Sometimes when I play video games, I look over at my legos and miss playing with my toys. When I play video games, I feel stressed and anxious, but when I'm playing with my toys, I feel calm. I just can't stop playing video games.
                                      - 5th Grade Student

After class, my son ran up to me and exclaimed, 'Mom, you won't believe it! YouTube is manipulating us!' It started a great conversation in our family.
               - Mother from New Hampshire

​Parent Presentation

The curriculum includes a two-hour parent presentation to support families in integrating the classroom conversations into their daily lives. Using stories and cognitive science, parents learn how the developing brain is an interactive work in progress, constantly engaging with the environment, creating a universe of connections that becomes how we understand ourselves, the world, and our place in the world.

​From smartphones to laptops, from texting to Snapchat, media technology delivers to our children a new cyber environment, providing an infinite source of information, entertainment, and opportunities for communication. This environment is having a profound impact on how our children think about themselves and is changing the way our children socialize and communicate. How do we best use this amazing resource to enhance our lives? How do we keep it from shaping our children and undermining the values we want to impart?
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This presentation shows parents how kids are using and abusing media technology and helps parents set balanced, realistic guidelines that bring the internet into alignment with family schedules and values.

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Student Modules

Session One
Becoming a Research Scientist

Students are invited to become research scientists, exploring the question: Is my smartphone a tool that I have control over and use to accomplish tasks, or is this “tool” controlling my time and shaping how I perceive myself and the world around me?
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Learning the psychological tricks of persuasive design, students discover how tech companies are using brain research to harvest our time and attention. Self-reflection is presented as a critical skill in combatting persuasive design, and students choose self-reflection exercises that they commit to practicing daily for the duration of the course.
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Session Two Communication

From cave paintings to smartphones, students explore the history of human communication. How does technology impact what we choose to communicate? In the 1700’s, you understood the quality of a relationship by what you communicated in a letter—the content of the letter. Now, we judge the quality of a relationship by how often we communicate—the length of a Snapchat streak. Using real life scenarios, students discuss how media technology shapes our relationships with friends, family, and with one’s own self.
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Students are introduced to neuroplasticity, and the power of environment on the developing brain. We invite students to reflect on how different environments affect their state of mind: How do you feel when you are playing Fortnite for hours? How do you feel when you in the blackhole of YouTube? How do you feel when you are multi-tasking?

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Session Three
Information

Looking at what it means to be a well-informed, responsible citizen, students develop the tools necessary to assess the accuracy and bias of the information they receive. Together we explore questions like: What is real and how do we know? What is the source and what is their agenda?

​Through scenarios and discussions, students discuss criteria for assessing what they see and hear, as well as standards for the ethical dissemination of information.
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Session Four
Entertainment:
Video Games

When and why do you use your digital devices to entertain yourself? Are you bored? Are you looking to relax? Are you trying to avoid an awkward moment? What happens to our growth as human beings when we can distract ourselves from any challenging situation? Students examine these questions through scenarios and discussion.

​In this module, students are introduced to the motivations of the video game industry and how psychologists use brain research to keep us playing.

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Session Five
Entertainment: Advertising

Through group activities, students study the psychology of advertising and examine media messages on femininity and masculinity. How do ads manipulate our desires? How does the media define a “successful man” or “successful woman”? What is the impact of these messages on how we think about ourselves?
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As the curriculum concludes, students define the skills they need to successfully navigate the digital world, and design strategies for developing these skills.