Your Daily Education Technology Briefing

National Teachers Union Advises 'Devices Down' for Young Students

• The American Federation of Teachers (AFT), led by President Randi Weingarten, has called for a ban on screens for students in pre-K through second grade, advocating for hands-on learning over screen-based activities. This recommendation is part of a broader trend, with at least 16 states and districts, including Alabama and the Los Angeles Unified School District, re-evaluating screen time policies and implementing stricter device limitations for early elementary grades.

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• A new parent guide on teen digital safety, launched by Stanford, FOSI, and the California Partners Project, integrates generative AI into broader online safety discussions. The guide addresses concerns such as emotional dependence on AI companions, academic shortcutting, fake content, and privacy, encouraging families to establish AI usage plans and engage with schools on their policies.

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• An AFT-backed initiative, the National Academy for AI Instruction, is providing training to New York City educators on navigating critical thinking in the age of AI. A key, and perhaps surprising, takeaway from this training is the expert emphasis that critical thinking is fundamentally linked to domain-specific knowledge, a nuance often overlooked in the broader discourse surrounding AI's role in education.

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