dangers of EdTech
PAA also has a School Technology Opt-Out Letter available. The letter is provided below for your use.
School Technology Opt-Out Letter
Dear Teacher and/or School Administrator,
I would like to respectfully request that all of my child’s education and educational content be presented without the use of electronic devices. This includes the use of tablets, chrome books, lap tops or desk top computers.
We wish to help nurture and support our child’s educational, social, psychological and emotional development as much as possible and have become increasingly concerned with the potential detrimental aspects of screen technologies on young children.
We understand that you, as the school, have a responsibility to present our child with state approved educational content and curriculum. We are in full agreement with that. But it is within our right as parents to ensure that the medium by which our children’s education is being presented is safe and not problematic clinically nor developmentally.
There has been a plethora of research indicating the adverse effect of electronic screens on children’s attentional, cognitive and social development if they are exposed at too young of an age. Please feel free to refer to the Website www.Glowkids.com for a full list of that peer-reviewed research.
Sincerely,
___________________________________________
The Parent(s) of: __________________________________________
The Underground Parent 