- [Announcer] IQ Smart Parent is made possible in part by the McCune Foundation and the Grable Foundation.

- You might call it the epic battle of our changing times.

When it comes to our education, when should we let kids use digital technology and when is it better to stick with the old school methods?

That's the topic we're exploring today.

And our experts weigh in with tips for making the most of screen time.

The best way to use print books to ensure the educational content sticks with kids.

And a surprising message for parents about mistakes they're making when it comes to modeling healthy technology habits.

That's all coming up on today's episode of IQ Smart Parent and it starts right now.

(digital music) Welcome to IQ Smart Parent and I'm your host, Darieth Chisolm.

In our tech-driven world, is it ever okay to be unplugged?

Well today we're talking about that constant struggle families face when it comes to balancing screen time with good old fashioned educational tools like print books.

Here to kick off the conversation is researcher Gabrielle Strauss of the University of South Dakota.

She's conducting fascinating research about how new and traditional technologies help kids learn.

Welcome to the show Gabrielle.

- Thank you, I'm excited to be here.

- I'm so excited to have you here.

So let's kick things off with this piece of conversation.

First off, obviously you study human development and educational psychology.

In general, if we look at what's happening here, how are new technologies changing the way that children are learning?

- Well one thing that's different, when children learn from technology versus directly from people, is the social cues.

So when you're having a conversation with a child face to face, you're making eye contact.

If you look at something, the child might follow your gaze to that object.

You can respond back to the child, you can wait for them to pay attention to you.

You can point things out when they're not focused on the right thing.

So there are a lot of cues that kids pick up on when they're communicating with someone face to face that help them figure out what's important to learn or what are we talking about, that aren't available when they're learning from screen.

- Well certainly not because they're looking at the screen and not with someone there sitting next to them.

But in terms of your research and what you found when you compare these new technologies with ways of learning, I guess we could call it old school.

What is the research showing?

- So at least for really young children, they're sometimes not learning as well from screens as they do from people face to face.

That's certainly not to say that they're not learning anything.

Just that maybe it's a little bit easier for them to learn and more efficient for them to learn directly from people.

And I'm talking about pretty young kids, so we usually see that phenomenon with kids, maybe under three, the age range is kind of fuzzy.

But the really little ones.

- And in terms of any misconceptions about the difference between the two, what are you seeing in terms of just general misconceptions that parents or others may have.

- Well, I think maybe two things.

One is that maybe it seems like it's really easy to learn from video and screens when the things seem pretty realistic.

So if you or I watch the evening news, we know those things on the news are supposed to be real.

But if we watch something like The Good Place, we know that a lot of that stuff isn't supposed to be real.

And it's pretty easy for us to figure out, even if we heard a new word on The Good Place, we could try to figure out "Oh well, that's probably a word that's real in real life, or it's probably something made up for the show".

But those things are probably fuzzier for little kids to figure out.

They have to navigate that, what's real, what's not, what applies to real life.

- And how do we help them navigate it, though if they're looking at the screen and they're not sure what's real and what's not?

- I think just having conversations with kids about what's on screen and just really helping them connect things with real life.

Okay that's just like what we have seen or done before.

- Yeah.

So you talk about a couple of terms.

One of them is interactive media activities, physical toys and passive media.

What are they?

And how do they differ?

- Well passive media, somewhat controversially, applies usually to traditional television.

So the idea is that the kid is sitting there, just sort of receiving media content.

They're not really doing anything with it.

Whereas interactive media would be something where the child is providing input, the media is responding to them.

So things like a touch screen tablet where kids can make things happen by tapping different places on the screen.

They might be able to just direct where a character goes for example.

That would be interactive.

- And I would think that in this case, if we take it back to what most parents would understand, if they're going to sit with their children and read a book, whether they read, and we're calling it, the old fashioned print books, but technically that's what it is in our technology age.

Versus maybe a digital book.

What would you advocate to parents about which is better or more effective in terms of learning?

- Well, I think that one of the keys are is the way that parents and children are interacting when they're using the books together.

So in some research with preschoolers, people have seen that people don't tend to support digital books the same way they do print.

They're not really having as rich of conversations about the story.

Or their conversations about the story are broken up with a lot of talk about, "Oh tap over here, oh no don't touch that, oh let's see what happens when we touch this character".

So if they're breaking up their talk about the story with a lot of this talk about the device or what to do or what not to do, then maybe the kids aren't really learning about the story as well or understanding the story as well.

- Is increasing engagement the same as increasing education?

- Not necessarily.

So think about an alphabet app and it has a letter 'B' on the screen.

And there's a bumblebee and it can buzz around on the screen when you tap it.

So a kid might be really really interested in tapping that bumblebee to see it fly around.

But they might not necessarily be thinking about the letter 'B' or the fact that bumblebee starts with 'B'.

So just because their eyes are on the screen or they're tapping the screen, it doesn't necessarily mean they're really thinking about the educational content or learning.

So I think that's another place where parent support comes in to really help kids connect what they're doing on the screen with what the parent wants them to learn.

- Yeah and maybe we can look at just maybe comparing the good and the bad, if you will, of using a digital book, and maybe what are the advantages, or the disadvantages for children.

- Yeah.

Well there's certainly some things that you can see on screens that you can't experience in real life.

So some of the digital books have these features like animation or sound effects that really allow kids to, maybe they see how a whale moves or they hear what a whale sounds like.

That they're not able to get out of a print book.

So there are some uses for digital books in that respect.

- And what are some of the distracting features, because I would imagine that obviously seeing the whale move and hearing it is one thing, but does it really distract.

- Yeah, I think it depends on what your goals are for learning.

So if you want your children to learn about how a whale moves or how a whale sounds, it's right on target.

But if really what you want your child to be focused on is some other aspect of the story, or maybe the overall plot line that isn't really about whales, then that could be a distraction.

- Do you find that children are at all sensitive or aware of the difference between the two?

- Well, certainly we have asked children what they prefer and we ask them, "Okay, if you could only pick one of these, if you could pick a print book or a digital book, which one would you want to read?"

A lot of the kids are telling us they want to read the digital book.

But whether they miss the feel of the pages, or whatever, I don't know, we haven't asked them that.

- What do you think parents think?

Do they think that their children are more inclined to want the print book versus the digital?

Or, do you know?

- Yeah we've just done a study on this, and we asked parents which they thought their child would choose and then we actually interviewed the children and asked them to choose.

And the parents overwhelmingly chose that their child would pick print and then the kids came in and the kids mostly picked the digital book.

- Were you surprised?

And the other researchers after you discovered this that that's how parents felt?

- I was a little bit surprised that the parents held disbelief that their child, they seemed to say that their child enjoyed print more than digital books and that they would choose them.

And in past research we've had parents tell us that they pay more attention when they're reading print.

So yeah, it was interesting to see that dichotomy between parents and children.

- Yeah, now you mentioned that parents sometimes see this digital learning, if you will, or digital reading is like ice cream or something along those lines.

A reward, a treat.

- So parents tell us, when we ask them to rate their different motivations for using print versus digital media.

They tell us that they believe that print media is more educational and more entertaining for their child and they're more motivated to use it for those purposes.

They're also motivated to use print media for bonding with their child and to help their child relax.

So the motivations they come up with for using digital media include giving the parent time to themselves and rewarding the child.

Which we thought was kind of interesting because they're saying that print is more entertaining, but they're using digital media as a reward.

- Yeah.

- So I have said "Oh, maybe it's kind of like ice cream or candy where they don't think it has a lot of nutritional value but they're still providing it to their kids in this rewarding content.

- Not to mention that it's easy and convenient.

Alright, we we need to take a break but when we come back we'll talk more with you in a moment.

Up first, the study by Common Sense Media that took a look at plugged in parents.

And it revealed some surprising results about how their behavior affects their kids.

Take a look.

(keyboard clicking) - My name is Deb and I have an 11 year old boy named Eli and a 13 year old girl named Maya.

During the week I'm using devices, two to four hours.

- My name is Lawrence, I'm the proud father of three children.

I spend about five and a half to six hours a day on screens.

- My name is Lisa, I have three children.

I think I'm on my devices, about six to eight hours a day.

- My name's Ted and I have a son who's 10 years old.

Because I work from home, sadly I'm probably on a device between nine and 14 hours a day.

- My name is Carolyn and I have a set of twins.

My iPhone wakes me up in the morning, and I typically will have it in my hand.

It's almost 24/7.

If there was an opportunity, my kids would probably glue their iPhones to their hand.

- They believe it's one of their human rights to have one of their devices attached to them 24 hours a day.

- She's never without it, it's always within arms reach.

- It seems like all kids want to do now is to be connected all the time.

- There were a couple of times when my son pointed out emphatically that I spend way to much time checking my email.

- I've been on a work call or a video conference at a time that was not appropriate 'cos it should've really been family time.

- The children would point out that I was even more addicted to my cell phone than they were.

- We would get on the airplane and they would actually say "Mom, when we get there, we're on vacation.

No iPhone."

- I find myself sitting at the computer when I've been asking my kids to be off their devices.

- They still complain quite a bit that I use it too much.

I stopped using it in the car.

- They'll remind me "Mom, no texting and driving."

And I make sure I release it right away.

- I think the thing that's important though is that I talk to my kids about that and that we have a very honest dialogue about that so they can hold me accountable.

- I hope they know that it's been an effort for me, because all this media is just as attractive and irresistible to me as it is for them.

- What I hope my kids learn from me regarding the use of devices, is not overuse.

- Balance, balancing his use and how he uses a device.

- To be sophisticated consumers of media.

- To select high quality content.

- That they can always come to me, they should always talk to me, and that they should always feel that I'm there as a real life resource to help them process questions or concerns they may have about what's happening in the world.

- And you can read the full Common Sense Media census by visiting our website.

And now let's get back to our conversation with Gabrielle Strauss of the University of South Dakota.

So, when we were talking earlier, and I asked about your interest in this entire research, we talked about video deficit.

What is video deficit?

- So video deficit refers to pretty consistent research finding that young children don't seem to learn as well from video as they do from interacting directly with people.

So if you give them the exact same information face to face versus if kids see a video recording of the exact same thing.

They're more likely to learn from the person.

- And that makes sense.

It would appear that most of our learning is because of the interaction and yet we have so many children who are engaged in video.

So how do we balance that, how do we stay on top of that?

- The video deficit is really a relative difference, so kids are learning maybe better from people than from screens.

But it doesn't mean that they don't learn from screens at all and especially as they get older.

So video deficit is more generally applied to really young children like children under three.

As they get older, they get better and better at learning from screen.

- So it's not that it's bad, it's that it's different.

- Yeah, it's different, it's maybe a less efficient learning.

- And you mentioned that some people are even using the term media deficit as opposed to video deficit.

- Right, so there's just a little bit of research showing that maybe kids also don't learn from touch screens as well as from people.

So this deficit might apply more generally to all screens.

But I think we need a lot more research before we can really say what it applies to in what context.

- Let's look at what children can transfer what they can see on a digital screen to the physical world.

- In our research, it really just helps to help them make the connection directly.

Just literally tell them when things are the same.

So connect things on the screen to the child's life.

If they see, maybe they see an escalator on the screen, talk about when you went to the Mall and you rode on the escalator.

So really just that direct comparison between the screen and real life.

- So now lets focus on the terms: co-using and co-viewing.

Define those terms.

- So co-viewing would refer to say watching a video with their child, you're sitting on the same couch as them, you're both watching the screen.

And co-using would mean that you're more actively engaging.

So maybe you're using an app together, playing a game together where you're both using the device together.

- But it's interesting that we're even having this conversation because it seems strange that parents wouldn't be doing that.

But to have to qualify it with terms and encouraging them to do it seems a bit strange, but, as you're saying, it's important for parents to stay on top of that.

- Yeah, I think kids do watch TV and use devices on their own quite a bit or with siblings.

And so sometimes the parent's there co-using or co-viewing.

Sometimes they're off making dinner or taking a shower.

- What do you find most fascinating about all of this?

- Well recently we've been realizing a dichotomy between the way that parents think about media and the way kids think about it.

It really seems to be that parents view print media as this great educational tool and very entertaining and valuable for their children.

Kids, if you ask them, they would love to learn from digital media and they would love to use it with their parents and their family members and so they would like to use digital media in that way also as an educational tool, which maybe parents don't quite see it as.

- So your research revealed some interesting things about video chats too.

- Yeah so, a lot of the preliminary research on video chat used these great, well supported video chats.

So the parents and the kids would interact together with the person on screen who's playing games and singing songs.

And in those studies, kids learned really well from video chat.

And so the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommendations include video chat as an exception to their restrict video rule.

In our studies, we were interested in, "Well what happens if kids aren't that well supported when they're watching a video chat?"

So what if their parent isn't there and helping them out and engaging.

So we did a study with two and a half year olds where we had sometimes parents were supporting the child, sitting there with them, engaging with the person on the screen.

And sometimes they were turned around backwards.

They were still there but they weren't really engaging with the screen with their child.

And what we found out was that the kids who had no parent support, they were really engaged with the screen, they seemed like they were paying a lot of attention, really interacting, but they didn't learn the new word that the person taught.

Whereas the kids who had the parent support, they were engaged and they also learned the new word.

So we really saw that parent interaction is a real key to supporting video chat in that age group.

- Yeah.

And so what would you like for parents to really take away from this.

As our parents are watching this and they're learning from your research and what you've learned, what would be some of the key takeaways that you'd like for them to have?

- Well I think that digital media is here it's not going away and it's going to be part of children's lives.

And if it's going to be there, I think it's really important for parents to support it.

To treat it like they would treat an educational tool.

To talk with their child about it, think of it, maybe use it more similarly to the way that they use print books.

Because as far as we can tell from our research, those conversations are a really good thing.

- Yeah definitely.

Well thank you so much, this has been very educational for me and I'm sure for all of our parents that are watching, so thank you.

Remake Learning is a national network of educators.

STEM experts and community groups dedicated to helping young people learn in our rapidly changing world.

Take a look at what these experts have to say about teaching with technology while also keeping the focus on human interaction.

(digital music) - For us Remake Learning is a lot about relationships and interactions.

But it's also about it being child-directed.

When you think about how children learn best when it's meaningful to them they learn really amazingly.

- [Teacher] We have to be quiet and listen to Lily's message.

(children talking) - What did you take a picture of?

- Mummy I love you.

- [Narrator] One collaborator is See and Use Create Labs which started Message from Me.

- Children can take a picture during the day, record a message and send it to their parents and the idea is to get parents and children talking about their day.

- [Narrator] The children are using technology to do something simple and meaningful.

Communicate with their parents.

- Love you mummy.

- Children today, we call them digital native.

It's innate in them, they're born to be able to pick up the iPad because it's just part of their world.

- Call Mom.

(playful music) - [Narrator] So the way children learn has changed and it hasn't.

- Children still learn best in relationship with others.

And so I think you can't take out of the equation the role of the adult or other children in learning.

- Don't really think about it that much.

- [Cara] We focus mostly on the technology instead of the interaction with the technology.

- [Narrator] And that's one of the major issues the folks at Remake Learning are tackling.

Technology can't be a replacement for a teacher, an educator, a mentor, a parent.

- Take both prongs and put it into both.

- Much of our work in Remake Learning environment is trying to remind and support all the places in which human beings are actually supporting children face to face.

- [Narrator] It's that sharing of knowledge that leads to cool classes like this.

(students talking) - On the last day of October, when dusk is falling.

- [Narrator] Where middle school students use robotic kits in poetry.

- These are like LED lights and this is a tri-color, so hook up the colors that you want for that scene and your poem.

(upbeat music) - [Narrator] And here where children mix art and hi tech.

- My students connected a circuit board to a computer, programmed it and now they're sewing it into a shirt to get their shirts to light up using conductive thread.

- [Narrator] Or in this high school where teams are using the video game Minecraft in English class.

- The game becomes their source of material.

It's what they draw from, it's what their writing is based off of.

- When we talk about innovation for students, teachers really need to be prepared to promote and provide those innovative practices.

- [Narrator] Teachers need to learn too.

Many chances for that happen at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit and homestead.

The AIU is part of Pennsylvania's public education system.

- We offer professional development for teachers.

You can have fun and you're allowed to make mistakes, you're allowed to fail and there's always somebody there who can help you.

We wanted a place where teachers and other educators could come and learn about new technology or how to use existing technology in new ways.

- [Narrator] Teachers and schools get help to the AIU's STEAM grant program.

STEAM is a word you'll hear often in our schools.

It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math.

- We give out 25, $20,000 grants each year.

Within Allegheny County, at least one school in every district has received a STEAM grant.

And I can tell you it really has been this fabulous catalyst for change within our schools.

- [Student] Make little key chains such as this and it can make iPhone cases.

- [Narrator] Schools have used that money to create maker spaces, purchase technology or create virtual labs where teachers and students can tinker and try new things.

- It's one thing to talk about Remake Learning, but you can't remake learning unless you remake teaching and learning.

- Morning staff and community members.

Welcome to the Pittsburgh Lincoln Children's March for Peace.

(crowd cheering) - [Narrator] This march in Lincoln Larimer shows how a STEAM initiative can differ greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood.

- Many of our children have experienced the trauma of losing a loved one to violence.

- [Narrator] These are students from Lincoln pre-K through five.

- My name is Kaiesha Nolan, I'm a third grader here in Lincoln.

We're here today 'cos we want to make our neighborhood a better place.

- [Narrator] Students used Math to analyze crime statistics.

- According to a recent public source article, 85% of Pittsburgh homicides have been a black victim.

- [Narrator] They used art to design these t-shirts.

And music teachers helped them compose these songs.

♪ - Stop the killing, stop the crime ♪ ♪ Stop the killing, stop the crime ♪ - Through our STEAM initiative, we have embraced the maker movement to not just be things we create with our hands.

We have embraced the maker movement as an ability to be makers of change.

- The way we're making STEAM happen at Pittsburgh public schools, could be seen as a deviation from people's expectations of STEAM.

We focus on things like computer coding when it's applicable, but the technology is never our focus.

Our focus has always been around engaging the kids, not through the lens of technology, but through the lens of relevance.

(crowd cheering) - We certainly hope the information in today's program helps you out the next time you're struggling to find the balance between being tech literate and still appreciating those old school ways of learning.

Thanks so much for joining us today.

And be sure to tune in again next time for more IQ Smart Parent.

- [Narrator] Want to learn more about IQ Smart Parent?

Visit us online at iQsmartparent.org for more episodes and additional tools and resources.

Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest to share your thoughts on being a 21st Century parent.

(digital music) - [Announcer] IQ Smart Parent is made possible in part by the McCune Foundation and the Grable Foundation.

(calming music)