The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
photos courtesy of the Ridgewood School District
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Benjamin Franklin Middle School students dropped their phones at the door for the school’s second annual phone-free Friday night! The theme was scavenger hunt, and the students had a blast!
This amazing event that had our students away from their screens for an entire evening!
Continue reading Benjamin Franklin Middle School’s Annual Phone-free Friday Night Declared a Success
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
‘Ridgewood NJ,a new study suggests that more screen time can negatively impact a students grades .With 95% of Americans owning a cell phone of some kind and actually 77% of them owning a smartphone (according to pewinternet), the topic of phone time and its potential effects comes into question.
The study asked undergraduate university/college students what their daily phone screen time was the last 7 days and their current grade to see if there could be any correlation between them.The survey consisted of 875 undergraduate post-secondary students (1st-year students aged 17-19) from a number of US schools.To keep the survey simple, respondents were asked what their daily phone screen time was the last 7 days and their current grade.
Continue reading New Study Suggests Phone Screen time Negatively affect Grades
July 31,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, in a recent letter to parents Ridgewood Schools Superintendent discussed the idea of having too much screen time on electronic devices .
Superintendent Daniel Fishbien admitted that time have changed with the wide use of smart phones ,but voiced his concerns of students personal use and time of these devices.
How screen time is too much ? Although many parents have a nagging sense that they should do more to limit screen-time, they often question whether there’s enough evidence to justify yanking coveted devices, rationalize that it’s “part of our kids’ culture,” or worry that others—such as a spouse—will undermine their efforts.
The truth about the potential damage screen time is capable of imparting particularly in a young, still-developing brain is significant according to many studies . These side effects include impaired cognitive functioning. Imaging studies have found less efficient information processing and reduced impulse inhibition (Dong & Devito 2013), increased sensitivity to rewards and insensitivity to loss (Dong & Devito 2013), and abnormal spontaneous brain activity associated with poor task performance (Yuan 2011).
Thus the idea came about of the “Big Disconnect ” .School officials are now exploring ways to help parents disengage students and get them to disconnect from electronic devices.
The following programs have been announced as part of the district’s Wellbeing Speaker Series in an attempt to address the “Big Disconnect ” issue :
Oct. 11: Brief overview of the schools’ use of educational technology and its security followed up breakout sessions led by administrators on the book “The Big Disconnect: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in the Digital Age.”
Oct. 19: A screening of the movie “Screen-agers.”
Nov. 29: A special program entitled “Screen wise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World.”
Jan. 11: A hands-on technology and smartphone program for parents.
March 8: A panel of students will discuss their personal use of technology.
Matthew Diebel, USATODAY12:17 p.m. EST November 3, 2015
You’ve probably seen it – a teenager rocking to music blasting from headphones while also texting, checking out Facebook and watching TV.
And, supposedly, doing homework.
For those people who date back to pre-handheld-device days and who found it hard enough to concentrate on homework even without digital distractions, the sight of multitasking teens is mind-boggling.
It’s also more prevalent than you might think.
A new report by Common Sense Media, a San Francisco-based non-profit that tracks children and their technology use, finds that teens age 13 to 18 spend almost nine hours a day – that’s longer than they usually sleep – on “entertainment media,” which includes things like checking out social media, music, gaming or online videos.
