Advances in artificial intelligence have made it possible for anyone to have their own virtual personal assistant.  Voice-controlled technology like Amazon Alexa has a variety of uses in school, at work, and  home. Alexa can set your thermostat, dim your lights, and even take care of voice purchasing. Many people, however, aren’t using the technology to its fullest.

Have you asked Amazon Alexa for help with these skills?

Information services

Suggest a new subject

When the discussion at a gathering becomes heated, it may be time to change the subject to something less incendiary. If you need help redirecting the conversation, turn to Amazon Alexa, and say, “Change the subject.”

Check the news and weather

Staying up with current events and knowing the weather predictions helps you feel connected and ready. Taking the time to scan current events or look up the weather for the next few days can be time-consuming, but Alexa can do that for you while you’re doing something else.

Grab a recipe

No time – or desire – to flip through dozens of recipes in the hopes you’ll be able to throw together a meal without running to the grocery? Tell Amazon Alexa what you have on hand, and she’ll suggest a recipe.

Discuss symptoms; get help

Enable Amazon’s MyPetDoc to discuss your pet’s symptoms. If you need more specific assistance, Alexa will connect you to one of the veterinarians on call. The 24/7 service is free to enable, but veterinarians services charge a fee.

Entertainment

Most people know that their Amazon Alexa will stream music. The machine will even activate your playlist or play a specific piece of music. Can’t remember the beginning of Pachelbel’s Canon in D? Just ask Alexa.

Read aloud

Amazon Alexa will also play audiobooks for you. The function is useful for anyone who wants to listen to a book, but it’s a tremendous benefit for students who would benefit from listening to the words being said while they read them in a book.

Play games

Your virtual assistant is always ready for a game like The Magic Door. Ask Alexa to “Open the magic door,” and you’ll find yourself in an adventure game that is as interactive as it is imaginative.

Communication

Alexa in multilingual, and that’s a benefit for families who speak more than one language in the home.  In Multilingual Mode, Alexa will understand English and Spanish or English and Canadian-French. Alexa will also talk to you with a British accent or in Samuel Jackson’s voice. Amazon has plans to add more celebrity voices in the future.

Alexa can’t go pick up your dry cleaning or take the car for an oil change, but they are plenty of tasks your virtual assistant  can handle. What can Amazon Alexa do for you?  

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A new study that involved more than a million American high school students, found that adolescents who spent more time on screens (e.g., social media, the Internet, texting, gaming) and less time on non-screen activities, experienced lower psychological well-being. Adolescents who spend little time on electronic communication were the happiest.

In short, technology makes teens unhappy, but why? What is it about technology that makes people unhappy? Psychologist, Dr. Ellen Hendriksen, puts forward five ways technology exacerbates anxiety in people.

1. Technology insulates us from small uncertainties, leaving us vulnerable to real-life situations

Hendriksen explains that uncertainty is the root of anxiety. To some degree, technology takes a lot of the uncertainty away by answering our many questions instantly. Google maps will take you to your destination directly; if you need to find out the latest tips to ace a job interview, Google will tell you. You can even practice interview questions.

So, why are we still anxious? The thing is, technology provides answers to questions about things to do, not about life as it happens. Glassdoor can’t really prepare you for an interview in an unsettling environment, you have to deal with it as it happens.

“Because technology has lessened our experience handling uncertainty, we’re less prepared to deal with ambiguity when it arises,” explains Hendriksen.

2. Technology allows us to avoid people (and the negative emotions that go with people)

Features and apps are absorbing and allow us to avoid other people – we can simply order a pizza instead of standing in line for one. The only problem is that when we start to habitually avoid interaction with others in this manner, we forget how to interact and we lose our confidence.

Hendriksen points out that what we are really avoiding is the uncomfortable emotions that go with interacting with people, like awkwardness, anxiety, boredom and self-consciousness. Avoiding these situations means we never get an opportunity to handle them and grow in maturity.

3. On-screen communication is not the same as face-to-face communication

When we send a text message on our phone or write an email, we have time to compose, edit, and perfect our communication, whereas face-to-face communication happens unedited in real-time.

When we’re used to taking our time to think of exactly what we want to say, it becomes difficult to respond in a spontaneous way when facing another person. And again, if we don’t have enough experience of talking to another person, when we have to, we don’t have the confidence to do it, which makes us anxious.

4. Social media is judgment in public

Social media is public. Whether you admired or despised, the comments are there for everyone to see. How damaging that can be we know from a number of very public suicides, even by children.  Social media is a cruel minefield for young people.

Says Hendriksen: “Social anxiety is a fear of being revealed and judged as somehow deficient. And social media pushes all those buttons perfectly.” So we put a lot of effort into curating a perfect image of ourselves but in the long run it’s not a strategy that can stand the test of time. In the end, the gap increases between what we project and who we actually are and we become anxious about being found out.

5. The “compare and despair” trap

Life, as depicted on social media, can look picture perfect and enviable and it’s hard not to compare and end up feeling inadequate or inferior, which again, adds up to social anxiety. You tell yourself that this woman with this perfect body lounging in the latest designer sofa, also has problems she’d rather the world doesn’t know about, but still, you’re green with envy. Comparing ourselves to others always leads to unhappiness.

The solution? Don’t let technology rule you. Realize that it’s addictive and that you can take action to break the cycle. Here is a good online resource to get you started.

The post 5 Ways Technology Is Making Students Anxious appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.

It used to be that parents sent their young children to kindergarten to prepare them for elementary school. Now things have developed to the point where parents are sending their 3 – 4-year-olds to preschool to prepare them for kindergarten! What is the world coming to?

It’s becoming a place where there is no time to be a child anymore. And that’s not all. It is becoming a world where children no longer run around and learn through play and interaction. No, thanks to online preschools they are now learning sitting on a couch, staring at a screen and clicking a mouse.

Parents of young children can now enroll their child in a cyber preschool that provides digital learning materials, activity guides and “homeroom teachers” online through a home computer, tablet, or smartphone. This is the latest way to start a child’s education, but is it sensible?

Preschool teaches important social skills

Think about it: why are children sent to preschool in the first place? Isn’t it because they need human interaction? One of the most important skills children learn in preschool is how to make friends. Life is about human relationships after all. How do you learn about making friends, sorting out differences, and obeying the rules when you are staring at a screen, looking for the right color to click on?

Children learn through play, not screens

Young children don’t learn best through computer-based instruction. They learn through activity, primarily play. They use all their senses, their entire bodies to learn. They learn through touch and smell, running and crawling, building houses with odd materials, making dams in the back yard after the rain. And most importantly, they learn about their place in a social context from their peers and teachers.

Experts express concern

Early childhood experts agree that online preschools are a bad idea. More than one hundred early childhood leaders and organizations signed a position statement in which they express their deep concern about the high-tech industry’s push to target young children.

They point out that current knowledge about human development demonstrates that children learn best through exploratory, creative play and relationships with caring adults. And they quote the American Academy of Pediatrics: “Higher-order thinking skills and executive functions essential for school success, such as task persistence, impulse control, emotion regulation, and creative, flexible thinking, are best taught through unstructured and social (not digital) play.”

Online preschool is not a quality education

Preschool is not about learning letters and numbers on a computer screen. Preschool is about hands-on learning and exploring. “Children who are given this pseudo-preschool experience will not have the skills or knowledge of their peers who attend quality pre-K programs; the opportunity gap will widen at an even earlier age. States have a responsibility to provide high-quality early childhood education to every child,” warns Nancy Carlsson-Paige, professor emerita at Lesley University and co-founder of the nonprofit Defending the Early Years.

Online pre-K will only widen achievement gaps even more and increase inequality, says Carlsson-Paige. Children who get their preschool education through online preschools will be at a disadvantage compared to children who can attend preschools that offer activities that stimulate their cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development. Bottom line: you can’t compare what a child can learn through a screen to what a child can learn through human interaction.

The post Why Online Preschool Is a Terrible Idea appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.

Our children watch us and copy us, but their screen time is hurting them more than helping them.

Technology isn’t as healthy as we are led to believe. Increasing the time spent in front of a computer screen increases the likelihood of obesity and depression, and it invites other health issues. More screen time also means less cognitive development; idle time in front of the computer can be detrimental to our thinking skills.

It’s time to put down smartphone, turn off the TV, and walk away from the tablet, at least for a little while.

Getting a handle on screen time

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, here are some ways to curb the computer compulsion:

Limit tech time.

The first step in managing any digital devices is to limit its use. Without clearly defined limits, users binge on the blue screen, becoming addicted to technology. Their behavior affects their eating and sleeping habits, changes social relationships, and damages health.

Try these strategies for turning off the tech:

• Have a screen-free meal at least once a week.
• Go for a walk without your smartphone (or turn it off and keep it in your pocket).
• Earn it back. Establish a schedule that lets kids earn tech time by completing chores or earning grades.
• Set a time limit with a timer or put all technology to bed (in a room other than where you sleep) at a predetermined time.

Practice communicating in person.

Listening and talking to another person is becoming a lost art. Social media favors one-way discourse, and the skills used for discussion atrophy. Children should learn how to communication with others of all ages and backgrounds. By doing so, they improve their language fluency, understanding, and learn how to communicate actively.

Choose wisely.

How you and your children spend time is important. Smartphone users access an average of nine apps daily and as many as 30 different apps in a month. Some of these apps may be educational, but their quality will vary greatly. Check on the apps your children use; not all of them are beneficial.

In addition, using technology as an emotional substitute or an escape can be detrimental to mental and physical health. Children need to learn how to identify their feelings, manage emotions, and self-soothe in times of stress.

Be the change

Reducing screen time isn’t easy. Your kids will watch you as you take the lead in this initiative.

One of the most important things you can do as the parent or adult in a child’s life is model the behavior you want to see in them. Avoid the temptation to use your smartphone when the family agreed on a no-tech time.

You won’t be alone. Many of the executives at Amazon, Apple, and Google are already doing the same thing. They limit phone use, screen time, and the amount of technology access their children have, perhaps because they understand better than anyone else how addictive technology is meant to be.

Technology can be a useful tool, even necessary at times, but only to the extent that we control it — not the other way around.

The post Less Screen Time and More Socialization appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.

Enlighten Them About The Benefits Of The Technology

Some parents may be skeptical about using digital technology instead of books. It is essential that they get to learn about the benefits of digital technology. Once they have accepted the technology, they will be more willing to assist the school in ensuring that digital learning is a success. Even so, parents should be allowed to voice their concerns and skepticism towards digital education, so that the school administrators can address the concerns as they teach the benefits of technology.

Teach Them The Basics Of Using The Devices

If learners take digital learning devices home with the purpose of accessing learning material, it is important that the parents have a basic understanding of the technology and how it works. This will make it hard for the children to hoodwink their parents on what they are doing with the devices. Since most of the parents are already using some of the devices. Therefore, teaching them a little about software and systems that the school is using will be pretty easy.

Teach Them On The Possible Dangers

It is advisable to list down the risks that come with the use of digital learning technology. Let the parents know about measures put in place to mitigate these dangers. For example, if the children are accessing the internet, the school should notify the parents about the filters put in place to prevent them from accessing adult material and illegal stuff. It should also show how it is protecting their personal information and data online. This gives the parents some confidence in technology.

In addition, tell the parents the ways they can take part in ensuring that the children are safe when using the technology at home. It is also an excellent chance to help parents regulate what is accessed by kids on their personal devices, as it determines what kids would be looking to see on school devices.

Have A Way Of Reporting Safety Breaches

School administrators and digital learning software developers should provide a platform that allows parents to report any security breaches or concerns thereof. There should be a member of the ICT department that receives and evaluates any concerns to do with safety rather than taking them through the school’s complaint addressing process. This ensures speedy action and solution to any possible dangers.

Education tech is a vital part of the learning processes. However, there are several safety problems littered on the way to enjoy its full potential. The school should enlist the help of parents to guarantee learners’ safety when using school-provided technology.

The post How to Talk to Parents About Safety on School-Provided Technology appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.

Speech Delays

One of the biggest areas where developmental delays are seen in young children exposed to screens is in language. The impact of prolonged exposure to technology is staggering. According to one study, children who watched television before their first birthday typically watched more than two hours per day. However, this isn’t the most surprising part of the study. In comparison to the control group, the children who watched television were six times more likely to have delayed speech compared to the others.

Other studies performed by pediatrician Catherine Birken determined that even thirty minutes each day could be detrimental. They had parents self-report how much time children spent on phones or tablets daily. Most children spent around thirty minutes but they were all more likely to have speech delays. For each additional thirty-minute increment, the children were 49 percent more likely to have an expressive speech delay.

While this developmental delay is certainly significant, it is not the only thing that should concern parents who encourage screen time for their children. Psychology Today argues that we are fundamentally changing the way a child’s brain develops when we expose them to screens at early ages. Their ability to use language certainly decreases, but they also lose the ability to carry on a conversation or to read the body language and attitudes of other people.

Attention and Focus

As a child grows up, he or she will need to be attentive and focused in order to acquire new skills This is essential for classroom learning as well as everyday life with parents and peers. Unfortunately, screen time tends to diminish a child’s ability to focus long enough to acquire these new skills quickly. One of the biggest long-term effects of screen time at an early age is a decreased attention span.

On the games and shows available right at their fingertips, children are exposed to excessive amounts of stimuli. This makes it difficult for them to concentrate on any one task. However, it also teaches them to crave that type of stimulation that doesn’t require any thought or effort on their part. Everything they could ever want is given to them through the games. They never learn to be imaginative or creative the same way children might have done a few generations ago.

While technology does offer some promising advances for education, it is still too early to tell what we may be sacrificing. Too much screen time can certainly cause developmental delays in young children, particularly in regards to their language development and attention spans. This should be something to highly consider prior to allowing technology to babysit our young children.

The post Can Too Much Screen Time Cause Developmental Delays in Young Children? appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.

However, many parents become overwhelmed by the sheer volume of educational apps available. How do you decide which ones are right for your child? Asking yourself these five common questions may help to guide your decision-making process.

What is the app actually teaching?

As a parent, it’s important to know exactly what your child is supposed to learn from an app. If the description is vague and you can’t clearly see the connections, it may be intended more for recreation than education. Look at the skills it is intended to teach your child and decide if those fit into an age-appropriate academic system. You should clearly be able to identify the key concepts and ideas that your child will be learning when they play with any learning app.

Is this app age-appropriate?

It’s no secret that the majority of students who are using learning apps are in high school. This fact alone means that many manufacturers will gear their content and formatting to an older generation. Particularly when selecting a learning app for younger children, you need to ensure that the content and formatting is appropriate for their age group.

Could you purchase a similar app at a lower price?

While many of the learning apps will be free or inexpensive, some may cost more than you’re willing to spend. Always take the time to investigate whether you could get a similar learning app at a lower price. Be sure to take time to compare the reviews, content, and formatting to ensure that the cheaper version is indeed comparable.

Will this app help to bolster their creativity?

One of the most common issues with educational apps is their propensity to promote consumerism over creativity. Parents and teachers should both select apps that favor the latter. Look for versions that don’t prompt children to pay money for extra coins, hidden levels, and bonus tries. These apps should be actively encouraging your student to create and work hard on their ideas instead of receiving instant gratification by purchasing items. This instant gratification won’t serve them well academically or in life.

What are your child’s academic needs?

It doesn’t make sense to give your child a learning app that favors vocabulary when they are currently failing math. Selecting the right learning app based on their current academic needs is important. While they can certainly use educational programs to boost their strong areas as well, these apps are better designed to help strengthen a weak point. You should be looking for games and programs that have content geared toward your child’s academic weak points.

Be sure that you’re making a wise choice before you download any learning apps for your child. This framework of common questions can help guide your decisions and improve your child’s learning experience. Take advantage of everything technology has to offer in today’s modern age, but practice applying it wisely by asking questions and evaluating it beforehand.

The post 5 Common Questions People Have About Learning Apps appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.

However, a Stanford report explains, “technology – when implemented properly -can produce significant gains in student achievement and boost engagement, particularly among students most at risk.” The key here is “when implemented properly.” Yes – there are cases when too much technology does have a zombie-like effect on kids. But, more importantly, when we use technology to the right extent for the right purpose, it simply changes education.

What Turns Our Kids into Zombies

Unfortunately, kids who have too much screen time do seem like zombies. For example, The American Pediatric Association has studied and produced screen time viewing recommendations. We are even hearing about kids who are addicted to their smartphones or video games. Therefore, for some, the use of technology in the classroom raises a red flag.

However, on the flip side, others have argued for years that standardized testing and teaching to the test is also a way of producing students who are zombie-like. Students who learn to memorize facts without developing critical thinking skills seem like zombies.

Therefore, it is possible whether you use technology in the classroom or not, students can seem to have the same zombie-like responses. The key is a balance. The AAP explains, “For school-aged children and adolescents, the idea is to balance media use with other healthy behaviors.”

What Teachers Need to Do in the Classroom

Teachers should not use technology just because they can. Instead, the technology they choose to use in the classroom should support the curriculum and meet the needs of their students. For example, just because technology is new and exciting doesn’t mean it needs to be brought into the classroom. However, if there is technology that will help students understand the lesson in a relevant way, then it should be used regularly.

Additionally, teachers must reevaluate how they teach using technology. For example, students know how to find answers on Google with ease; therefore, teachers should help students navigate their way through online content, as well as focus on using critical thinking questions rather than fact-based questions.

What Parents Need to Do at Home

The issue of technology and zombie behavior does not fall on teachers alone. Parents are responsible for teaching kids to use technology in healthy ways. For example, parents should be setting limits on technology use and modeling appropriate technology behavior.

The post Is Tech Improving Education or Turning Our Kids into Zombies appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.

The good news is that there is a variety of new digital tools that make it easier than ever for schools to engage parents. It should go without saying—but perhaps it doesn’t—that a robust Facebook and Twitter presence will make it easier for parents to be engaged with what is happening in their kids’ schools. Whether it is news of the latest PTA meeting or a reminder that standardized tests are on the horizon, it’s never been easier to communicate with parents.

There is no longer any need to worry about flyers in backpacks not quite making it to their intended destination. At the same time, it may be that the parents who aren’t on Facebook and Twitter are the ones who are most in need of establishing strong lines of communication with their kids’ schools. So, schools need to be proactive to ensure that they are communicating along channels that reach all parents.

But thinking of engagement as announcements and current events is far too limited. Some very powerful benefits of parent engagement stem from engagement not with the school as a community but rather with the content of what their children are learning. In other words, parents need to be aware of what is happening in the classroom so that they can engage and support their children at home.

One powerful platform for this is Seesaw, which can be thought of as a private social media portal for the classroom. Parents and others can see and comment on what their children are doing in class when students post video, audio, and text showing their work. This can be an especially powerful way to engage non-custodial parents and distant family members. Teachers have long known that giving students an audience beyond the classroom can be an important motivator, and a variety of digital tools can make that a simple reality.

The post How to Leverage Technology to Engage Parents at Scale appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.

It’s likely that diagnoses of screen addiction disorder (SAD) may not be far off; medical professionals have already noted that some children are more likely to avoid socialization and imaginary play if they spend excessive amounts of time in front of technology screens.

If you are worried that your child is spending too much time in front of a computer screen, you should be asking these seven questions about student screen addiction:

1. Has the child lost interest in activities they once enjoyed?

Tablets and computers can be fun for learning, and they offer entertaining diversions. However, children who engage exclusively in screen time and ignore other activities may be spending to much time in front of the computer.

2. Does the student insist on having more time in front of the screen?

Users develop a tolerance for the digital devices they engage with.  Initially, users may feel satisfied with fifteen minutes of computer time, but they build up a tolerance to the pleasure received from the interaction. Eventually, they may need thirty minutes of tech time to experience the same pleasure.

3. Does the child exhibit signs of impulsiveness around computers?

The learner who seems anxious to get in front of a screen may have SAD. Like an addict who needs another fix, the student also needs to have more computer time. The child may fidget or show other signs of nervousness and even withdrawal. Children experiencing these symptoms may try to make desperate dashes to the computer for additional screen time, and getting them to turn off their devices may be difficult.

4. What danger exists in letting my child play with my phone or tablet?

Smart phones and tablets can be entertaining for young students especially, but the screen lighting arouses and overstimulates the brain, and even rewires the neural pathways.

5. How can I help my child balance screen time and creative play?

Look for tech tools that support instruction in specific subjects, encourage collaboration among peers, and allow for social sharing. Monitor the time spent in front of the screen by setting time limits just as you would for any other assignment or activity.

6. How much student screen time is too much?

If screen time prevents your child from completing other tasks or taking care of personal needs like hygiene, eating, and sleeping, you’ll need to reduce the amount of time spent in front of the computer screen. Sit down with your child to plan how to best spend the available hours in a week, including sleeping, play, school, and homework. You both may be surprised at how little time is left in the week for screen time.

7. What impact will student screen addiction have on children?

Although countries such as China and India have already identified technology addiction as a serious disorder and developed treatment programs to combat student screen addiction, the medical profession in the United States has not yet committed  to treating the problem as an addiction.

The World Health Organization, however, already recognizes the impact the Internet has had on children; student screen addiction could be every bit as serious.

The post 7 Questions We Should Be Asking About Student Screen Addiction appeared first on The Tech Edvocate.