Seminars For Teachers

How Social Media Facilitates Conflict
& How To Mitigate It

There is something about interacting online that makes it very easy for many people to cross a line and engage in uncivil, hostile, toxic social exchanges that have serious real-world consequences for themselves and others --- consequences such as anxiety, depression, targeting, drama, bullying, verbal and physical altercations, and attempts at suicide. 

​In this teacher seminar --- which we presented at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference, at schools, and as a keynote address at sessions -- ​
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we provide a framework for understanding the problems social media causes kids, and how schools can work with parents to mitigate them. 

​Topics covered include the types of conflict that occur on social media, unique characteristics of interacting online that make us vulnerable to such conflictsocial psychological factors that facilitate social media conflict, psychological states generated by social media conflict, what our research reveals about how burdened kids feel by social media, factors that limit the ability of schools and parents to intervene.

How A Digital Detox
Benefits Students

A digital detox is a period of consecutive days with little-to-no access to digital devices, apps, or content.  The more than 7 research studies Mr. Mercier has conducted with 11 to 22-year-olds finds digital detoxes to be enormously beneficial, and for some students, transformational.
In this seminar, which was presented at the 2020 Ohio Educational Technology Conference, Mr. Mercier 

provides an overview of his research on digital detoxes, identifies the stages of a digital detox, explains the process of taking a digital detox, explains how to plan a digital detox for optimal benefit, describes the healing benefits of a digital detox, and suggests ways schools can help students gain access to digital detox experiences.

How Smartphone Addiction
Impacts Adults At Work
& The Implications For Schools

Tech addiction among adults is a rampant problem that bleeds into work.  Screen Education's 3 national surveys workforce research has found that US employees indicate they use their phones during work hours --- for personal reasons --- for approximately 2 hours each day, with 75% reporting that social media is their main distraction.
 
This not only reduces organizational productivity, it also increases the risk of accidents that cause injury, death, and property destruction, and it degrades the work environment by causing frustration, tension, and conflict.

Schools that wish to help prepare students for their future work lives would do well to begin now to teach them how to self-limit their recreational phone use in situations where such use is inappropriate.
 
In this session we will lay out our astounding findings on tech addiction at wor, discuss how adults have the same sproblesm as kids, and how schools can use this to motivate change.

Helping Your Students
Overcome Tech Addiction

This seminar provides teachers with a framework for understanding digital addiction at a deeper level, and for helping their students overcome it.
 
We have presented this seminar at the Ohio Educational Technology Conference, the Wisconsin Educational Media & Technology Conference, Hiram College, Education Service Center meetings, district-level in-service teacher training days, and at schools.
 

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• Creating your action plan
• Creating your implementation calendar

Outcome

You will leave the seminar and workshop with a detailed plan to address student tech addiction that you can implement immediately.