How to Use Technology to Support Student Success

95% of teens have smartphones, and half report being online "almost constantly" — a 24% increase in just a decade. The knee-jerk reaction? "Less screen time." But what if that's the wrong approach? Instead of "How do we reduce screen time?" perhaps we should be asking: "How do we transform screen time into something valuable?" At our tech schools across America, we've discovered that deliberate screen time can actually double learning speed. The data proves it: Our Brownsville school took kids from the 31st percentile to the 86th in just one year. The 5 Elements of Transformative Screen Time 1. Creation Over Consumption Our 3rd graders don't watch YouTube - they: • Produce news broadcasts • Build business plans with ChatGPT • Program self-driving cars and drones • Create school ambassador presentations 2. AI-Powered Personalization Every student gets a custom AI tutor that: • Adapts to their exact level • Adjusts material in real-time • Identifies knowledge gaps instantly • Tracks genuine mastery (not memorization) 3. Strategic Time Limits The secret is just 2 hours of focused tech learning daily. The rest is hands-on projects and real-world skills. This isn't theory—we've proven it across 10+ schools. 4. Building Status Through Contribution Research shows teens desperately need to feel competent and valuable. We transform passive scrolling into active creation, where students build real confidence through meaningful digital contributions. 5. Adult-Guided Innovation Parents and teachers don't just monitor—they collaborate: • Join coding projects • Review business plans • Guide content creation • Shape tech habits actively What have our results been? Students are more engaged, learning faster, and developing skills they'll actually use. The digital world isn't going away anytime soon. Traditional schools use tech to deliver the same old lectures. We use it to unleash potential. The challenge isn't screen time itself. It's teaching kids to use technology as a tool for growth instead of an escape from boredom. Because the next generation of entrepreneurs, creators, and innovators won't come from less screen time. They'll come from better screen time.

Key Messages for Educational Stakeholders interested in explore GenAI in Education The resources compiled in this repository [https://lnkd.in/eF2qM9e8] provide a diverse range of perspectives on the use of generative AI in education. Evidence supports the potential of dynamic content personalization to enhance learning outcomes and improve engagement; however, broader implementation requires significant teacher training, supportive infrastructure, and ethical guidelines. #Teachers ☞ Integration, Not Replacement: The most successful AI implementations supplement teacher expertise rather than attempt to replace it. Research consistently shows that teacher-guided AI use leads to better outcomes than either teacher-only or AI-only approaches. ☞ Digital Literacy as Foundation: Teaching critical evaluation of AI-generated content is becoming a core competency. Students who can effectively prompt, assess, and refine AI outputs show significantly better learning outcomes than those who use AI tools passively. ☞ Feedback Enhancement: AI tools can significantly expand teachers' capacity to provide timely, detailed feedback while freeing up time for high-impact instructional activities. Studies show the most effective approach combines AI-generated initial feedback with teacher refinement. #Students ☞ Strategic Tool Use: Research indicates that students who use AI as a deliberate learning partner show deeper conceptual understanding than those who use it primarily for task completion. ☞ Self-Regulation Skills: Studies demonstrate that successful students in AI-enhanced environments develop stronger metacognitive abilities - knowing when to use AI support and when to work independently based on their learning goals. ☞ Collaborative Intelligence: Evidence suggests that learning to work effectively with AI is becoming a distinct skill set. Students who view AI as a collaborative partner rather than either a crutch or a threat show better academic outcomes and technology adaptation. #School Directors/Principals ☞ Infrastructure and Access Equity: Research highlights that the digital divide significantly impacts AI tool effectiveness. Schools with comprehensive infrastructure and equitable access policies show more consistent benefits across student populations. ☞ Policy Development: The most successful institutions have developed clear, balanced policies on appropriate AI use rather than either prohibiting or giving unrestricted access. ☞ Professional Development Investment: Studies consistently show that teacher confidence and competence with AI tools is the strongest predictor of successful implementation. Recommended Resource: Higher Education Generative AI Readiness Assessment https://lnkd.in/engPBTxe

Your students are going to use AI. You can put as many blockers, rules, policies, etc. in place. It won’t work. They will find a way. You can pretend AI doesn’t exist, try to bury it, and put your students at a disadvantage - OR you could get familiar, make a plan, and implement a strategy. What are four immediate things you could do? 1. Get familiar with ChatGPT, GROK, and ClaudeAI Knowing the tools is step one. There are many more out there, but these are your current Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Dr. Pepper of AI world. Know the ways they can check your work, help you outline, help you iterate, help you build materials, and help you do tedious tasks. Why? This can actually reduce cognitive load and let students focus on more rigorous material! 2. Determine the “why” for your AI policy. Why are you letting students use AI sometimes but not other times? You may want them to try hand calculate an equation a few times to build the muscle memory, you may want them to outline an essay a few times to build the muscle memory. That said, worked example theory shows that having an example can help alleviate cognitive load so you get the skills out of students. Wherever you land, give a compelling rationale so students understand how you arrived at your decision. 3. Practice and model using AI effectively and ethically. Do you really want to hand type all of your objectives and hand scaffold them on a long term plan? Awesome. I hope you have some good Netflix on in the background! That would bore me to tears. You can model how to effectively use AI by using it AND telling students when and how you used AI to develop lessons, develop assessments, check your work, etc. 4. Finally, learn how to write clear, crisp, and effective prompts Garbage in, garbage out. Learn how to write effective, detailed, clear, crisp prompts for your AI tools. Then model this for students. I use AI a lot to put together the jobs blast. Mostly it helps me categorize through prompts I have refined over the last 18 months. It helps me organize and build advertising posts. It helps me put together the bi-monthly newsletter. I would be at a considerable disadvantage if I didn’t use AI! Your students will be too if you don’t get ahead of this and embrace it. Remember, math teachers freaked out when Microsoft Excel came out too - but we are smart. We can use tools to our advantage!