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How to raise low-tech teens
To protect teens from digital addiction, parents must take charge.

Joanne Jacobs
3 days ago2 min read
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Kindergarteners with Chromebooks
Students are using Chromebooks and iPads, starting in kindergarten. Most teachers say devices cause distractions.

Joanne Jacobs
4 days ago2 min read
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Teachers can't compete with TikTok and YouTube, and they shouldn't try
Instead of trying to be entertainers, teachers should teach students to listen, respond to classmates' ideas and pay attention.

Joanne Jacobs
5 days ago2 min read
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Kids prefer memes and make-up videos to 'War and Peace'
Should we worry that young people are spending less time reading for pleasure and a lot more time watching YouTube videos?

Joanne Jacobs
Nov 82 min read
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Is Alpha School the future?
Will San Francisco parents pay $75,000 a year for Alpha's tech-accelerated school?

Joanne Jacobs
Oct 12 min read
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'Kids aren't phone zombies now'
"Kids aren't phone zombies now," says teacher whose school banned smartphones.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 142 min read
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Dropouts, renegades, mad scientists and billionaires
As Americans lose faith in the value of a college education, Silicon Valley is celebrating dropout entrepreneurs.

Joanne Jacobs
Sep 123 min read
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Chatbots can get 'romantic and sensual' with kids, say Meta guidelines
Meta AI has been designed to flirt with children, as long as it doesn't suggest sexual intercourse.

Joanne Jacobs
Aug 172 min read
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Don't worry. Be happy. There's no 'reading crisis' -- if we lower expectations
Lowering the definition of "proficient" reading would end the "reading crisis," writes education professor. But one-third of students are very poor readers.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 312 min read
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Get computers out of class, and don't let AI in
Digitizing classrooms hasn't improved learning. AI will make it worse.

Joanne Jacobs
Jul 272 min read
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A college degree with no heavy lifting: Ohio State will require 'AI fluency'
Ohio State will require students to use AI. Pomona students have formed a no-tech "Luddite Club."

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 112 min read
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Learn to plumb: New grads are competing with AI for coding jobs
College graduates are having trouble finding entry-level jobs in computer science and finance. Some blame AI.

Joanne Jacobs
Jun 62 min read
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Chromebooks are hot, but not in a good way: Should all devices be banned in school?
It's not just smartphones: Classroom laptops are distracting students, say teachers.

Joanne Jacobs
May 153 min read
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TV is great for kids -- compared to iPads, says 'Anxious Generation' author
Digital addiction is destroying kids' ability to pay attention, says Jon Haidt.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 52 min read
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Don't blame parents for things they can't control
Parents can send children to school rested and ready to learn, but schools have to do their part too.

Joanne Jacobs
Apr 32 min read
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Devices are distractions: Take the tablets away
Internet-connected devices are distracting students -- not helping them learn.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 252 min read
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Chicago closed digital divide: Low achievers learned less, high achievers learned more
Closing the digital divide widened the achievement gap for Chicago students.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 251 min read
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Dump the devices and bring back textbooks
Good, old-fashioned printed textbooks are valuable learning guides.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 202 min read
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Silicon Valley runs on Asian tech talent: 66% of workers are immigrants
Two-thirds of Silicon Valley tech workers are immigrants: Half were born in Asia.

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 151 min read
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Way behind and not catching up: Inside a math 'intervention' class
If students don't learn foundational math skills, they tend to fall farther and farther behind.

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 43 min read
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