A teacher’s tips for balancing tech & education

Many parents understand the value their kids get from being online but are also seeking to ensure their family gets the balance right.

We caught up Sophie Whitehouse Sparks, senior educator, CEO of TutorTime and founder of YOU CAN SIT WITH ME to find out how to get the best from being online – for kids’ learning and wellbeing.

Sophie has been a teacher for over 25 years and has had a very rewarding teaching and tutoring career both here and in the UK.

Let’s talk about the role of technology in education. Are you a fan?

Yes! Technology has the potential to really enrich a student’s learning. Say for example, a student was learning about Pompeii. There are incredible videos and interactive resource available. It can be an even more immersive experience than actually travelling there in person. It’s just amazing.

If you’re learning about Australian animals you can see maps online to show their distribution and numbers, watch videos about conservation efforts. The horizons are limitless.

As technology is central to kids’ lives these days, what are some of the things parents need to keep in mind on how to balance the new and traditional ways of learning?

Well, as a teacher I’ve seen the good and the bad side of technology. And I’ve come to the conclusion that a ‘hybrid’ technology engagement model often works best.

This brings together the best of both worlds: traditional pen and paper classroom learning and digital.

After all, humans are social creatures, and we are collective learners. That’s how we’ve evolved and survived -- humans need humans.

So, the traditional classroom is still core to how we learn. Adding in digital to enrich the process is wonderful but it should not completely replace the social learning framework.

Of course, lockdowns have made face to face learning a challenge. But again, blending online studies with pen and paper activities is ideal.

By using pen and paper students are engaging their brains to digest and organise the information they’re being taught. It’s just not possible to write down everything, so by the very act of filtering and taking notes, they’re engaging in deeper learning. That leads to better retention.

And when they’re writing with pen and paper, they’re able to let the ideas flow. If they’re always only writing online, the temptation is to get it right straight away. That can stifle creativity.

It also limits distractions as it’s not possible to do anything else while you’re taking notes, so your focus is completely on the task.

I’d say to teachers: if you can blend technology and old-fashioned pen and paper, you’ll have magic in your classroom.

How can parents help to balance online time and their child’s studies?

Online learning needs to be managed so that students are not distracted from their studies by social media. If you think about it, a textbook is a contained environment whereas being online is a window to a huge world. That’s great but it’s also distracting. The trick is to celebrate technology but also contain its impact so that students don’t get distracted from the task.  

Tips for parents

• Be aware and engaged with what your kids are learning – particularly when they’re online
• Check that kids are also getting some ‘pen and paper’ learning done
• Ask your kids’ teacher for tips and materials
• Sit with your kids, look at what they're doing, question them on it
• Don’t be afraid to get involved
• Ask the teacher how long online homework should take
• Set expectations with your child about how long the task should take
• Remind kids it’s homework time - not online recreation time
• Set a timer that goes off and everyone can hear
   

What’s your advice for keeping kids safe online?

It all goes back to being involved with your children’s lives and that goes beyond their school life. Parents mustn’t be afraid to put rules in place and to uphold those rules.

Try to get to know your children’s friends and if possible, their parents too, so you can stand together. Remember, kids are kids they don’t always know what’s right and wrong and need to be guided.

Social media should be monitored. Children make mistakes, that’s a natural part of learning. The problems start when mistakes are made on social media and don’t stay in the schoolyard or in the home. 

Unfortunately, the relative anonymity of social media and it’s 24x7 nature can create a situation where children feel they can bully each other.

So again, it’s very important to stay involved to guide and support your child as well as providing some rules about online use. 

Find out about the best tech for primary and high school kids and tips for ensuring your child is ready for their first phone.

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Optus Digital Thumbprint supports digital safety and wellbeing for young people and families. Find out more at www.digitalthumbprint.com.au