The browser war just went academic as OpenAI has entered the race. 

On the Brainy Bit side, new research from Toronto is giving teachers reason to rethink how much screen glow belongs in a classroom. 

Between smarter browsers and lower test scores, the message is clear: how we use screens matters more than ever.

Here’s how you’re about to become an even better teacher in the next 6 minutes:

• Tech Tool: Atlas shrugged 🌎️ 

• Brainy Bit: The reality of screen addiction 📱 

🚀 Noteworthy News

👉️Refreshing: Books to pull you out of a reading slump.

👉️ Alarming: Low-expectation education culture fueling the decline.

👉️ Worrisome: Professors fear students are outsourcing critical thinking.

🔉But first, a word from today’s sponsor that could help you present critical thinking and news stories in the classroom  👇️ 

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And now back to making you an even better teacher 👇️ 

TECH TOOL

Atlas vs Comet: The AI Browser Showdown

Move over Chrome and Safari - the real browser comparison is between Comet by Perplexity and Atlas by OpenAI which just became available last week.

We already checked out Comet a few weeks back when it became free for all users. We’ve now tested both - here’s what surprised us.

Both claim to be your new digital co-teacher, but each brings a different kind of brainpower to the classroom.

The Solution: Atlas

Here’s how the two stack up against each other:

Comet is the fast-talking multitasker. It can summarize dozens of tabs, build study guides from PDFs, and even tidy up your research chaos — perfect for the teacher juggling lesson prep, emails, and student projects at once.

Atlas, on the other hand, is the serious academic. Built by OpenAI, it doesn’t just browse - it reasons. It cites real sources, flags unreliable claims, and lets you verify every fact without leaving the page. It’s designed for depth, not speed — the kind of tool that would ask your essay for its bibliography.

Comet makes teaching feel lighter; Atlas makes it feel smarter.

Which one for YOUR Classroom?

Comet’s ideal for everyday lesson planning and student research warm-ups. Atlas fits best when accuracy, citation, and academic integrity are the lesson itself. 

The sweet spot for middle school and up? Use both: one to move fast, the other to think slow.

Strategies That Work:

1. Double Browser Debate: Students use both tools to compare coverage and bias on a topic (hello critical thinking!).

2. Atlas Audit: Teach proper sourcing by tracing Atlas citations back to origin.

3. Comet Crunch: Use Comet to summarize readings or generate quick rubrics.

So who’s the winner?

Comet saves time. Atlas sharpens minds. However, while Perplexity has been putting ads everywhere, it’s no secret that more students are already using ChatGPT the most. That might just give Atlas a quiet edge.

Teaching students to know which one to trust - and when - is really what this all comes down to.

Brainy Bit

When Screens Start Failing Grades

TLDR: Screens and schools have been uneasy roommates for years. Now, a massive new study from SickKids Hospital in Toronto finally puts numbers to the tension: more screen time, lower test scores. 

The 15-year study tracked Grade 3 and 6 students from 2008 to 2023 and found a clear pattern - kids spending more than two hours a day on screens scored significantly worse on standardized reading and math tests.

The Study: Screen Time vs. Academic Achievement

Researchers followed over 3,000 students across 15 years, comparing self-reported screen use with EQAO (the province’s standardized test) performance. They controlled for family income, parental education, and gender, tracking how screen exposure changed alongside the smartphone boom.

Screen time covered everything from gaming and social media to educational tools. And while tech-based learning helped when structured, the overall picture was clear: excess time in front of screens - especially for entertainment - correlated with lower achievement.

The Results:

• More than two hours of daily screen time = lower math and reading scores.

• The trend worsened year over year as devices became omnipresent.

• Even “educational” screen time helped only when tied to specific, guided learning goals

Translation? Screens aren’t bad - unfocused screens are.

In YOUR Classroom:

If every lesson glows on a screen only, students might be learning to scroll, not to think.

Here’s how this study might improve your classroom this week:

Strategies That Work:

• Screen with purpose: Use devices only when they add clarity, creativity, or collaboration.

• Go analog on purpose: Swap one tech-heavy task a week for something tangible.

• Model balance: If students never see you unplug, why would they?

Tech isn’t the problem, defaulting to it is. 

Sometimes, the smartest screen strategy (even for the adults) is to just turn it off.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

We would LOVE to hear from you!

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We’ll see you again on Monday 🍎

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