Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
@emilycherkin.bsky.social
📤 62
đź“Ą 17
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Author, speaker, teacher, consultant, mother, rabble-rouser. for more: thescreentimeconsultant.com
@andyliddell.bsky.social
wrote this brilliant piece:
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Three Lies About EdTech and the Law
By Andrew Liddell and Julie Liddell, Founders, EdTech Law Center
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/three-lies-about-edtech-and-the-law?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
3 days ago
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My two minute pleas to lawmakers to use excess funds to study the harms of EdTech. If we are going to test unsafe AI and EdTech products on children, the very LEAST we could do is study the impact of the harms.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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My (Second) Testimony to the NTIA about EdTech
A plea to lawmakers to use excess funds to study the harms of EdTech
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-second-testimony-to-the-ntia-about?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
4 days ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
The Reckoning continues— the National PTA and its shady ties to tech.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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The Fox is in the Hen House
Five Uncomfortable Truths about the National PTA and Big Tech
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/the-fox-is-in-the-hen-house?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
21 days ago
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My Testimony before the Vermont House Committee on Commerce and Economic Development on EdTech
Debunking EdTech myths and urging lawmakers to act now
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-testimony-before-the-vermont-house?selection=4b1c7a80-8ec4-4377-bba6-d1493e3d2a7e&r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
9 days ago
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What you need to know about Alpha School.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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The Price Kids Pay: What Alpha School Really Costs
What happens when we let EdTech run a school.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/the-price-kids-pay-what-alpha-school?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
10 days ago
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A young person’s experience of the world of tech, phones, and isolation. Guest essay:
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Higher Ed, Technology, and Relationships Through the Eyes of an Undergraduate Student
A firsthand account of life as an college student in the digital age (guest essay)
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/higher-ed-technology-and-relationships?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
18 days ago
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Some resources to assist you in your fight against EdTech:
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Top 5 Resources for Fighting EdTech
Knowledge is power. Here are some resources to get you started.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/top-5-resources-for-fighting-edtech?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
19 days ago
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The Reckoning continues— the National PTA and its shady ties to tech.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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The Fox is in the Hen House
Five Uncomfortable Truths about the National PTA and Big Tech
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/the-fox-is-in-the-hen-house?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
21 days ago
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Keep going, friends. It is working.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Keep swimming, friends. This is hard. But it's working.
Losing one battle doesn't mean we aren't winning the war. Stay strong.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/keep-swimming-friends-this-is-hard?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
24 days ago
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Not Yet Connected: A Tale from the Cradle
Guest essay by Calvin Odera, a Kenyan activist fighting to protect childhood
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/not-yet-connected-a-tale-from-the?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
24 days ago
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Outstnading new resource available to support phone-free achool efforts:
phonefreeschoolsreport.org#resources
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Phone-Free Schools State Report Card
The Phone-Free Schools State Report Card is a vital resource for lawmakers and advocates dedicated to strengthening school communities, offering data-driven insights into phone-free school policies ac...
https://phonefreeschoolsreport.org/#resources
25 days ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
Sunlight is the best disinfectant…
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Don’t Ask the Barber if You Need a Haircut
The problematic organizations who defend EdTech
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/dont-ask-the-barber-if-you-need-a?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
28 days ago
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My warning to U.S. Senators last week.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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My Testimony to the United States Senate
My warning to the senators about the 4 crises resulting from technology use that is altering childhood and the urgent need to do something...now.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-testimony-to-the-united-states?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
29 days ago
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I am heading to DC this week!
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Emily Goes to Washington
I've been invited to testify before members of the United States Senate on Thursday, January 15, 2026.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/emily-goes-to-washington?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=app
about 1 month ago
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New guest essay!
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Just Like Smartphones, EdTech Is Terrible for Children, Skill Development, and Mental Health.
What a licensed professional counselor has witnessed professionally and in the classroom and some ideas for school leaders on how to make changes.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/just-like-smartphones-edtech-is-terrible?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
about 1 month ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
Join us for Part 2!
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Jan. 13 Part 2 of WEBINAR with Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath and Emily Cherkin on Jared's new book: "The Digital Delusion"
How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning-- and How to Help Them Thrive Again: Part 2!!
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/jan-13-part-2-of-webinar-with-dr?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
about 1 month ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Anne Lutz Fernandez
about 2 months ago
"School warns students not to trigger AI." The student was blamed for the trauma the students and teachers suffered because we refuse to regulate guns and love to pretend that technology can solve the social and political failures of adult humans.
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School security AI flagged clarinet as a gun. Exec says it wasn’t an error.
Human review didn’t stop AI from triggering lockdown at panicked middle school.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/12/florida-schools-plan-to-vastly-expand-use-of-ai-that-mistook-clarinet-for-gun/
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Don’t miss this webinar— ADHD and kids and school computers and what parents can do!
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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WEBINAR: "From Distraction to Action: How EdTech Harms Kids with ADHD and What Parents Can Do About It"
With Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, Andrew Liddell of EdTech Law Center, Michael McLeod of GrownNowADHD, and parent Meriwether Schas, facilitated by Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/webinar-from-distraction-to-action?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
about 2 months ago
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First Fish member perks!https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/live-office-hours-thursday-dec-18?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
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Live Office Hours Thursday, Dec. 18 at 9 AM pst/12 PM est with Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath, special guest!
One of the perks of being a First Fish Chronicles paid subscriber? Direct access to Emily and some amazing guests via LIVE Office Hours!
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/live-office-hours-thursday-dec-18?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
2 months ago
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Please share with school leaders we need their help
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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The Hard Truth About EdTech: What Administrators, Superintendents, and Principals Need to Know
A Call to Action to the Leaders: We Need Your Help.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/the-hard-truth-about-edtech-what?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
2 months ago
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FOLLOW THE MONEY
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Follow the Funding: EdTech is Bad Enough. But EdTech's "advisory" groups are funded by Big Tech too.
Guest essay by Denise Champney, Speech Language Pathologist, and her testimony to the NTIA Listening Session on December 10, 2025
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/follow-the-funding-edtech-is-bad?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
2 months ago
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A beautiful guest essay today.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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If Democracy Dies in Darkness, Where Will We Find the Light?
A Guest Letter on Third Places, Democracy, and Art
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/if-democracy-dies-in-darkness-where?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
2 months ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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My Testimony to the NTIA
My warning to a federal agency about EdTech (video and text)
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-testimony-to-the-ntia?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
2 months ago
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My testimony to the NTIA about EdTech harms.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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My Testimony to the NTIA
My warning to a federal agency about EdTech (video and text)
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-testimony-to-the-ntia?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
2 months ago
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Free webinar next week! Please join us!
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Free Webinar: "The Digital Delusion: How Classroom Technology Harms Our Kids' Learning-- and How to Help Them Thrive Again" with Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath
Join Emily and Jared on Tuesday, December 9, 2025, 6 PM PST/9 PM EST!
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/free-webinar-the-digital-delusion?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
2 months ago
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A must-read essay by Julie Liddell of the EdTech Law Center about the harms caused to children on school-issued tech. If you are at all concerned about social media harms, you should be equally concerned about EdTech.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Neither Essential nor Safe: Predators and Porn on School-Issued Laptops.
Real-world harms caused by giving children internet-connected devices "for education."
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/neither-essential-nor-safe-predators?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
2 months ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
@andyliddell.bsky.social
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EdTech Companies are Surveillance Companies.
How persuasively designed tech entered the classroom and why it matters.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/edtech-companies-are-surveillance?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
3 months ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
My testimony to UK Parliament.
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Testimony to UK Parliament
Here is my full statement with citations and a video of my speech
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/testimony-to-uk-parliament?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
3 months ago
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5 Things I Learned from 5 Days in a 5th Grade Group Chat
And why I remain convinced that 11-year-olds* should not have smartphones.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/5-things-i-learned-from-5-days-in?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
3 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
The Bulletin
3 months ago
Should Seattle Public Schools allow students to use GenAI? Or adopt an “away for the day” cellphone policy? SPS parent
@emilycherkin.bsky.social
takes a look and asks the key questions district leaders must answer about technology in the classroom:
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Issue 4 -- It's Time for SPS To Lead on Limiting Screens in the Classroom
In this issue: Emily Cherkin takes a look at SPS policies about technology use in schools, and raises key questions that SPS leaders must answer. by Emily Cherkin On November 19, 2025, staff members...
https://thebulletinsea.org/its-time-for-sps-to-lead-on-limiting-screens-in-the-classroom/
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
The Bulletin
3 months ago
NEW:
@emilycherkin.bsky.social
lays out the key questions families should insist Seattle Public Schools answer about AI in the classroom, cell phones, and technology more broadly.
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Issue 4 -- It's Time for SPS To Lead on Limiting Screens in the Classroom
In this issue: Emily Cherkin takes a look at SPS policies about technology use in schools, and raises key questions that SPS leaders must answer. by Emily Cherkin On November 19, 2025, staff members...
https://thebulletinsea.org/its-time-for-sps-to-lead-on-limiting-screens-in-the-classroom/
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We are going to have to ask some tough questions. Here’s a list to get you started.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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What I Asked My School District About EdTech, AI, and Data Privacy in Public Testimony
I only had two minutes, but I went hard.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/what-i-asked-my-school-district-about?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
3 months ago
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16+ Ways EdTech Harms Children
If EdTech doesn't educate, what does it do?
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/16-ways-edtech-harms-children?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
3 months ago
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A common misconception— EdTech is NOT Tech Ed.
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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"EdTech" is *Not* "Tech Ed"
What So Many Get So Wrong About Technology in School and the 3 Questions We Should Be Asking
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/edtech-is-not-tech-ed?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
3 months ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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iPads Do Not Belong in School
6 Fallacies About EdTech and 6 Ideas for a Tech-Intentional™ School.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/ipads-do-not-belong-in-school?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
4 months ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Big Tobacco Makes State University Its Vaping Training Ground [SATIRE]
When we replace "GenAI" with "vaping" the absurdity of GenAI (as it is currently used) in education becomes clear and extremely uncomfortable.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/big-tobacco-makes-state-university?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
4 months ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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Resisting GenAI in Education.
It's time for mass refusal, folks.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/resisting-genai-in-education?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
4 months ago
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open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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5 Organizations Who Take $$$ From Tech That You Should Know About
And why this makes it really hard to trust their advice, unfortunately.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/5-organizations-who-take-from-tech?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
4 months ago
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I’m writing at First Fish Chronicles on Substack now. Swim on over! Here’s a top 5 favorite resources post to start things off:
open.substack.com/pub/firstfis...
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My Top 5 Favorite Resources re: EdTech
These are the ones I print off and carry with me-- they're that good.
https://open.substack.com/pub/firstfish/p/my-top-5-favorite-resources-re-edtech?r=250yb9&utm_medium=ios
5 months ago
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Why saying no to AI in schools means saying no to EdTech. My hot take. Please share if you feel inclined.
thescreentimeconsultant.com/resources/bl...
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I Am Disinclined to Acquiesce to Your Request (Means “No.”) - The Screentime Consultant
This essay argues parents should refuse EdTech, 1:1 devices, and AI tools in schools. Resignation is not progress; parents have the power to say 'no'.
https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/resources/blog/i-am-disinclined-to-acquiese-to-your-request-(means-no-)
5 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
The Guardian
6 months ago
I’ve seen how big tech has transformed the classroom – and parents are right to be worried | Velislava Hillman
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I’ve seen how big tech has transformed the classroom – and parents are right to be worried | Velislava Hillman
I’ve examined how commercial technologies reshape education – often in ways parents instinctively resist, but are told to ignore, says academic Velislava Hillman
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/01/big-tech-classroom-parents-education?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=bsky_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1756718305
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Benjamin Riley
6 months ago
"We need stop pretending that generative AI tools are doing anything other than acting as a substitute for the effortful thinking that we want students to be undertaking so as to build their own knowledge, in their own heads, in their own minds."
open.substack.com/pub/buildcog...
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Something wicked this way comes
Big Tech CEOs, education policymakers, and universities continue to push AI upon students
https://open.substack.com/pub/buildcognitiveresonance/p/something-wicked-this-way-comes?r=d8xtt&utm_medium=ios
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Hey NYC area folks-come to this!
thescreentimeconsultant.com/events/lets-...
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Event | Let's Talk EdTech: In Conversation and Connection with Emily Cherkin, and Colin Samuel
Join Emily Cherkin M.Ed., and Colin Anton Samuel, CTO at the Brearley School as we discuss what Educaction Technology can and should look like in schools.
https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/events/lets-talk-edtech
7 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Benjamin Riley
8 months ago
There are some really weird things going on in this NYT story that is purportedly about using "AI" for child therapy. Would you care to join me for a short thread exploring just a few of them?
www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/m...
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Kids Are in Crisis. Could Chatbot Therapy Help?
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/magazine/ai-chatbot-therapy.html
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Law Commentary
about 1 year ago
Teacher vs. Tech Giant Former teacher Emily Cherkin is suing PowerSchool, claiming the ed-tech giant sells students data without consent. With data from 440+ school districts, the lawsuit alleges PowerSchool profits from sharing sensitive info like grades and health records.
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EdTech Company PowerSchool Target of Lawsuit Over Claims They Illegally Sell Student Data | Law Commentary
Former School teacher, Emily Cherkin, has filed a lawsuit against leading educational technology giant, PowerSchool. She filed her class action lawsuit in San Francisco this past spring and claims tha...
https://www.lawcommentary.com/articles/edtech-company-powerschool-target-of-lawsuit-over-claims-they-illegally-sell-student-data
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Emily M. Bender
8 months ago
As I've been saying over and over on our book tour for The AI Con, the inevitability argument (including in the form of "AI is here to stay") is an attempt to steal our agency. We don't have to accept that and I encourage everyone to refuse it.
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The continued refrain of "kids need to have access to technology now so they can be successful in the future" just simply doesn't make sense when you look at the childhoods of some of the wealthiest, most powerful, most successful titans of the tech industry.
9 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Gwen Snyder is uncivil
9 months ago
Someone else said something very similar to this the other day, but. It really burns me that our (millennials') generation was legally terrorized for like, downloading Radiohead discographies But we're supposed to be ok with billionaires stealing human intellectual output in its entirety bc AI
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New essay. Not all change is progress.
thescreentimeconsultant.com/blog/childre...
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Not all change is progress: Children and democracy have long needed the same things to flourish - The Screentime Consultant
Emily Cherkin M.Ed. on why resisting EdTech in schools protects both childhood and democracy. Not all change is progress. Screen time isn't the answer.
https://thescreentimeconsultant.com/blog/children-democracy-needs-flourish
9 months ago
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reposted by
Emily Cherkin, The Screentime Consultant
Benjamin Riley
9 months ago
Here is a teacher, presumably of third or fourth grade, excited to use AI to grade the work of their students, planning not to tell them, asking for advice on how to navigate around any ethical concerns raised by the school principal. This isn't where we are headed, it's where we are right now.
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