Connected at Brookwood -- Looking Ahead: An Optimistic Futurist's View of the Year

Connected at Brookwood
Looking Ahead: An Optimistic Futurist's View of the Year

[The first in a regular series exploring technology and childhood, from our Director of Innovation, Changemaking & Technology]

We're living through a remarkable moment of technological change. Many of us are making daily decisions about devices, apps, and digital experiences that feel fundamentally different from our own childhoods. At the same time, schools are navigating how to prepare students for a future that feels both exciting and uncertain.

As we kick off another year at Brookwood, I'm struck by the thoughtful questions parents are asking: How much screen time is too much? Should my middle schooler have Instagram? How do we find balance when technology seems to be everywhere?

These are questions I find myself wrestling with too. In my two decades working with kids and technology—both in the classroom and as a tech director—I've watched countless digital trends come and go. As a parent of three young adults, I've also navigated these decisions in my own home. The apps change, the devices evolve, but the core challenge stays the same: helping our Brookwood students develop a healthy relationship with technology.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed by every new digital thing that pops up, I like to think of myself as an "optimistic futurist." That's just a fancy way of saying I try to notice what's happening in our kids' digital lives and then work backward from the outcomes we actually want. It's what good parents and teachers do naturally—we pay attention, see problems coming, and figure out how to help kids thrive.

This year, let's tackle these real-world questions together. In future columns, I'll dig into specific apps and platforms our students are using, share practical strategies for managing screen time, talk through age-appropriate boundaries, and explore how we can help our kids make smart choices about when and how to use technology.

My goal isn't to convince anyone to throw their devices in a drawer (good luck with that!), but to help our Brookwood families navigate technology thoughtfully. When we're clear about our family values around tech and understand what healthy usage looks like at different ages, we can support both our individual kids and our school community.

The future of our children's relationship with technology isn't something that just happens to us—it's something we get to shape together. Let's make it a good one.

Got questions about technology and your child? Topics you'd like me to explore? Just reach out—I'd love to hear from you.

-David Saunders
Director of Innovation, Changemaking & Technology