We synthesized recent research examining critical thinking, classroom device use, AI, screen time, and learning. Together, the findings point to one conclusion: Waiting until high school to build digital judgment is too late. hubs.ly/Q04y3Km30

Yesterday we shared surprising findings from recent Gallup research: Americans are more than twice as likely to say schools are preparing students to adapt to new technologies as they are to say schools are teaching critical thinking and problem solving. (lrng.co/4gURcIh) That raises an important question: How do we make critical thinking more visible for students? Critical thinking isn't just solving problems on a worksheet. It's evaluating information. It's questioning assumptions. It's considering consequences. It's deciding what to trust, share, or act on. And those skills matter everywhere, from the classroom to online interactions. For educators looking for practical examples, we've compiled seven ways to help students practice and demonstrate critical thinking. Read the article: lrng.co/4gWcWn5 #CriticalThinking #DigitalLiteracy #K12Education #EducationLeadership

Access does not equal AI readiness. Before students use AI independently, they need digital foundations, evaluation skills and the judgment to know when a tool supports learning. The foundation must come first: hubs.ly/Q04vWgbK0 #AILiteracy

Students encounter AI long before they ever type a prompt. Music recommendations, navigation and smart devices are opportunities to help students recognize AI and begin questioning how it works. Explore 7 everyday examples: lrng.co/4wPiF3S #AILiteracy

The Screen-Time Debate Is Asking the Wrong Question Have we put too much learning on screens? And if we have, what would you keep and what would you cut? Last week, something happened that made the question about responsible technology use in schools harder to ignore.  The U.S. Department of Education released new guidance on the responsible use of education technology in classrooms (lrng.co/4xTNG7U). One part in particular caught our attention: the Department called on education technology providers to "minimize unnecessary screen time" and encouraged schools to examine not just how much time students spend on screens, but whether that time contributes to meaningful learning outcomes. For an education technology company, there is an obvious answer we are probably expected to give. No. Educational screen time is different. It's purposeful. It's learning. But we don't think that's good enough. Over the last decade, schools moved enormous parts of the school day onto screens. Some of it transformed what students and educators could do. Some of it just turned paper into pixels. That got us thinking. What exactly is unnecessary instructional screen time? - A digital worksheet? - An online textbook? - A science simulation? - An assessment that gives a teacher immediate information about what students understand? - A lesson teaching students how to determine whether something they encounter online is credible Where exactly do we draw the line? So we went looking at the research. The largest study gives us an uncomfortable thought experiment. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) is one of the world's largest studies of student performance. PISA 2022 included approximately 690,000 15-year-old students across 81 countries and economies, including students in the United States. Across OECD countries, students reported spending about two hours of the school day using digital devices for learning. But here's where it gets interesting. Students who reported using digital devices for learning at school for up to one hour per day performed better in mathematics than students who reported no use. But, as usage increased beyond that, the relationship became less favorable. PISA does not recommend a one-hour screen-time limit, and the findings should not be interpreted to mean that 60 minutes is a magic number. But this is by far the largest student dataset we're looking at. And the contrast between two hours of reported use and the performance associated with more moderate use raises a question that is hard to ignore. What if you tried cutting those two hours in half? Not as a policy. As an exercise. Imagine a middle school student's digital day looks something like this: Continue reading: lrng.co/4d427hx

Good judgment doesn’t come from having a rule for every situation. It comes from learning what to do when the answer isn’t obvious. That’s the idea behind Stop. Think. Choose. 🛑 STOP before you click, post, share, search, respond, or use AI. 💡 THINK about what you know, what you don’t know, and whether something could be wrong, biased, fake, misleading, or unsafe. 👉 CHOOSE what to do next — verify it, revise it, ask for help, or decide not to use it at all. The situations students face will keep changing. The technology certainly will. But the habit of pausing, thinking critically, and making a thoughtful choice is something they can carry from one situation to the next. That’s one of the ideas behind our latest blog on building student judgment — and why we believe Stop. Think. Choose. can be such a useful habit to start early. Read → The Most Important School Supply Isn’t on the List hubs.ly/Q04tDZSP0

The most important school supply this year might be one you can’t put in a backpack. Good judgment. We can teach students rules about passwords, privacy, misinformation, social media and AI. And those rules matter. But eventually, every student will face a situation we didn’t anticipate — with a technology we may not have even imagined yet. We can’t prepare students for every decision they’ll encounter. We can prepare them to make decisions. That’s the idea behind what we do and our latest article: The Most Important School Supply Isn’t on the List. Read it here: hubs.ly/Q04tvqxC0

The conversation around AI shouldn't start with tools. It should start with judgement. As students navigate AI, social media, search, and digital content, one habit matters more than ever: 🛑 Stop. 🤔 Think. ✅ Choose. Before they trust. Before they share. Before they post. Before they prompt. Before they react. At #ISTELive26, we're talking about how Digital Literacy and AI Literacy work together to help students build the judgment they need to thrive in an AI-powered world. Stop by hubs.ly/Q04mpzCY0 at Booth #2449 to continue the conversation and pick up a FREE Stop. Think. Choose. poster for your classroom or school. #ISTE26 #AILiteracy #DigitalLiteracy #EdTech

The conversation around AI shouldn't start with tools. It should start with judgement. As students navigate AI, social media, search, and digital content, one habit matters more than ever: 🛑 Stop. 🤔 Think. ✅ Choose. Before they trust. Before they share. Before they post. Before they prompt. Before they react. At #ISTELive26, we're talking about how Digital Literacy and AI Literacy work together to help students build the judgment they need to thrive in an AI-powered world. Stop by hubs.ly/Q04mpPbr0 at Booth #2449 to continue the conversation and pick up a FREE Stop. Think. Choose. poster for your classroom or school. #ISTE26 #AILiteracy #DigitalLiteracy #EdTech

We're honored to share that hubs.ly/Q04m6-J90 has been named a 2026 CODiE Finalist in four categories, including a nomination for Product of the Year. 🏆 Product of the Year 🏆 Best Student Learning Capacity-Building Solution 🏆 Best AI Literacy & Skills Development Solution 🏆 Best Digital Citizenship Solution For nearly 30 years, hubs.ly/Q04m6-J90 has helped schools prepare students to use technology safely, responsibly, and effectively. Today, that mission includes helping students navigate AI, build healthy digital habits, think critically about the information they encounter online, and develop the judgment they'll need for learning, work, and life. We're grateful to the educators, district leaders, and partners who trust us to support millions of students each year—and honored to see this work recognized by the CODiE Awards. #CODiEAwards #AILiteracy #DigitalLiteracy #DigitalCitizenship #StudentSafety #EdTech #K12Education

For the second year in a row, we are excited to announce we've won the Best Overall e-Learning Company of the Year award from Edtech Breakthrough! hubs.ly/Q04lfY6-0

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: hubs.ly/Q04h8tHX0 #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #DigitalWellness #AILiteracy #StudentSafety #K12Education