Parenting Adolescents: Screen Time Workshop

Image created by: Piktochart

A look at the culture of social media and its impact on adolescent development and routine.

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This workshop was based mostly on a blog post developed by Mr. Carl Hooker: 
“Giving Parents a Voice in a 1:1 Environment”. 

I highly recommend reading it and checking out his fantastic resources, one of which is an iTunesU course for parents: "Digital Parenting". 

You can follow him on Twitter too: @mrhooker. 

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MATERIALS NEEDED

• Biggest Issues (Google Doc)
• Poster Paper (x5)- Biggest Issues
  
• Sticker dots (x3 per parent)- Biggest Issues
  
• Sticky Notes (3 color packs)- Round Robin activity
• Markers and pens- Round Robin activity
• Screen Time Presentation (Google Slides)

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PART 1: INTRO "BIGGEST ISSUES"
As soon as parents came to my group, I made sure each parent had 3 sticker dots. They were instructed to place the dots next to the top three issues on the "Biggest Issues Poster"

The top 3 picks: 

• Digital Distractions
• Social Media
• Managing Media... in the home

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PART 2: PRESENTATION
I went through slides 1-8 with the parents, sharing research-based knowledge about the effects of screen time and it's impact on adolescent development.

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PART 3: PAIR SHARE
We sat in a circle and I asked the parents to turn to the person next to them and share their thoughts on:

• what research says about the impact of screen time and adolescent development
• their views on social media and those of their kids
  

Afterwards, parents shared what they heard with the whole group.

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PART 4: ROUND ROBIN/GALLERY WALK
Each parent was given three different color post-it notes to relay problems, quotes and strategies they hear around their house about the "Biggest Issues" discussed earlier. 

They wrote their ideas and put them on the "Biggest Issues" posters I placed on the walls. 

Once finished, they conducted a gallery walk and discussed what they wrote with one another.

At the end, we went through the remainder of the presentation (slides 9-11) and shared final thoughts.

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CONCLUSION: PARENT HANDOUT
A parent handout was provided that summarized our ideas in the workshop session: 
Screen Time: Parent Handout (Google Docs)

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SCREEN TIME: INFOGRAPHIC
I summarized the information parents shared on the posters into an "easy-to-read" infographic using Piktochart.