Learning.com

Districts cannot solve AI readiness with acceptable use policies alone. A recent Education Week article by Lauraine Langreo highlighted a growing challenge across K-12: “Teachers Say Lack of AI Guidance Is a Major Problem” https://lnkd.in/eBg89whJ The reality is that AI is already part of how students search, write, create, communicate, and make decisions. But many educators are still being asked to navigate this shift without clear guidance, training, or instructional frameworks. That is why AI literacy matters. Students need more than access to tools. They need explicit instruction in how to: • Evaluate AI-generated information • Recognize bias, misinformation, and overconfidence • Protect privacy and personal data • Understand when AI supports learning and when it shortcuts thinking • Make thoughtful choices about when to use technology and when not to At Learning.com, we believe AI literacy belongs inside a broader foundation of digital literacy, media literacy, online safety, and responsible technology use. Policies matter. Instruction matters more.

Learning.com CEO Lisa O'Masta joined Edtech Insiders this week to discuss why digital literacy and AI literacy must start early. As AI becomes part of students’ everyday experiences, schools need more than access to technology. Students need explicit instruction that helps them build critical thinking, digital safety, media literacy, and responsible AI use skills. Thank you to Ben Kornell and Edtech Insiders for the conversation and for continuing to elevate these important discussions across K–12 education. #AILiteracy #DigitalLiteracy #OnlineSafety #EdTech

AI is moving quickly, and students need more than access or restrictions. They need guidance, practice, and age-appropriate instruction that helps them use technology safely and responsibly. We’re glad to see this important conversation continue, featuring Learning.com CEO Lisa O'Masta alongside Diana Graber and Dr. Pamela Rutledge, PhD, MBA. #AILiteracy #DigitalLiteracy #K12Education #StudentSafety

AI literacy is not just about access to tools. It is about helping students build judgment. Students need age-appropriate instruction to understand when AI is helpful, when it can mislead, and when to pause before trusting what it produces. That is why AI literacy belongs inside a broader digital readiness strategy.

Digital safety belongs in every screen-use conversation The U.S. Surgeon General’s office released a new advisory on the harms of screen use for children and adolescents. It is an important read for school and district leaders. One of the most important takeaways is that this conversation is broader than time spent on a device. Students are navigating a digital world shaped by apps, smartphones, tablets, gaming, social platforms, AI chatbots, algorithms, online interactions, and content that is often designed to keep them engaged. That means the response has to be broader, too. Device policies and screen-time boundaries can help reduce distraction and limit harm. But they are only one part of the solution. The advisory specifically calls on schools to “Teach digital citizenship and literacy skills.” It also calls on policymakers to “support the development, implementation, and evaluation of digital and media literacy curricula in schools.” That matters. Students need to learn how to: - Evaluate online information - Recognize unsafe or inappropriate digital interactions - Respond to cyberbullying - Protect personal information and privacy - Understand how algorithms influence what they see - Identify manipulative, misleading, or harmful content - Use AI tools responsibly - Communicate respectfully in digital spaces - Know when to pause, ask for help, or disconnect For districts, this is a chance to move beyond a simple question of “how much screen time is too much?” The better question is: Are students learning the skills they need to make safe, healthy, and responsible choices when they use technology? Digital citizenship, digital safety, and media literacy cannot be left to chance. They need to be taught, practiced, reinforced, and supported by families, schools, and communities. Read the official advisory and toolkit here: https://lnkd.in/eZgmeJjR Full advisory PDF: https://lnkd.in/e8yt-vz7 #DigitalSafety #MediaLiteracy #DigitalLiteracy #DigitalCitizenship #OnlineSafety #K12Education #AILiteracy

Youth mental health conversations cannot stop at screen limits. Students are growing up in a digital world shaped by social media, gaming, online content, and now AI-powered tools. The answer cannot be simply to remove access and hope they figure it out later. A healthy digital life has to be taught. Media Literacy Now’s latest newsletter raises an important point for Mental Health Awareness Month: digital wellness is part of student well-being. And recent guidance from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) reinforces that this work should begin in elementary school, not wait until students are already navigating these environments on their own. At Learning.com, we believe students need developmentally appropriate instruction that helps them: • Understand healthy digital habits • Recognize the difference between passive and productive screen use • Evaluate online information • Stay safe in digital spaces • Build agency and judgment around emerging tools like AI Limits may have a role. But limits alone do not build lifelong skills. That takes instruction, practice, and trusted adults helping students learn to stop, think, and choose. Thank you to Media Literacy Now for continuing to elevate this important conversation. https://lnkd.in/ehE5P8PJ

Students are learning to navigate AI and online spaces earlier than we ever did. But before students can use technology wisely, they need the skills to pause, question, and think critically about what they see online. ✔ STOP. before they trust something ✔ THINK. before they share something ✔ CHOOSE. before they post something During Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s worth remembering that digital wellness is not just about screen time. It’s also about helping students build healthy online habits, sound judgment, and confidence in digital spaces shaped by AI and algorithms. That’s why our free K–8 AI Literacy Quick Start Kit focuses on safe, age-appropriate conversations around AI, online safety, responsible technology use, and emotional well-being. 🔗 Access the free kit: https://hubs.ly/Q04h8mW60 #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #DigitalWellness #AILiteracy #StudentSafety #K12Education

AI is showing up earlier in kids’ lives than ever before — and during Mental Health Awareness Month, it’s a reminder that digital wellness matters just as much as digital skills. 💜 Helping students build healthy online habits starts with judgment, confidence, and critical thinking: ✔ STOP. before they trust it. ✔ THINK. before they share it. ✔ CHOOSE. before they post it. 🔗Access the kit: https://hubs.ly/Q04gNV3B0 Our free K–8 AI Literacy Quick Start Kit helps schools and families create safe, age-appropriate conversations about AI, online safety, emotional well-being, and responsible technology use. Because preparing students for the future also means helping them protect their mental and emotional health online. #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #AILiteracy #StudentSafety #DigitalWellness #FutureReady #K12

District leaders are being asked to make increasingly difficult decisions about technology use in schools. What should be limited? What should be protected? What supports instruction? What creates distraction or risk? Resources like this screen time tracker from Whiteboard Advisors help bring more visibility to a fast-moving policy landscape. At Learning.com, we believe the path forward requires more than restrictions, it requires helping students build the digital literacy, online safety, and AI literacy skills they need to use technology safely, responsibly, and effectively. Thank you to Whiteboard Advisors for creating a resource that helps leaders better understand where this conversation is headed.

The question of who is responsible for student technology use cannot be answered with “school” or “home.” It has to be both. In a recent piece for The 74 Media, Emily Tate Sullivan raises an important point: for young children, screen time is no longer just an at-home issue. What happens in classrooms and what happens at home are increasingly connected. That is why shared language matters. Families and schools do not need identical rules. But students do need a common framework they can carry with them. Before they click, post, search, respond, or use AI, they need to learn how to: Stop. Think. Choose. Stop before reacting Think about what they are seeing, sharing, or being asked to do Choose the safest, smartest, and most responsible next step Digital safety cannot live only at school or only at home. Students need skills and habits that follow them across both. To support that work, Learning.com has created a free AI literacy resource for schools and families: https://lnkd.in/gMdkqqH4 Article: https://lnkd.in/gu2rpX_d #DigitalLiteracy #AILiteracy #OnlineSafety #DigitalCitizenship #EdTech