Based on the rules they implement at USM, Tom Mussoline, Middle School Academic Technology Coordinator, and Steve Villeneuve, Lower School Academic Technology Coordinator, compiled some helpful tips to help parents handle the use of devices at home. Although these tips were written with Lower and Middle School students in mind, they can be adapted for older students as well. (These tips have been excerpted from Tom and Steve's blog with their permission.)
Practical Tips:
- Permission. Asking permission to use the device should be mandatory, even if it is for homework.
- Location of device. A good rule of thumb is to always have the device in sight when children are using it. They should not be taking it into their bedroom, bathroom, or any other unsupervised area.
- Establish good habits early. Children need guidelines and rules about what is an acceptable amount of time to spend on a device. Allocating time in 15- or 30-minute increments gives you a chance to check in and suggest that it’s time for a break.
- Think about ownership. Deciding who the device “belongs” to can help head off problems, foster a sense of responsibility, and provide a basis for accountability. Is it mom’s and/or dad’s device that the children have permission to use? Is it owned by the family collectively but managed by the parents? Does it belong to a specific child?
- Stress homework before computer work. Make sure your kids know that homework must be finished before they use the device for recreational use.
- Limit multitasking. Media multitasking happens when kids are watching television, playing a game or other online activity, or listening to music – all while trying to do homework at the same time. It is not known exactly what effect this has on how kids learn, but experts do know that it takes longer to do tasks like homework when other activities are going on at the same time.
