Ep 2 | Being a Good Digital Citizen: Screen Time, Reality & the Internet

SPEAKER_02 0:00

I remember one day earlier this year I was in the kindergarten hallway and passed by and noticed that a whole new set of pictures had been hung in the hallway. And as I looked, I realized it was common sense curriculum where they had discussed the time you spend online. And then students had written responses for things to do to take a break from being online. And students had drawn pictures of going outside, and you could see how they had spelled out their sentence that said, I can go outside.

SPEAKER_03 0:36

Welcome to the Voices United in Education podcast. Each week we showcase the teachers, administrators, and community members who go the extra mile to contribute to the success of every student in Escambia County. You'll meet the real people behind the titles and learn about the amazing resources to support every student's success. We all want kids to grow up and be good citizens, especially those of us without kids. Your parents are doing the Lord's work. But in an increasingly virtual world, how do you show your kids how to be a good digital citizen? Kids spend almost five hours a day on the internet. So learning how to responsibly use technology and keep a grasp on reality is not just a good idea, but a necessity. My next guests are the principal and technology coordinator at Global Learning Academy, respectively. And today they are going to share how Global Learning Academy was one of 34 Florida schools recognized as a common sense school and how the common sense media curriculum is helping students and parents find harmony between digital and analog. Pensacola enthusiasts, dedicated to digital wellness, Lala Pierce and Kevin McNally. Thank you for being here.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

Thank you for having us. Now, Lala, you graduated from Tate High School and all four kids went to Escambia County schools, correct? That's correct.

SPEAKER_04 2:06

So what have you seen change-wise as far as the digital impact on kids over the years?

SPEAKER_02 2:12

To say it has increased would be quite the understatement because it went from during my childhood's existence from non-existent almost to an integral part of their life where it's in their hand all the time and they can't resist touching it, checking it, making sure that they don't have any notification or things like that.

SPEAKER_03 2:34

Yeah, they don't really use even textbooks very much now, do they? Because they have everything on a tablet.

SPEAKER_04 2:40

It's both.

SPEAKER_02 2:41

It's both. Definitely they have access to much of the curriculum online, but we do still have consumable material that they use in the classroom.

SPEAKER_03 2:51

And Kevin, you taught fifth grade for two years, which is definitely the Lord's work. And now you work on the tech side. Having experience in both worlds, um, how would you say that a digital citizen why would you say digital citizenship is important?

SPEAKER_00 3:09

Well, you have to think about the role that school plays, not just in teaching kids math, science, and reading, but also how to be functional, productive uh human beings. I mean, one of the things is uh if you don't know how to interact with people, it doesn't matter how much math or science you know, it's not going to do you any good if you can't communicate. So the same is also true, especially nowadays where I mean, I don't know about everybody else, but most of the communication I have with the people I work with every day is through a text message or an email. Um, and this is important to know how to conduct yourself not just in person when interacting, but also electronically.

SPEAKER_03 3:49

So And prior to this program, do you feel like there were systems in place to help equip kids?

SPEAKER_00 3:56

Not really. Um there isn't much consideration made for the fact that that's kind of how um things are going. Um a lot of the things that we do in education are rooted in a lot of uh historical uh precedents and the way things have been taught and the world as it was. And I feel like we're just now seeing the um beginnings of recognizing that the world that uh the kids that we're teaching are gonna grow up to live in is going to be increasingly digital. Um there are a lot of people now, especially since the pandemic, that conduct their uh entire working lives remotely. They don't go into an office, they don't interact with people on a daily basis except for uh through a computer screen. So um teaching them how to conduct themselves in that environment is key.

SPEAKER_02 4:46

Well, and I think in our district, we're very fortunate to have the academy programs that we do. So at the high school level, certainly we've been moving in a very um technology-driven direction with our gaming academy and things like that. But as we know, the habits that are formed when children are young are so important. So, from a young age, helping them understand how do you find good information online, how do you talk to people on a Google document, how do you work together and collaborate, things like that that are foundational skills. Similar to the way we consider phonics foundational to reading, there's technology literacy that needs to be taught at a young age for it to be intuitive by the time they reach the secondary level.

SPEAKER_03 5:28

So, what's the student experience like with this curriculum?

SPEAKER_00 5:32

Uh so there's a lot of different ways to use the Common Sense Media curriculum to appeal to different age groups and different types of learners and just students that are interested in different things. And that's one of the things that I tried to express to the teachers at our school is that if you have a student in your class that is uh not really interested in reading a long article about how to find good sources for articles and that sort of thing, they have videos, they have interactive experiences, they have all sorts of different things that you can use to get everyone uh involved in the process of learning about digital citizenship. Um typically uh for the younger students, um, they've done a really good job of leveling things and making it differentiated to the point where the younger students are getting something that's going to catch their attention. They've built in repetition, um, which we know is important for making sure that they're getting the message and understanding the content. So I would say there's not one answer to that. It's so varied, but that's one of the strengths of the curriculum is that there are a lot of different ways that you can not only get students involved, but to implement it in your school.

SPEAKER_03 6:41

So there's different versions depending on age level. Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 6:45

Yeah, there the lessons are specifically for different grade levels, and it's uh pretty well differentiated to not just reach different students in terms of their the way that they prefer to take in content, but also to respond. At the end of every activity, there's a way to show what you know, to check their knowledge, um, almost like an exit ticket. Um and in almost all of them, there is built in that if the student is not at the point where they're able to write a response, they can draw a picture. Um and so that's one of those things where even if a student struggles with verbalizing what they've learned, um there's some way that they can show that they've got the content and that um they got out of the lesson what was intended.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

I remember one day earlier this year, I was in the kindergarten hallway and passed by and noticed that a whole new set of pictures had been hung in the hallway. And as I looked, I realized it was common sense curriculum where they had discussed the time you spend online, and then students had written responses for things to do to take a break from being online. And students had drawn pictures of going outside, and you could see how they had spelled out their sentence that said, I can go outside, or I'm going to play with my dog, and the pictures matched the words, and the teachers had helped them correct their spelling, and um it really honestly just gave me a lift and warmed my heart to see the implementation of that all the way down to kindergarten because it's not just skills like how do you create a strong password or find reliable information, but it's those dispositions, is what the curriculum calls it of self-reflection and um the way you treat people and things that are more the soft skills involved with technology use.

SPEAKER_03 8:29

I what when you were talking about the pictures and their plan for getting offline, I mean, I think there's like I have two thoughts. One thought is it's such a tug of war, I think, right now, with people thinking, oh God, that is so ridiculous. Just unplug it all, go outside, a resistance to the technology. But like you said, Kevin, this is inevitable. This is kind of where things are going.

SPEAKER_00 8:50

Yeah, there's no escaping. I mean, this is one of those things, and and I I also enjoyed the fact that they have pieces in there for parents and families, too, because um, this is one of those issues where we can stick our head in the sand and pretend like technology's not, you know, gonna be part of our lives. But if you look at the trends, uh if you just look at the data and the numbers, I mean uh, you know, huge, huge swaths of regular everyday life is conducted on electronic device, and I don't see that going anywhere but up.

SPEAKER_02 9:20

So I was first introduced to this program in my first master's program, and one of the things that we talked about in those classes is that exact idea of we can stick our head in the sand or we can embrace it and be productive with it. And I'm going to be honest that because my children kind of were part of that trans transition into more of a digital world, I did initially have that perspective of, well, parents just need to parent and turn them off and set limits, and that should all work. But the reality is if we don't embrace it, then we're not teaching them the responsibility they need. And there was an interesting meme or kind of cartoon that was shared through some of my classes where uh it shows the meme that people post where everybody's like on a subway staring at their phones, and you know, somebody says something catty about they need to get off their phones and interact with each other, and then they show the black and white photo of businessmen on a train buried in their newspapers. And why is one okay but not the other? Right.

SPEAKER_03 10:28

Well, the other thought that I had, which you just perfectly illustrated, is intentionality. And I think there's an opportunity for intentionality in just, you know, this next stage of our, I don't know, humanoid evolution, but also with this program, because when you're talking about, hey kids, what is your plan to get offline? You're talking about intentionality. When you're asking the question, how does this technology make you feel? I mean, you're really talking about being present. And that's a mindfulness exercise, really. And there's a lot of benefit from that. So I'm curious if either of you have an illustration or a story about how this curriculum has helped kids at home with their digital lives and not just in the classroom.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

Well, I think in terms of at home, I we don't necessarily um get a lot of reports back, but you can see it every day in the way we interact with them. I mean, in Escambia County, we're one-to-one with Chromebooks. So every kid every day has a computer at their fingertips. And we run into discipline problems when the teacher says, okay, we're done with the computerized portion, put that away, we're gonna go um, you know, look at our math textbook or whatever. There are kids that really struggle um with just turning it off. They don't want to put it down. Um and I think it's not in a you know a malicious way that these kids are reacting, but I mean, the way that these electronic devices and the things we use on them are designed is to be catchy and be to get get that dopamine hit, right? Um and if kids aren't uh aware of that and they don't know that that's what's happening, we're not giving them the tools to react to that in an appropriate way and learn coping mechanisms um to get past that uh reaction. Um and so we do see that. I mean, I I I have uh a particular student in kindergarten that was very um focused on that Chromebook constantly. And after some repeated um you know, times talking to them about, like, you know, okay, I understand that this is exciting and it's you know, but this is not everything. This is not all that we're gonna do today. Um, and it's something that's always gonna be there. You can go back to it. Um, but you know, when it's time to get off, it's time to get off. And you can do something else in real life that's just as fun and just as interactive.

SPEAKER_03 12:48

So it's so hard to negotiate with humans whose prefrontal cortexes are not fully developed. Yeah. Yeah. But that was a very good speech, and I think we should all tuck that away for there's something better coming, kids. Put the computer down.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

You can see the wheels turning in their head too when they learn. Okay. Like you can see the light turn on. It's not just, you know, in education you see that too when you're teaching long division or fractions or whatever. You can see when it clicks. The same thing is true with emotional learning, right? Learning, oh, you know, this is the feeling that I need to pay attention to because when I feel this, I can do this to overcome that barrier.

SPEAKER_02 13:25

One thing I've noticed as an administrator, we have had issues with the impact of social media coming into the building and into the classroom. And of course, whether it's TikTok or Snapchat or Instagram or whatever, there are age limits on those platforms, but that does not mean that anyone is regulating that or and it would be very difficult for parents to stay on top of all of that because children are very smart. They are digital natives who know how to work the devices, the platforms, they know the workarounds. So we often would have these issues coming into the building where maybe there was a um Instagram chat where somebody said something ugly, and then you know, someone eventually tells an adult and it comes back to us, or they come into the building and you realize there's tension and people are upset, and you find out it has nothing to do with something that happened at school. It all happened on social media. Well, I will say, and I have no evidence to directly attribute the decrease to this program, but there has been a significant decrease since we've been began teaching these lessons. I really did see a change in how much we were fighting with those issues. So I do think there's already been a positive impact just in the short time that we've had it implemented.

SPEAKER_00 14:46

That's one of the major things we talked about in the curriculum, too, is the um everlasting presence that you have online, right? You know, uh I am really apt to say, and I'm sure a lot of people of my generation and older will be happy to mention that, you know, if everything we did when we were kids was online in perpetuity, uh, we'd be in trouble, right? Um and but that's the reality these kids are growing up in. And so a a dumb Instagram post that you put on, or a Snapchat, or a Facebook post that you put online when you're 12, 11, 10, um that's with you forever. And that can be uh brought up when you're applying to colleges or applying to a job. Um and I don't know about you, but I don't want to miss out on a job because I was bickering with somebody on Snapchat about whether or not my hair looked bad or some No, I'm I'm with you.

SPEAKER_03 15:36

I I mean what you're talking about is good digital citizenship, the not bullying, not um, you know, firing off uh uh uh a comment before you really think about it. Can you give an example of like how the digital citizen aspect of this curriculum works? What does it look like? Maybe pick a grade, because you said it works different in each grade.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

So maybe like seventh grade. Um I taught 45-minute lessons to just about every grade level where we had the whole grade level um and we went over it. And one of them is literally a lesson um called Be a Super Digital Citizen. Um and it talks specifically about looking for um signs of online bullying and uh ways that we interact online that are different. I mean, one of the things that's missing in an online interaction that you get in person is the other person's reaction, right? You can fire off words into the void when you're on Twitter or whatever it may be, um, and you get that, like, yes, you you know, you posted your thoughts and you get to say what you want to say, you don't get that reaction. So if I say something negatively about you, if I say it right here, I get to see your facial expression, I get to see how that lands. That's how a lot of kids learn, too, right? Is if I say something mean to you and I see that hurt in your face, um, that creates a reaction in me and I go, oh, I don't, I don't really like that. I don't like I don't like the way that that made me feel watching how it made you feel, right? You don't get that online. Um and so that mindfulness and that um that pause before you hit send or post to really think about why am I saying this? What impact is this gonna have? And that and that's a process that is not as immediate as doing it in person, but with enough practice and enough mindfulness about that, um, it's something that you can develop and learn just like you would in person.

SPEAKER_02 17:26

And something that I want to make sure that we express, I know he mentioned 45-minute lessons, that was once in a while, or once maybe even a quarter or semester. The ongoing curriculum that the teachers might be using in their classroom, maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes here or there, it's it's very doable. And most of our elementary schools or many of our elementary schools are what we call PBIS schools, positive behavior intervention and support. And really the tenets of the Common Sense Media Program dovetail very nicely with most of our school's PBIS initiatives. For example, at Global, our PBIS Pact that we call it is practice honesty, accept responsibility, choose respect, and think safe. Well, those ideas fit right in with the common sense media. And so it's kind of not something that has to stand alone. As Mr. McNally mentioned, you may be writing a reflection, drawing a picture, writing a sentence, reading something, watching something. Those are all standards in our language arts curriculum that you're integrating the technology lessons with that language arts curriculum. So it's not something that's separate and taking additional time. It fits into things you're already doing.

SPEAKER_00 18:47

Yeah. You can weave it into your curriculum and what you already teach. Um you can break lessons up into pieces and do one piece every day early in the morning. You can do small, some lessons are legitimately made to be taught in 15 minutes. Um and there are other portions too. There are activities you can send them with parents, um, tip sheets and information and good things that you can send home to help families also address this. Because in the end, you know, I mean, this is something that they're going to be dealing with too. And giving them that information gives them the power to prepare their child uh to be successful in a digital world.

SPEAKER_03 19:22

So are there, other than take homes, are there specific programs online that the parents can benefit from? Maybe they don't, their kid doesn't go to global.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Yeah, absolutely. Um the I will say I was uh pleasantly surprised by just how open and out there the common sense media curriculum and information is. Anyone can go uh to the site and pull up uh a lot of that information themselves. And so um, you know, I used to tell my students this all the time, and I I would advise parents and anyone interested in this, uh, take it upon yourself to go do that. I mean, honestly, even if you're a student, um if you're in high school and you're a student and this is something that you think you need to work on or information you need, you go on there and look it up yourself. Um, you know, the more that we can put the responsibility uh in the hands of the people that are gonna be affected by this, the more ownership there is of this type of issue. And in the end, you know, I can sit here and talk about it for, you know, hours and hours and hours, but um it's gonna be the student at the other end that's gonna really make the difference in terms of whether or not, you know, this sticks and is something that they uh pay attention to and really follow.

SPEAKER_02 20:28

And it's just really what is online at commonsense.org is so well done, whether it's the educator portion, the parent portion, the student portion, everything you need is already built out for you. It's free. There are PDFs, there are videos, like you said, they're interactives, and so it really doesn't matter what role you have or how deep you want to go or what style you want to tackle it in, it's there. And they've just done a phenomenal job with it. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 20:59

Do you think that in the future, let's say, I don't know, two years from now, more more schools adapt this curriculum into their school.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

I would certainly hope so. And I understand there is just like there's uh a hesitation to um from a lot of people to add more in this way because it's almost like accepting that this is where it's going. But again, it's happening. It's already happened in a lot of our spaces. And so the quicker we can um get this in the schools and out to the students, the better prepared they're gonna be. I mean, one of the biggest issues uh whether you're on whatever side of the aisle you are nowadays is uh being able to tell whether information you're seeing online is accurate, right? That's a huge issue for everybody. Um, and that's in the curriculum, you know, finding good sources and double checking and critical thinking skills. These are things that are not just applicable to this curriculum or this lesson or the things that we teach. These are everyday things uh that people need to know how to do.

SPEAKER_03 22:00

And I can see how when you describe the lessons that are in there in the the core tenets, like you said, that you're trying to just really ingrain in them. I'm really starting to see the picture of how this will make a nicer internet for the future, which is really our what is part of our community. So when we talk about being united in education, there may be some pushback thinking, well, gosh, you know, parents should just do their job, or this isn't really about math, science, or reading, but it is about the bigger picture of how we apply those things because you may learn something and then communicate it in an aggressive way online that is not helpful for passing that information on or being a good community member. So I'm I'm really seeing how it's beneficial long term just for you know all of Pensacola. And my question is do you see this becoming a course of its own, a class of its own? So instead of going to algebra, not instead of, but in addition to going to algebra, they would go to digital citizens class or something.

SPEAKER_02 23:08

Well, I think it's important to introduce it at the elementary level. And unless, I'm just to be real, unless funding drastically changed and the hours in the school day changed, you know, we're already struggling to fit in the things that we need to in the time that we have. Um so having this be just something that dovetails in works. Now at the secondary level, there are already standalone technology classes where this would be appropriate. And I know from my experience in middle school, many of these things are already taught in middle school, whether or not they use this specific curriculum or not.

SPEAKER_00 23:46

And I would just say this um overall, that we have to look at the end goal of what we want education to be. Um it is certainly um not a question that it's important that students learn how to read and write and do math. But if the end goal is for us to make productive, um well-rounded citizens, um, then this absolutely is part of that. And I don't see any way around that in the current climate and what's happening going forward. It's just something that needs to be taught. Um, just like we want students to know how to balance a checkbook or you know, do some of these things that uh are fundamental life skills. Um, this is, if it has not already, is going to be one of the most fundamental things they need to know in order to be a successful, productive, and well-educated, well-rounded individual.

SPEAKER_02 24:40

The other thing that I think is interesting to think about when I was in school and for many years after that, the traditional model was sit and get learning for the most part. And now we know that to address the needs of all unique learners and what children need and what they enjoy and for them to be engaged in their learning and really to compete with some of the things that they're interested in, like gaming online. We want them to become creators. They need to be participants in their education. And what better way to do that, but then to allow them to create videos, web pages, blogs, podcasts, even. Um, but in order to create those things and create them responsibly, they need some basic skills.

SPEAKER_03 25:29

I love that so much. Um, as we wrap up, if a parent is listening to this and they think, wow, I really wish that my school would take a look at this and see if they can incorporate it into what they have going on, what would they do? How would they do that?

SPEAKER_00 25:43

Well, I think the first thing, uh you mentioned at common sense.org, go to the site. If this is something you want your um student to know, if there's something you want to know, uh go to the site yourself. I think another thing too, and this is something that I always told my parents when I talk to them on the phone or in person at the school, advocate. Um, you are your child's uh best advocate. Um, if you want this in your school or if you want your child to get this, uh talk to the school, talk to the administration at the school, talk to the district level. And if they're not biding, talk to the teacher. This is something they don't have just um certifications for schools, they have certifications for individual teachers too. So if you have a teacher that uh also is on this the same page and wants the students to get it, this is something that they can do with approval, obviously, um, that they can teach every day. And again, they can weave it into their uh normal everyday learning. So um advocate, uh make it a point that to let everyone know that you want this taught to your student. Um and I don't see any reason, given uh the materials and the way that it's structured, that that couldn't be done to just about every school, uh not just in this district, but the state and the country.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

You're so hoping. Well, and for that matter, really, you know, parents can ask, how can I help make this be a part of our our curriculum at our school? Um, because it could even be an after-school club that a teacher perhaps is the club sponsor and a group of parent volunteers deliver the material. So there are lots of ways that you could implement this um with volunteer support, parent support. It would not have to fall, you know, just on the employees at the school.

SPEAKER_00 27:18

United in education means everybody. I mean, everybody get on board. If you want this to be part of your child's education, then let's make it happen.

SPEAKER_03 27:24

I love it. Last question, Lala, what do you want people to know about Escambia County schools?

SPEAKER_02 27:33

Well, I have a unique perspective. My parents have a combined 84 years of experience in Escambia County. My mom retired after 35 years of teaching kindergarten, and my dad after 49 years of being a civics teacher and then an administrator. All four of my children went to Escambia County schools, and then I have had the privilege and honor of working in four different Escambia County schools. And what I can tell you is that regardless of what you hear online or see in the news, the majority of educators are people who are passionate about educating the future. They are people who care deeply about every child. And every school I've been in, there have been phenomenal people who are doing an incredible job, and they go above and beyond every day with their own time, their own money, because they want what's best for all of us.

SPEAKER_00 28:33

I'm kind of coming at it from the opposite end um in terms of my experience here. I am natively from Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi, born and raised. I just moved to Florida about five, six years ago, and I've only been in Scambia County for the three years. Um and so, you know, I I don't have a lot of that historical um knowledge of it, but um I will say, um, and myself included, um, that it doesn't really matter where you come from, um, the end goal is the same, right? Escambia is no different from Jackson, is no different from uh places in Tennessee and Washington, D.C. and anywhere else, right? We all want our kids to be successful. That's the future. That's really what we're all here for. Um, I'm not trying to say anything negative about Escambia County, but I think it's not a mystery or a new knowledge to anyone. Uh, education is not where you go to get rich. Um, so we're not here for the money. Um, we're really here because we want what's best, not just for um our local area, but for the country as a whole. You know, I mean, not everyone that's raised and taught in Escambia County is going to live in Escambia County for their entire life. And that's true for everywhere else around the country, right? So again, I just take it back. You know, what I want in the end, I used to tell my students all this all the time, uh, what I want in the end is for you to be a happy, uh, successful person. That's really what I care about. That's why I do it, that's why I show up every day. Um, and so I I will say this um I went to a lot of schools in Mississippi that were uh very poorly funded, and um there was a an atmosphere of um sadness almost. It was just um, you know, resigned to the fact that it was not funded well and things weren't going the way we wanted. I don't feel that about Escambia County schools. I don't feel that about the people that I work with every day. Yes, it's difficult. Yes, there are struggles. Um, but man, uh I think everyone is pulling in the same direction. Uh and I am personally excited to see uh not just where our school is going um forward, but uh where the district can go going forward. I think there's nothing but uh good things going on, and I'm excited to be part of it.

SPEAKER_03 30:53

You're here. Voices United in Education is a production of Escambia County School District. Special thanks to Pine Forest High School for their recording studio facilities and hospitality.