EdTech News for Friday, November 4, 2022: No Screen Time Worries, Student Privacy in School Social Media, STEAM Educators Conference - Blog

by Kate Baggott November 4, 2022
EdTech News for Friday, November 4, 2022: No Screen Time Worries, Student Privacy in School Social Media, STEAM Educators Conference

The news just happened to be all about teens this week. Read on to find out what you should be worried about instead of screen time, how adult over-sharing is a real issue, and about a professional development conference that is easy to access.

While many parents believe teens spend too much time on screens, a Michigan State University researcher says that’s not what we need to worry about.

Keith Hampton is a professor in the Department of Media and Information and director of academic research at the Quello Center. He believes the real worry to address is adolescents who are disconnected from their peers because they have limited access to the Internet.

“Teens who are disconnected from today’s technologies are more isolated from their peers, which can lead to problems,” Hampton said. “Many young people are struggling with their mental health. While adolescents often grapple with self-esteem issues related to body image, peers, family, and school, disconnection is a much greater threat than screen time. Social media and video games are deeply integrated into youth culture and do more than entertain. They help kids socialize, contribute to identity formation, and provide a channel for social support.”

Press release: https://www.newswise.com/articles/msu-research-disconnection-not-teens-screen-time-is-the-problem

While teens spending time on the Internet might not be the problem we think, adult over-sharing might be a bigger issue.

Is it time to review student privacy policies when posting pictures and social media posts about school events? U.S. schools and school districts have shared about 4.9 million posts that include identifiable images of students on public Facebook pages. Of those posts, 726,000 identify one or more students by their first and last names.

The study, “Posts About Students on Facebook: A Data Ethics Perspective,” was published in Educational Researcher, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association.

The study examined public posts on U.S. schools and school districts Facebook pages from 2005 to 2020. The number of posts, and the proportion of posts with photos, increased each year of the study.

“While the percentage of Facebook posts that identified students was small, the sheer volume of posts meant that hundreds of thousands of students had personally identifiable information shared by their schools,” said study coauthor Joshua M. Rosenberg, an assistant professor of STEM education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. “These findings suggest that student privacy may inadvertently be threatened by the social media activity of schools and districts.”

Watch the video about the findings: https://youtu.be/gJzjmGeW7W8

Press release: https://www.newswise.com/articles/study-schools-social-media-posts-may-be-compromising-student-privacy

If you are a STEAM educator, clear your calendar for Tuesday, November 8.

The STEAM Forward online conference is on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, from 1:00 – 8:00 p.m. EST. The event is designed for educators, and virtual sessions will include STEAM best practices, hands-on STEAM applications, hybrid/remote teaching, and technology integration.

The event is anchored by Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, explorer, space artist, astronaut, and CEO of Space2Inspire.

The conference brings together innovative thinkers, bold creativity, and discusses trends in edtech. Attendees can choose from 30+ sessions to help enhance STEAM curriculum and lessons in the classroom.

To register, click here https://www.prometheanworld.com/event/steam-forward-2022/

Press release: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/promethean-to-host-fifth-annual-steam-forward-conference-for-educators-301662865.html
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Kate Baggott

Kate Baggott is a digital content veteran. She is the current Head of Content and Communications for Edusity.com, The Babb Group and Professor Services.
Latest posts by Kate Baggott (see all)

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