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https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/chatgpt-enters-classroom-teachers-weigh-pros-and-cons

https://theknowledgereview.com/using-artificial-intelligence-in-education-pros-and-cons/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2023/02/21/ai-in-the-classroom-pros-cons-and-the-role-of-edtech-companies/?sh=30b68038feb4

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Opinion: The Pros and Cons of Using AI in Schools

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Artificial intelligence is here to stay, and optimizing it for the classroom will require a careful accounting of its implications, both good and bad: for tutoring, assessments, data security and other functions.

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Should Kids Be Able To Use Phones in school?

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Should Kids Be Able To Use Phones in school?

# data[].attributes.body
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=harford1&id=GALE|YYOJUC287392073&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-OVIC&asid=bd6e5ce8
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https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=harford1&id=GALE|EJ3010912209&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-OVIC&asid=e3a35996
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https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=harford1&id=GALE|GHTGLJ304977121&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-OVIC&asid=6a99dc5a
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=harford1&id=GALE|EJ3010867210&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-OVIC&asid=3cd2d339
https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=harford1&id=GALE|AHRANS865073554&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-OVIC&asid=7643996c

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Should schools have uniforms or dress codes?

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Should schools have uniforms or dress codes?

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https://www.timeforkids.com/g56/debate-should-students-wear-uniforms-2/

https://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/school-uniforms/

https://school-uniforms.procon.org/

https://www.edweek.org/leadership/do-school-dress-codes-discriminate-against-girls/2018/08

https://choices.scholastic.com/issues/2018-19/020119/are-school-dress-codes-fair.html

https://news.fresno.edu/article/11/11/2007/pros-and-cons-school-dress-code

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https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/smoking.html

https://brighamhealthhub.org/public-smoking-bans-associated-with-health-benefits-in-children/

https://fee.org/articles/five-reasons-to-end-government-smoking-bans/

https://www.debatingeurope.eu/focus/arguments-for-and-against-banning-smoking-in-public-places/#.Yd28h2jMLIW

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7 Reasons to Be Smoke-Free

Most people don't smoke. From yellow teeth to coughing, here are seven reasons why that's a good thing.

Thirdhand Smoke

When people smoke, it creates smoke that you can see (secondhand smoke) and a kind of air pollution that you can't see that's called thirdhand smoke.

Most middle school students don't smoke - only about 1 in 50 does. And most high school students don't smoke either - about 9 in 100 do.

But why do those who smoke ever begin?

There's more than just one answer. Some kids may start smoking just because they're curious. Others may like the idea of doing something dangerous - something grownups don't want them to do. Still others might know lots of people who smoke and they might think it's a way to act or look like an adult.

Fortunately, fewer people are starting smoking than a few years ago. Maybe that's because more and more people have learned that smoking and tobacco use can cause cancer and heart disease.

But sometimes kids can't really think that far into the future to worry about an illness they might not get for many years.

So let's talk about the problems that might affect kids more quickly:

yellow teeth

smelly clothes

more colds and coughs

difficulty keeping up with friends when playing sports

empty wallet - cigarettes and tobacco products are very expensive!

Let's find out more about cigarettes and tobacco.

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What Are Smoking and Smokeless Tobacco?

Tobacco (say: tuh-BA-ko) is a plant that can be smoked in cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. It's the same plant that's in smokeless tobacco, known as dip, chew, snuff, spit, or chewing tobacco. Smokeless tobacco is not lit or inhaled like tobacco in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Instead, smokeless tobacco is put between the lip and gum and sucked on inside the mouth.

Tobacco contains nicotine (say: NIH-kuh-teen), a chemical that causes a tingly or pleasant feeling - but that feeling only lasts for a little while. Nicotine is also addictive (say: uh-DIK-tiv). That means that if you start to use nicotine, your body and mind will become so used to it that you'll need to have it just to feel OK.

Anyone who starts smoking could become addicted to it. If you're addicted to something, it's very hard to stop doing it, even if you want to. Some kids get addicted right away. And adults are often addicted, which is why so many of them have a hard time quitting smoking.

Why Is It So Bad for You?

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco kill hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. In fact, each day 1300 people die from smoking alone.

The nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in tobacco cause lots of diseases, like heart problems and some kinds of cancer. If you smoke, you hurt your lungs and heart each time you light up. It also can make it more difficult for blood to move around in the body, so smokers may feel tired and cranky. The longer you smoke, the worse the damage becomes.

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The Other Cost of Smoking

Using tobacco eats up a lot of money, too. A pack of cigarettes costs about $6, on average. That means, even if you buy just one pack a week, you'll spend $312 in a year. Some people smoke a pack a day, which adds up to $2,190! That's a lot of computer games and clothes you could buy instead.

What's It Like?

Usually, people don't like smoking or chewing tobacco at first. Your body is smart, and it knows when it's being poisoned. When people try smoking for the first time, they often cough a lot and feel pain or burning in their throat and lungs. This is your lungs' way of trying to protect you and tell you to keep them smoke free.

Also, many people say that they feel sick to their stomachs or even throw up. If someone accidentally swallows chewing tobacco, they may be sick for hours. Yuck.

What if My Friend Smokes?

If you have friends who smoke or use tobacco, you can help them by encouraging them to quit. Here are some reasons you can mention:

It will hurt their health.

It will make their breath stinky.

It will turn their teeth yellow.

It will give them less endurance when running or playing sports.

It's expensive.

It's illegal to buy cigarettes when you're underage.

If you think it will help, you could print out articles like this one to give to a friend who smokes. He or she may be interested in learning more about the dangers of smoking.

But people don't like to hear that they're doing something wrong, so your pal also could be a little angry. If that happens, don't push it too much. In time, your friend may realize you are right.

In the meantime, it could help to talk with a parent or a school counselor if you're worried about your friend. When your friend is ready, a grownup can help him or her quit for good. If your friend decides to quit, lend your support. You might say it's time to kick some butts!

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Everyone says smoking is bad for you. Why? Find out in this article for kids.

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Should everyone get trophies just for participating?

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Should everyone get trophies just for participating?

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https://www.gemawards.com/the-participation-trophy-debate/

https://www.teamsnap.com/blog/general-sports/the-pros-and-cons-of-participation-trophies

https://www.trophiesplusmedals.co.uk/blog/trophies-for-everyone-the-pros-and-cons-of-participation-trophies

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A highly-debated topic in sports and competitions worldwide is the use of participation trophies and the effect they can have on the children who receive them.

Many argue to keep participation trophies in sports, citing that it increases self-esteem and instills important values in young children.

Others argue against participation trophies because of the negative traits and misled motivation it can promote to children.

It's essential to understand both sides of the argument to form a decision on whether or not you want to hand out participation trophies at your next sports game or competition and the potential impact it can have on your kids.

What Are Participation Trophies?

Participation trophies are trophies that are commonly given to children who participate in a sport or competition.

The idea is to reward the child for being a part of the sport, not necessarily because they play well or did the best.

Participation trophies are given to non-ranking team members, meaning that they did not place first, second, or third in a competition or sport.

Who Receives Participation Trophies?

There is no age limit on who can receive participation trophies.

Participation trophies are handed out to every age group for multiple types of activities such as marathons, sports leagues, competitions, or recitals.

It's most common to find participation trophies handed out to children eight and under, as it seems to be effective for this age range.

Once kids are between the age of eight to twelve, they start to lose excitement for receiving a participation trophy and don't feel the beneficial effects or joy associated with receiving a participation award.

History of Participation Trophies

Participation trophies have been around for a long time.

The first mention of the idea of participation trophies dates to 1922.

The Ohio State Invitational High School Basketball Tournament gave participation trophies to every athlete who played in the invitational as well as handed out awards to the winning players.

Around that same time, universities began awarding participation trophies to those in recreational sports or fraternities. Universities started using participation trophies as a recruiting tool at their schools.

The thought behind the participation trophies was that it would encourage more students to participate in extracurricular activities, boost exercise and increase enrollment at their schools. Organizations, school teams, and even the military have adopted the idea of the participation trophy since then.

The debate around participation trophies began in 1998, when Victor Martinez, a columnist in El Paso, claimed that participation trophies were "giving our children a false sense of accomplishment."

This movement continued to pick up energy in the early 2000s and encouraged many sports teams to reconsider the idea of handing them out.

Even though the debate has been going on for the last twenty years, participation trophies are still frequently used for sports and competitions today.

Before deciding your outlook on participation trophies for your team, consider the participation trophy debate's positives and negatives.

Pros of Participation Trophies

1. Positive Reinforcement

Recent studies show that using positive reinforcement, especially in younger children, can be one of the most effective behavior modification techniques.

It can prevent misbehavior and encourage prosocial behaviors, like following directions or sharing. Giving out a participation trophy shows the value of participating in team activities and rewards good behaviors like team building, communication, trust, and physical activity.

By doing this, children are more likely to participate in future sports or teams and follow the rules to be contributing members of their organizations.

2. Teaches Important Values

Handing out participation trophies emphasizes other values that are more important than winning, such as teamwork, sharing, and hard work.

Kids who receive participation trophies learn the positive impacts of developing social skills, leading an active lifestyle, and trying new things.

"The idea of a participatory trophy is not to make everyone a winner, but to acknowledge that the child put time and effort forward and to provide a memento of the experience."

Will Honea, former sports coach, explains. "People who oppose participation trophies seem to have a very low opinion of the emotional intelligence of the average child. Guess what, no kid who got a participation trophy ever confused his/her modest award to the team MVP's prizes and attention. It's simply something to commemorate their time as part of a team."

3. Elevates Children's Success

Kids who receive a participation trophy are being taught how important it is to work hard and feel a victory for the devotion they put into their team or organization.

Even if a child is not the best at a sport, they still must show up every day at a specific time, follow organizational rules, practice consistently, and give up their free time to dedicate themselves to their team.

These values should be rewarded, as it is a necessary learning experience that children can take with them through life.

Participation trophies help children feel appreciated and successful.

4. Increases Self-Esteem

When kids feel valued or praised for the hard work they do, it increases their self-esteem.

While they might not have won first place, they tried hard, and that is important too.

Increasing a child's self-esteem teaches them to work harder at the things they like to do and boosts their confidence to take on new life challenges.

Cons of Participation Trophies

1. Kills Competition

One of the biggest arguments against participation trophies is that it kills children's sense of competition.

Not everyone should feel like they're first or a winner all the time. Losing is an opportunity that children can use to work harder to win next time.

By telling everyone that they're equal, instead of choosing a winner, it can prevent kids from trying to perform at their full potential because they know they will be rewarded no matter what.

Kids who do work hard may decline in performance because they don't understand why they should try harder if the reward is the same for everyone.

2. Promotes Narcissism

Participation trophies let every child feel like they are the best, even if they aren't exceptionally skilled at that sport or competition.

Overvaluing a student can lead to a false sense of confidence, which can strongly inhibit them in life.

In fact, a study earlier this year found that when students were overvalued, they were more likely to develop narcissistic traits such as entitlement and superiority.

This can result in students believing that everything should be handed to them and that they don't need to work hard to achieve the things they want in life.

That behavior is harmful to a student's growth and development.

3. Won't Learn from Mistakes

Failure is a significant experience that every child needs to learn in their life because when they can learn to fail, they also learn how to recover and move forward.

Throughout life, everyone encounters a failure. If you know how to learn from your mistakes and work harder or adjust what you're doing, you're likely to become better.

If you're unable to accept your mistakes or find the teachable moment from your errors, you're not going to grow.

Rewards need to be earned.

By allowing your child not to receive an award, they'll learn that they're not the best at a sport.

They can use that knowledge to improve their skills, work harder on themselves, or realize that they would be better suited to try an alternative activity.

This vital life skill will carry on throughout their lives, allowing them to fail multiple times, recover, and stand stronger from experience.

4. Misled Motivation

Some believe that giving out participation trophies motivates children to participate in a sport for the wrong reasons.

Instead of joining a team to win a participation trophy, a child should instead be encouraged to participate for other reasons like enjoying the sport, exercising, or having fun with friends.

By not offering participation trophies, children will learn their real motivations behind choosing to participate in an activity or sport.

Are Participation Trophies Good or Bad?

There are a lot of arguments for allowing participation trophies and many against it.

It becomes a personal choice for coaches and parents to make depending on the goals or motivations behind awarding a participation trophy.

Some choose not to use participation trophies because it can eliminate competition, promote narcissism, and encourage motivation for the wrong reasons.

However, participation trophies can be a great way to help motivate younger kids because it allows them to build excitement for the game and feel rewarded for their hard work.

It helps them to become confident and have increased self-esteem in the things they pursue.

Plus, it rewards hard work and teaches life values that children can take with them throughout their lives.

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Participation Trophy Debate | What are the Pros & Cons? - Gem Awards

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Are participation trophies good or bad? We join the participation trophy argument. Weigh the pros and cons to giving a participation trophy.

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Do violent rap lyrics make listeners more accepting of violence? 

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Do violent rap lyrics make listeners more accepting of violence? 

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https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=edge77158&id=GALE|EJ3010069233&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-OVIC&asid=cd6aba17

https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=edge77158&id=GALE|EJ3010870220&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-OVIC&asid=8285d004

https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=OVIC&u=edge77158&id=GALE|EJ3010969205&v=2.1&it=r&sid=bookmark-OVIC&asid=46582146

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The Research Linking Media Violence to Aggression Is Weak and Ambiguous

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This Fact Sheet answers some frequently-asked questions about social science research into the effects of media violence. The bottom line is that despite the claims of some psychologists and politicians, the actual research results have been weak and ambiguous.

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https://theconversation.com/too-much-social-media-can-be-harmful-but-its-not-addictive-like-drugs-157082

https://health.clevelandclinic.org/is-it-possible-to-become-addicted-to-social-media/

https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/social-media-addiction/

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If you spend hours of the day on your phone checking social media, you're not unusual. The average internet user spends two hours a day on various social media sites. But does your habit of checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok every few hours make you a social media "addict"?

The term "social media addiction" is being increasingly used to describe people who spend a lot of time on these websites and apps. Doing so can be harmful to people in a variety of ways - causing low self esteem, bad sleep and increasing stress.

The main focus when considering addiction to substances tends to be on three key elements: compulsion (or loss of control), tolerance (needing to increase amount to achieve the same effect) and withdrawal (unpleasant side effects when use stops). Other factors to consider relate to craving, preoccupation and continuing use despite it causing obvious problems. It's easy to see how these factors apply to drugs, but what about shopping, gambling or, indeed, social media use?

Increasing interest in these and other behavioural "addictions" - like gaming, sex or the internet - has resulted in broadening definitions of what addiction is. Psychologists talk of excessive appetites and powerful motivational drives to engage in particular behaviours that have the power to do considerable unintended harm.

As researchers in social media and addiction, we have spent the last 25 years understanding different kinds of addiction. Our research tells us that social media addiction is not the same as an addiction to substances, like alcohol and other drugs.

Social media use

Too much social media can certainly be damaging. One major feature of social media is it allows users some control over how they present themselves to others. People can edit their online appearance and sometimes present themselves inaccurately while seeking validation from others.

This can cause all kinds of harm. In a study in 2019, we found when female users looked at the platforms for around one and a half hours per day, this was related to an increased desire to be thin, a heightened awareness of how they think other people judge them and motivation to exercise for the purposes of losing weight.

Read more: Why is celebrity abuse on Twitter so bad? It might be a problem with our empathy

And in 2016, we investigated the ways people seek validation on social media. We looked at how often people manipulate posts to increase the number of likes received, use social media to boost spirits or blindly post about issues with which they did not necessarily agree.

We found when this kind of online behaviour increased, self-esteem decreased. But our findings didn't necessarily show a compulsion to use social media - something key in making it an addiction. Other social factors, such as fear of missing out and narcissistic personality traits, may drive the need to use social media to an unhealthy degree.

Social media addiction

In 2020, we undertook a study into harmful gambling that might help answer the question of whether social media addiction is real.

We found that rapid technological developments in the ease and speed of access of phone and tablet apps are leading to increased levels of gambling harm. Similar psychological processes may be at work on social media platforms, where need for validation, craving and checking likes is amplified.

Behavioural explanations for how addictions develop emphasise the power of reinforcement. Gambling products often use the most powerful form of reinforcement: random pay outs. This, again, is potentially similar to the way users receive validation in the form of "likes" on social media.

Shutterstock/VGstockstudio

There are some who might argue that chronic overuse of social media can be seen as an addiction, but it not is currently recognised as such by the American Psychiatric Association.

There are important differences between excessive social media use and substances in terms of addiction. For example, withdrawal from the latter is often physically unpleasant and sometimes dangerous without medical supervision. Users often suffer stigma, which can be a barrier to seeking help. In comparison, it hasn't yet been established that there are physical withdrawal effects when people stop using social media.

Considering social media use more as a continuum of possible harm might allow more scope for appropriately targeted messages that could prevent problems developing in the first place.

There are clearly elements of social media use that resonate with certain characterisations of addiction, such as psychological notions of excessive appetites or powerful motivations, and the built-in platform mechanisms of reinforcement through random affirmations or "likes". It's also clear that this can be harmful in terms of negative impact on some users' self-esteem and body image.

But despite these factors, the most useful question might be how to create a healthy balance of interaction in our virtual and real worlds.

It's worth remembering that behavioural addictions, like those to substances, often occur alongside other mental health issues such as anxiety and depression, suggesting that vulnerability may be multifaceted. This may also be true of excessive social media use.

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Too much social media can be harmful, but it's not addictive like drugs

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If you spend hours of the day on your phone checking social media, you're not unusual. The average internet user spends two hours a day on various social media sites. But does your habit of checking Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok every few hours make you a social media "addict"?

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https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/are-letter-grades-failing-our-students

https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2014/03/letter-grades-deserve-an-f/284372/

https://thebestschools.org/magazine/eliminating-grading-system-college-pros-cons/

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In Colorado, districts want to get rid of 'D's' in their grading systems. In Virginia, there are efforts to standardize what an 'F' signifies. In an Iowa district, letter grades on report cards are supplemented by more frequent teacher feedback focused on priorities. It seems that letter grades are no longer making the grade when it comes to measuring student progress.

In fact, they're "relics from a less enlightened age," says education expert Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards and Schooling Beyond Measure and who Time magazine describes as "perhaps the country's most outspoken critic of education's fixation on grades [and] test scores."

According to Kohn, letter grades are not only unnecessary but harmful.

"The research quite clearly shows that kids who are graded - and have been encouraged to try to improve their grades - tend to lose interest in the learning itself, avoid challenging tasks whenever possible (in order to maximize the chance of getting an A), and think less deeply than kids who aren't graded," Kohn explains. "The problem isn't with how we grade, nor is it limited to students who do especially well or poorly in school; it's inherent to grading.

"That's why the best teachers and schools replace grades (and grade-like reports) with narrative reports - qualitative accounts of student performance - or, better yet, conferences with students and parents."

Some states weighed the pros and cons of letter grades and decided to replace them with standards-based grades that are designed to measure students' proficiency on well-defined course objectives. Kentucky was the first to attempt such a statewide reform, starting in 2013. Schools sent home two report cards - one with letter grades, and another indicating how proficient a student was in various standards, like reading and writing, with a narrative description of progress.

Kentucky parents overwhelmingly preferred the new report cards, according to school surveys.

"They became our strongest supporters because it gave them more and better information," Thomas Guskey, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Kentucky and a leading advocate for standards-based grading, told Slate magazine. "When parents have the experience of this they can see the value."

In traditional grading, letter grades report the number of points earned in a subject but not very much about what the student has learned. Standards-based grading, proponents say, offers better feedback by evaluating how well students meet measurable mileposts and objectives. That, in turn, improves instruction for each individual student, and it allows the student more ways to demonstrate that they've learned the material before moving on.

Virginia's Fairfax County Public School district adopted standards-based grading in all elementary schools during the 2012-2013 year. At first, parents were confused, but eventually most were appreciative of the amount of detail provided, as well as the ability to track their children's progress.

The district has also proposed making changes to the way middle and high school grades are delivered. Moving towards more standards-based grading, the district proposed separating out grades for student effort and achievement. So whether or not a student completed a homework assignment is separated from how well he or she understands the concepts. Other proposals include changing the weighting systems teachers use to formulate grades and eliminating zeros so that the lowest score a student can be given for an 'F' grade is 50 percent.

"It is time to examine our current grading policies in an effort to ensure that we have consistent and equitable practices throughout our middle and high schools," deputy superintendent Steven Lockard wrote in a message to educators.

According to Alfie Kohn, however, the problems with grades - the way they undermine students' interest in learning, preference for challenge, and depth of thinking - can't be solved by just tweaking the details. In some ways, he says, standards-based grading "may even make things worse by getting kids more focused on the details of how well they're doing - rather than being engaged with what they're doing."

Ken Halla has been a high school history teacher in Fairfax County for 24 years. His view is that no matter what the system of measurement, a student and his or her parents should always know where they stand during a semester.

"A student should always know what they have learned and what they haven't learned," he says. "The best way [to assign grades] is the one in which students realize their deficiencies most easily."

Halla wishes students were motivated just by learning, "but that is not realistic as they have to get into college or get a job after high school," he says. "To that end grades (be they numbers or letters) are a motivating factor - not unlike money for an employed person. What I have been doing is moving towards personalizing the learning experience for my students, so assessments always depend on the student and the situation."

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Are Letter Grades Failing Our Students? | NEA

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In Colorado, districts want to get rid of 'D's' in their grading systems. In Virginia, there are efforts to standardize what an 'F' signifies. In an Iowa district, letter grades on report cards are supplemented by more frequent teacher feedback focused on priorities.

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https://medium.com/swlh/why-parents-should-monitor-technology-and-internet-usage-9b235f358e6c

https://resources.uknowkids.com/blog/bid/159115/10-reasons-to-monitor-your-child-s-internet-activity
https://nautil.us/issue/35/boundaries/parents-shouldnt-spy-on-their-kids

https://medium.com/@alonshwartz/why-you-should-never-cybersnoop-on-your-kids-d175b2eb879e

https://medium.com/swlh/why-parents-should-monitor-technology-and-internet-usage-9b235f358e6c