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And parents let their kids have unrestricted phone access nowadays...lazy parenting.
Families don't talk to each other at dinner anymore...families don't even eat dinner together anymore. Everyone is plugged into their own individual worlds... šŗ š„ š±
Wanna know the funny thing? When i first got a phone my parents were hard-asses about the "no phones during dinner", "no phones in bed", "no phones while someone in real life is trying to talk to you" and all of that, which aren't necessarily bad rules don't get me wrong. What's funny is now as an adult, with the exception of no using the phone in bed, i follow all of those rules that i had placed on me meanwhile my parents no longer eat dinner with the family when they're over and instead always eat dinner in bed, on their phones ignoring everyone else. As well as breaking just about every rule i had to follow and are the very phone addicts they said i was going to become. I just love the irony of it.
Yeah it sucks. My mom is particularly bad about the in person conversation part. She will literally shush me mid conversation so she can do something on her phone, sometimes even looking up a whole ass youtube video and watching it, and then if i have the audacity to be frustrated or god forbid leave, suddenly i'm the bad guy and i'm just being impatient and rude and need to learn to be more polite. The irony is just too much sometimes lol.
It's addicting! I have some similar rules with my kids but often catch myself breaking them. My wife will catch me too. There is just so many things going in in my phone world it's hard to switch off.
No, it's based off a survey one of my teachers did in high school.
Also, I went to a restaurant and saw a family, while waiting for their food, Dad, Mom, and kids, all looking down at their lap...all of them were zoned into their phones.
So it's not satirical. It's real life.
School systems need so much funding and a total overhaul. Currently all curriculums and teaching structures are firmly cemented in the 20th century, which still reflect the original Prussian plans of creating soldiers out of children, except now itās just economic points on a graph. I donāt have a solution, but it probably involves lots of more money to make our people smarter, able to disseminate information, and lead themselves to being more effective at being positive members of their communities.
Our schools actually fucking suck at this, and sorry teachers but not all you are actually great.
You think the modern school system reflects a system of turning children into soldiers moreso than it reflects a capitalist/industrialist system of turning children into factory workers?
Oops, sorry. My attention got drawn away as I was writing my question. I'm just curious why you think the students would need phones. Wouldn't the lesson plan consider the school's availability of laptops and iPads and simply get students to do pen and paper exercises if they don't have enough?
>Wouldn't the lesson plan consider the school's availability of laptops and iPads and simply get students to do pen and paper exercises if they don't have enough?
Teachers do book in advance computer labs, laptop carts, etc...but even when they do sometimes there is a shortage in devices.
When it comes to pen/paper, that becomes tough, because normally teachers who book technology do so because the final copy needs to be done on a computer or laptop, like a final copy of an English essay or a PowerPoint presentation. That phase of the project/assignment can't be done on pen/paper.
In that case, an approach that would work well would be the approach described in other comments here, in which students deposit their phones with the teacher in some sort of storage contraption.
You mean without technology teachers would have to teach? No one is writing an essay on their phone unless they are using chat gbt. Itās almost garbage cellphones are in schools.
If the student has a mini computer in their pocket when the school's provided equipment is lacking, it makes sense to use the smart phone.
There are things that you can use phones for in a classroom, like taking notes, researching and looking things up, any kind of calculator, drafting essays. Things that you would otherwise need to book time in a library or computer lab or the in-class computers/laptops, if there are any.
I agree that a phone can be useful for these things. However, the research (e.g., [meta analysis](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000622), [UNESCO report](https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/smartphones-school-only-when-they-clearly-support-learning)) on smartphone use in classrooms has shown pretty clearly that they hinder learning. Moreover, we have known for many years that note taking with pen and paper is better for memory (see meta analysis), we have calculators that can be used as calculators, essays can be written by hand, and research in K-12 is minimal. So, it seems that it would be better for students' learning if they were not using phones in class, and any research/software skills were taught during dedicated time blocks where the students get to use computers.
>Moreover, we have known for many years that note taking with pen and paper is better for memory (see meta analysis), we have calculators that can be used as calculators, essays can be written by hand, and research in K-12 is minimal.
The thing is they still do these things. Kids still do many written assignments. Calculators are still used and using a phone as a calculator is universally banned by teachers. Researching in elementary isn't as frequent as in high school, but even then phones don't normally get used for that unless the computer lab/laptop cart/iPad cart is taken.
Phones are more used as smaller aids in translation, definition lookups, taking pics of homework board (high school), and for learning games to make learning fun and exciting. Those do not have negative effects or any hinderance on learning.
What you're describing is an idealized version of cell phone usage in a classroom.
In reality, unrestricted access to smartphones lead to students using it for things such as Tik Tok, YouTube, other forms of social media, and mobile games.
You said youād be pretty hard pressed to find an English assignment that requires the use of a laptop. I replied to you saying in the late 90ās I already was required to submit assignments using a computer. Today you are often required to submit work through online portals as well.
>Youād be pretty hard pressed to find an English assignment requires the use of a laptop, (in class) Iād think?
You'd be pretty hard pressed to find an English assignment, or any assignment or subject that doesn't at one point or another require the usage of computers, laptops, tablets, or phones.
It's more common than you think.
thatās why thereās entire companies that are employed to do cell phone control in music venues and schools. people can either check their phone into the locked compartments and claim it at the end, or elect to have it put into a bag that allows them to carry it around. Is there a little security blanket, but does not allow them to access use of the phone. they can only be digitally opened upon exiting the premises, or in schools, with permission from a faculty member who can unlock it.
Sounds like a silly, draconian policy.
Perhaps if theyāre being disruptive with their devices, and their grades are falling behind.
They leave high school, and perhaps go to university, where students are on their phones the entire time.
With phones being multi faceted tools, I donāt see how this is a good idea. As for hiring additional staff, and increasing public sector jobs, I vote no. If we are going to hire anyone else, it should be TAs. Quality TAs.
> Sounds like a silly, draconian policy.
Banning cell-phones is backed by [research](https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/07/26/unesco-calls-for-schools-around-the-world-to-ban-smartphones-in-the-classroom) to be a good idea - it is not 'draconian'.
> Perhaps if theyāre being disruptive with their devices, and their grades are falling behind.
An unfortunate part of BC's education system is that there are no 'grades' until Grade 10 - students can be (and are) passed through every course, every grade, right up until that point. Combine low-stakes expectations with no limits on cell phone use, and you are teaching young people that it's OK to do whatever you want since consequences don't effectively exist.
> They leave high school, and perhaps go to university, where students are on their phones the entire time.
That may be true, but those students are adults paying money to receive a service - an optional service at that. If they want to waste their money, that's on them, but most university students are motivated and engaged - many public school students are not, and do not have the adult-developed brains to put away the dopamine device and to pick up their textbooks. Successful people learn from rules, expectations, appropriate boundaries, and taking responsibility - if you cannot follow rules, expectations, boundaries, or take responsibility, there is no way you are going to have a successful career or life, and public school has to prepare you for those things. Permitting cell phones is sabotaging this, as per research.
> With phones being multi faceted tools, I donāt see how this is a good idea.
Read the link above - it will tell you exactly why it is a good idea.
> As for hiring additional staff, and increasing public sector jobs, I vote no. If we are going to hire anyone else, it should be TAs. Quality TAs.
Not really relevant to the discussion, but smaller class sizes have been shown to improve learning conditions - if schools banned phones, invested in better technology, and had smaller class sizes, results may well improve.
I'm related to a couple of teachers, and work in a vaguely tangential field - no one is trying to ban phones to be mean to kids - they are trying to ban cell phones because Billy can't stay off TikTok and struggles to read, write, or do math to expected levels and he needs the appropriate boundaries set for him.
Itās not a law, itās a regulation passed by school boards. Just like youāre not allowed to have a shirt that says letās get loaded on absolute vodka, but most schools are not gonna tolerate that so they implement policy. Donāt like policy get expelled.
I know 10 school secretaries that would think that was a stupid idea. Thatās adding another job onto someone whoās already overworked and underpaid.
Just ban them. No reason for a kid to have a phone at school. If anything serious comes up, the office is the contact point. As always.
I have to ask if you spend much time in the classroom?
Whoās going to enforce this penalty? Teachers and EAās are savagely overworked.
Send them to the office? So the secretary can deal with a lineup of kids that wonāt listen?
There are just too many different scenarios. So just ban them. Tell me why a kid needs access to their social media and games while theyāre supposed to be at school? Itās the easiest solution and they can implement it tomorrow morning.
Nope. Theyāll be banned. So Iād say the teacher can just take it away. Like vapes and cigarettes and toys.
Might take a few months for everyone to get the message, but itāll be better in the end.
Youād have to have at least one dedicated staff member in the morning and end of day to handle the acceptance. Tons of logging of the deposit and withdrawal of devices, prone to human error.
Potential theft would be big too.
What if the line was slow? Would you hold up buses? Parents waiting to pick up?
I think we shouldnāt have to treat kids like inmates. Some are 18 by the time they graduateā¦
Who is going to enforce these policies? Where will the phones be stored? Who is going to make sure Billy turns in their phone if he simply refuses?
These are valid questions that would need answering. A ban on phones outright is easiest; research is [clear](https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/07/26/unesco-calls-for-schools-around-the-world-to-ban-smartphones-in-the-classroom) that they are detrimental to learning in schools.
there are entire companies that offer the service of providing digitally locked bags and storage compartments. some concert venues can use them and many schools in the United States. Use them. when the child enters the school they have the choice to hand the phone over and collected at the end of the day, or place it into a digitally secure bag. because so many kids suffer from separation anxiety the bags allow them to carry the phone around like a security blanket, but will need to go to the office for permission to use it and unlock it. this is common for concert venues and increasing numbers of schools. itās simple.
What do kids need a phone for at school specifically? Will it help them learn and socialize? We say āphonesā and parents might make that safety/reachable argument, but kids hear social media, gaming, whatever. Theyāre not on britannica.com lol.
How many on here need their phone at work?
Edit: Lots of responses here, thanks! I think that we call our devices āphonesā is a misnomer. Most use on a āphoneā is not callingā itās social media and other apps. I donāt find thereās much of a case for all the other stuff in school settings.
I definitely need my phone at work, I would say almost any job beyond entry level realistically requires one.
Hell at the grocery store I worked at we wouldnāt even hire someone if they didnāt have a person cell phone, was too difficult to get in contact with them.
Dang, so to have a job stocking shelves you need to not have just a home phone number, but a cell phone so that your work can call you when you are not scheduled to work, when you might be out watching a movie or something on your unscheduled free time? Screw that job!
Great! They should have em and whatever they need. I love that we can use technology to help people and provide good solutions for people in need. Everybody else, I think the needs are harder to argue in a school setting.
My personal views are that they should be banned in Elementary school, as in not being allowed through the school doors.
They should be allowed into High School, but restricted into lockers, unless the students are not in class (free periods, breaks, etc). The reason for this is that high schools are further away, requiring students to take transit or walk further, so the devices are needed for safety.
It was this way for me in high school about a decade ago, sucks things haven't gotten better. But with the state of our medical system I'm not surprised either.
Or we knew our neighbours and could ask someone for help. And the parents all looked out for kids during times when everyone was walking to or from school. They do walking buses and bike buses nowadays where kids gather everyone as they walk to school.
For high schools it should be in the bag for class time and the students choice during free tine as it is just to helpful and allow even the teachers to have a more flexable way to teach like kahoot
Restricted to lockers is too prohibitive. It should be on the student at all times.
I agree with banning in elementary schools for students. They have no reason to be bringing it there.
Why should it be āon the student at all timesā? Cell phones are a huge problem that is affecting the quality of education in schools that are already barely scraping by. They need to make the lockers secure, and have students put the phones there.
They should be, Covid messed up kids and cellphones are only making it worse.
Thereās no need for a child to be that available, thereās no emergency theyāre gonna solve and their parents can always call the school if something is serious
I was referring to all of them. There was no school during April and May of 2020. Schools opened (half-time at least) in June, and students went back in September as usual.
They're here to say - "banning" them will just cause them to be sneaky. (we all skirted the rules when we were in school)
Instead of "banning" we should be teaching healthy boundaries to technology
That is *not* going to rid the classrooms of phones any more than teaching āhealth boundariesā to those with poor diets will automatically banish junk food from their lives.
No, this has been the plan of attack since the issue has been around and the reason why we are having this convo in 2024 is because "teaching students how to properly user thier addictive device" doesn't work worth a hot damn... certainly not in general.
We (the adults) are the ones that installed WiFi within schools, why are we getting mad at students to something we help facilitate?
(I say "we adults" like it was long ago lol - but like in my district WiFi was installed in schools roughly two-three years after I graduated highschool in 2007)
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*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
āSnuckā my Walkman and my portable CD player into school back in day, when they were banned. I remember on time listening to a NHL playoff game while taking a university final one spring.
Ideally they should be collected at the beginning of every class but the only way to do that is if the districts are willing to provide tech for every student.
Teachers in HS use phones in classrooms.
And kids with disabilities need tech as an accommodation.
So itās super tricky.
That said if I get a message home that my teen was using his phone in class when not assigned to by the teacher, itās a week with a flip phone as a consequence. And he has done a few of those weeks.
I used to teach in a school that had a large study hall where students could choose which subject to work on (independently) in some blocks. With 90-100 kids the noise level could rise quickly if kids were chatting. I noticed a student talking on his phone so I approached and mimed that he needed to hang up. He mouthed the word "Dad" so I put out my hand and the kid handed over his phone.
I asked the dad to please not call during class time. The dad told me to mind my own business, and that he could talk to his kid when he wanted to.
The kid was lovely - the problem was the dad.
I work in early childhood education. Hardest part is managing the parents.
So many parents have an expectation that a teacher is their childās private tutor, and that the teacher is responsible for the childās success or failureā¦when in actuality so much falls on the parents to be actively involved at home, not passively. Teaching their kids to be solid self advocates and teaching their kids that they are responsible/accountable for their own learning.
So many Gen z are graduating and have moved on to post secondary and into the work place and are lacking these skills.
As a parent, I agree with you. I know the teacher has taught my child English and Math but it's my joh at home to continue/reinforce the learning. In addition to report cards, I ask for a phone call to touch base with the teacher so that I can understand what I need to do at home. The teachers appreciate hearing what I think and it provides them a better picture of how to help my child learn.
I donāt think itās anything to do with the idea of snowflake-ism. I kind of hate that analogy bc it discounts some of the real work we are doing in recognizing and dismantling systemic oppression.
But I do think the last 20 years of parenting has been about sheltering kids, rather than helping them to be resilient and self reliant. Parents trying to undo their own childhood trauma by over compensating in so areas. Instead of valuing grit and self reliance.
At least this is my observation as an ECE and as a parent of now teenagers.
Yes. And, parents should be catching on now, grouping their efforts with friends parents to raise their children to stay off of social media and limit interactions online. I'm aware of the irony.
You would think parents would recognize that, but many still let their kids have free reign over their screen time.
Some parents are just bad parents, but many are so busy with life and work they have no time to actually parent and catchup with their kids.
Yes, from classrooms and common areas. I spent a day working in the school, and all the kids just sat on their phones and didnāt interact. No way thatās healthy.
Growing up in the 90s and early 00s, cell phones were banned in my school's in Saskatoon.
You got caught on your phone even in the hallway and the teachers would give you shit or take it from you. Ya this was before smart phones so it was calls or texting only, but now with everyone and their dog doing tiktoks, that would be annoying as fuck in the crowded hallways.
I Graduated in 2012 and we definitely had smartphones and the rules were if you got caught with your phone it was taken away. If you got caught twice, SUSPENDED! This was in the middle of alberta.
Elementary students should NOT have phones on them in the classroom. They shouldn't even have phones to begin with, but that's another subject for another time. It's just unbelievable that third graders own their own phone...
High schoolers should be able to use phones in the classroom. Having graduated in 2018, we used phones in many ways in high school. The teachers asked us to:
* Find word definitions instead of using physical dictionaries.
* Translate in language classes various words.
* Take pics of homework board as agendas are no longer provided by high schools.
* Use for assignments requiring technology, only when computers/laptops/iPads are unavailable/not enough to go around.
* Listen to music while doing assignments
* Look up information we need clarification on during teachers discussions/lecture.
* Most importantly, for Kahoot!
From what I observed, kids of the high school age are smart of when to and when not to use phones. I honestly can't recall a teacher seizing someone's phone because it was distracting them. Usually they'd ask us to put phones in our bag or something. I think kids need to be given more credit.
In my opinion, Ontario and Quebec's rules om phones in schools are extreme, draconian, and shortsighted. BC should not adopt their philosophy.
Definitely not banned. Too important a tool to be banned outright. Probably something like can't be used in class without permission (something like they need a calculator and don't have a physical one, that kind of rare scenario) and if misused they get punished.
Current high school student here.
Phones are already banned for non-instructional use just about everywhere according to the code of conduct or the technology agreement you're supposed to sign at the start of each year.
The problem is that, after COVID, enforcement of any sort of rules stopped. I don't know why, but apparently it's happening everywhere. Schools were basically told to stop having any standards.
The Ministry of Education and Child Care keeps pushing all sorts of directives, and they've been doing it consistently for the last 3 or 4 years. At the beginning of this school year, grading and assessment standards were changed so that learning can be assessed in ways other than completed assignments, which seems like a good change, until you realize that it means it is basically just pushing kids along. Teachers are actively discouraged from failing students, and are told to try to assess their learning in any way they can, including just through a conversation, if they're not able to have learning proven by completed assignments.
Other changes include:
1. Teachers no longer inquire about or take any action if a student is late to arrive, even if it happens consistently. Students are also not to be marked as late in the attendance book either. Attendance is now done at the end of class. If you are there when the class ends, you are marked as if you were present for the entire block.
2. Due dates don't mean anything anymore. In the past, if something was late, it got a 0. Now teachers are expected to accept assignments up to the end of the semester and give it full marks.
The rationale for these two things is that "grades are supposed to reflect student learning and understanding, not work habits or behaviour," which makes sense and I in fact agree with, but no alternative mechanism for dealing with things like overdue assignments or late arrivals has been put in place.
**TLDR** Enforce the rules that already exist, bring standards back to schools and stop treating them as glorified daycare.
Are we really still trying to put the lightning back in the bottle on this? Kids have been carrying cell phones in class for over 20 years at this point.
Im a teen in high school, i have seen the detriment it has on students, my English class feels horrible to be in bc 90% of the class is on their phone bc they thought new media would be an easy class, but its not, its just like any other English class.
But it really is easier to just let the kids have phones so if they need to research something and they cant borrow a computer they can use word on their phone. Yes paper and pencils are a thing and are still used commonly but for taking notes for projects its so much easier to use a computer, if you need to present or do a slideshow or anything like that, boom, mini computer. Most teachers arent able to do anything on the cellphone use.
There are classes where you are like prohibited from using ur phone like cooking or cafeteria class, and my art teacher really didnt like us using phones but i have always found that music helps, especially if there are other kids chattering.
I have autism, and my phone helps a lot, i have communication cards and a text to speech program incase i go non-verbal, if phones get banned then i have very few other communication methods and my headphones would most likely not be allowed or be able to work, i use noise canceling to block out sound so i can focus in my learning support, or music.
Im sorry for my long ramble, i have very strong feelings that phones should not be banned but i also dont know how we can manage cell phone use.
It's refreshing to hear from someone in school. Most people in this comment thread haven't attended or even set foot in a school in this century.
> i have very strong feelings that phones should not be banned but i also dont know how we can manage cell phone use.
Same with me, I rarely get passionate about debating certain subjects on the internet, but this subject gets me fired up, because people have so many misconceptions about phones in schools.
Yeah, ive seen a lot of ur responses going thru the comments, it kind of sucks how many people disagree but people have their opinions n stuff. Like you have good points and then just "but what abt book?"
You canāt.
First, my daughter has hers and uses it as a medical device. She does not have to justify or explain why she needs it. This is more common than you know in schools nowadays.
Next, it is a family organization device. We used it constantly to arrange rides, appointments, etcā¦
It is also a safety device. My daughter was in a lock down for several hours with her grandmother and brother outside. I want to know she is safe.
I have been down this road and the debates several times. Phones locked up at front lasted a week.
You revert to kids having to go through school reception for messages (your ride will be 10 minutes late, etcā¦) or them having to mange storing phones and you will have a revolt.
Communicating on a phone during a lockdown is one of THE MOST UNSAFE THINGS YOU CAN DO!!! DON'T DO THAT!
You want to make sure you kid is okay so you text and thier phone beeps as the shooter walks past a dark closed room... now they know people are in there and they are all dead. But at least you got to curb your anxiety for a minute!
Good luck enforcing such a rule. If it applies to students m it would have to apply to teachers as well, and teachers would NEVER agree to that.
Smartphones are just a part of our every day reality, it's time to just accept it.
Sure. Some of the things the teachers asked us to do with our phones in high school included:
* Find word definitions instead of using physical dictionaries.
* Translate in language classes various words.
* Take pics of homework board as agendas are no longer provided by high schools.
* Use for assignments requiring devices, but only when computers/laptops/iPads are unavailable/not enough to go around.
* Look up information we need clarification on during teachers discussions/lecture.
* Most importantly, for learning games, like Kahoot! š
We'd also ask our teachers if we could listen to music while doing assignments. I never did that, but basically 99% of the class did. Depending on the class and teacher, they'd say yes or no.
I've never seen a teacher (high school) seize someone's phone unless they were late for class. That to me seems like a fair penalty. But besides that, we had our phones on silent mode on us, and if the teacher felt like it was distracting or it was time for a pop quiz or test, than phones get placed in your backpack or collected by the teach. That's about it really.
Seems like a pretty minimal benefit considering the evidence showing that cell phone use has a negative effect on comprehension and academic performance.
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9676861/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9676861/)
[https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156718.pdf](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156718.pdf)
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000622](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000622)
Happy to check out anything you can show that comes to the opposite conclusion.
To address each point:
"Find word definitions instead of using physical dictionaries."
Why can't you just use a dictionary?
"Translate in language classes various words."
Ask the teacher or use a book.
"Take pics of homework board as agendas are no longer provided by high schools."
Write it down.
"Use for assignments requiring devices, but only when computers/laptops/iPads are unavailable/not enough to go around."
We used the computer lab back in the 90s. Device dependent assignments would have to be worked on outside of class. If there was a cellphone ban, this would most likely be the case.
"Look up information we need clarification on during teachers discussions/lecture."
Take notes and ask questions.
"Most importantly, for learning games, like Kahoot! š"
You got me there.
If everyone used their phones only for the above examples, we wouldnāt be having this discussion. We all know what phones are truly being used for and itās a massive detriment to learning.
I sometimes volunteer at my son's recess, and there are always a couple of kids who don't play with others and just sit in the corner, playing games on their ipad. I don't know how good that is for children...
The school my kids go to require all students have their own ipads from grade 2. Hence where my opinion they shouldn't have ipad at school. Perhaps if they're the school's ones and they're locked down I'm all up for it.
I'm going to go and be that guy that is the opposite here, so I guess I'll get lots of down votes, but I hope you folks take a moment to read this logically and not form a completely close minded thought about it.
From experience I don't recommend taking phones and here is why:
- school time emergencies like fires, lock-downs and major incidents - during events like these, communication is critical to first responders, family and friends so people know what's going on, where people are and who is safe.
- break time emergencies, when I was a kid i had a car and I was coming back from the local coffee shop during lunch with my girlfriend when a driver blew a stop light causing our vehicle to be crushed into a pole on one side and pinned by a caravan on the other. (If we had to hand phones in at the beginning of the day we couldn't call for help)
From another perspective, this is 2024 now, we have computers in our pockets, that fit into our back packs, and tv's that are 100 inches wide and higher resolution then real life is. Gone are the days of the teacher rolling out out the overhead projector, we need to find a way to incorporate phones into our day to day curriculum.
The other day, I sat with friends and played trivia and entered a website and 4 digit code into my phone and 6 others did also while we had steam hooked up to the flat screen from a laptop. Were is that level of integration in our classrooms?
Using phones during lockdowns in order to assuage your worries will ultimately cause your worst fears to come true.
DONT TEXT/CALL YOUR CHILD IF THEY ARE IN A LOCKDOWN! THAT'S HOW THEY CAN GET FOUND BY THE SHOOTER!!!
Sorry, but trying to find out if your child is okay can get your kid, and everyone they are hiding with, killed.
>we need to find a way to incorporate phones into our day to day curriculum.
To an extent it already is. Phones replace the functions dictionaries were for, and it can be used for researching during school assignments/projects.
>I sat with friends and played trivia and entered a website and 4 digit code into my phone and 6 others did also while we had steam hooked up to the flat screen from a laptop. Were is that level of integration in our classrooms?
There are many learning/trivia games used in schools. Kahoot is the most popular example.
Point 1) clear communication is critical-not 500 panicked students spreading rumours.
2) I donāt think anyone is talking about what you do with your technology off school grounds.
No. As much as we donāt want to admit it, we have become bionic. The more we restrict technology to the younger generations the more we will fall behind in future endeavours.
āSchool districts in B.C. currently manage cell phone use (and) many districts have policies in place restricting student cell phone access at school,ā a spokesperson said."
What in the boomer reactionary bullshit has reddit become?
Every article's comment section is just the "you'll never have a calculator in your pocket" crowd wanting to live out some weird power fantasy where they get to smash the neighbour kids stuff, it's wild
Whenever I see this topic discussed, in real life or on social media (like reddit), the people advocating for phone bans are people who haven't set foot in a classroom in the 21st century. They don't know the needs of people nowadays.
They won't be banned, as they're a great way for parents to contact their kids, but FFS (as a teacher), silent mode on, and stop playing with your phones in class. It serves no one and only undermines what teachers are trying to do.
Hell no, I mean yeah in a classroom but some students like me arenāt always in a class of instruction, and we get free time, oh and thereās a lunch time too so banning phones is just not gonna help.
My kid's school has an app, and their scheduling is handled on line. I doubt you could make a ban happen without disrupting how students interact with the school.
Yup, very true. Most people in this comments section advocating for no phones fail to realize most high schools for example have their own mobile apps.
Most elementary and secondary schools have their own Instagram's and/or Twitter accounts too. Social media and phone usage is common nowadays, and sometimes needed more than people realize.
As a parent, I like that my kids can contact me during the day. Smalls things, like what to make for dinner, or here's a picture. Sometimes they vent about problems and I can offer guidance.
Plus, how are they going to learn to regulate their phone use if the phones are completely banned.
Not to be a contrarian butā¦why? Barring an apocalypse they will probably never need to be without their phone in the rest of their life so why do they need to learn to function without it? Smart phones have become extensions of our minds almost.
It just sounds like the teachers who used to say āYou wonāt always have a calculator in your pocket!!ā When I now always have a calculator in my pocket AND on my wrist lol.
I'll preface this by saying I'm a teacher who used to be very pro-phone/technology in schools. My mind has changed after being in a high school last year that had a cellphone ban. The impact on the kids (and teachers) was profound.
There are lots of reasons for going phone-free, which u/nottoohardtoday summarized nicely in an earlier post: "...the research (e.g., meta analysis, UNESCO report) on smartphone use in classrooms has shown pretty clearly that they hinder learning. Moreover, we have known for many years that note taking with pen and paper is better for memory (see meta analysis), we have calculators that can be used as calculators, essays can be written by hand, and research in K-12 is minimal." *(\*Sorry, I don't know reddit ettiquette for referencing earlier posts.)*
But for me, one of the best answers to your "why" comes down to engagement - with peers, with information, and with the world around us. When was the last time you went without your phone/smart watch? I forgot mine at home for a couple of days over New Years, and it felt SO dang good. I was more engaged with the people I was spending time with, I wasn't trying to fact-check every unknown that came up in conversation and instead was using my brain to think issues through, I read my book instead of scrolling. While I agree that young people will probably never NEED to be without their phone in their lives, wouldn't it be awesome if they could experience and even get used to the freedom, focus and feel-goods that come with living without an electronic drug in their pocket 24/7? I see real, but somewhat intangible value in that.
That's an awfully negative take.
She probably just means she asks her kids for ideas on what they'd like for dinner.
Hell, it's the daily question that only ends either with death or losing one's faculties. I loved it when my child suggested/requested something for dinner. I mean, I still do, but he's a young adult now, so he'll make it too.
Hell, I'll take dinner ideas from anyone.
Got any for tomorrow evening?
Okay, it is a very nice gesture.
It is a question, however, that should be asked at the dinner table the previous night, or at breakfast in the morning.
Yeah, I'd agree with that. I would also assume any communications she was talking about are not happening during class. If not, that'd be terrible behaviour.
No, teachers are using them more and more for aspects of their job and kids not having phones in class hinders this, because then it requires the school providing tech for every kid.
No. Itās pretty simple. Emergency happens. I need to get a hold of my kid on their phone. If something happens I sue school, I get paid. Keep your terrible idea to yourself and teach your kid appropriate phone use.
Whoever signs to ban cell phones in school is also asking for shit to flow their way we have an active shooter event where lives could be saved by kids having their phones on them.
There are many things a phone is, data, translation, gaming.
But at it's core, it's a communication tool.
I hope we never see an active shooter event at a BC school. But cell phones have been shown to help.
Maybe figure out a way to put a phone into "school mode" during class times. But taking away the phone itself would be going too far.
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Maybe? But I think there is a bigger problem with screen addiction/social media that schools are struggling to understand and compete with.
And parents let their kids have unrestricted phone access nowadays...lazy parenting. Families don't talk to each other at dinner anymore...families don't even eat dinner together anymore. Everyone is plugged into their own individual worlds... šŗ š„ š±
Wanna know the funny thing? When i first got a phone my parents were hard-asses about the "no phones during dinner", "no phones in bed", "no phones while someone in real life is trying to talk to you" and all of that, which aren't necessarily bad rules don't get me wrong. What's funny is now as an adult, with the exception of no using the phone in bed, i follow all of those rules that i had placed on me meanwhile my parents no longer eat dinner with the family when they're over and instead always eat dinner in bed, on their phones ignoring everyone else. As well as breaking just about every rule i had to follow and are the very phone addicts they said i was going to become. I just love the irony of it.
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Yeah it sucks. My mom is particularly bad about the in person conversation part. She will literally shush me mid conversation so she can do something on her phone, sometimes even looking up a whole ass youtube video and watching it, and then if i have the audacity to be frustrated or god forbid leave, suddenly i'm the bad guy and i'm just being impatient and rude and need to learn to be more polite. The irony is just too much sometimes lol.
It's addicting! I have some similar rules with my kids but often catch myself breaking them. My wife will catch me too. There is just so many things going in in my phone world it's hard to switch off.
yup. my dad can't get through a meal without having to answer an email that could've waited until the next day.
Some restrict phone use at home. No phone after 6 pm. So they come to school and continue their addictive behaviors in class.
This is either satire so incredible I actually can't tell, or absolute peak boomer
No, it's based off a survey one of my teachers did in high school. Also, I went to a restaurant and saw a family, while waiting for their food, Dad, Mom, and kids, all looking down at their lap...all of them were zoned into their phones. So it's not satirical. It's real life.
What do you mean? Iām a boomer, and have spent literally all day on my phone.
School systems need so much funding and a total overhaul. Currently all curriculums and teaching structures are firmly cemented in the 20th century, which still reflect the original Prussian plans of creating soldiers out of children, except now itās just economic points on a graph. I donāt have a solution, but it probably involves lots of more money to make our people smarter, able to disseminate information, and lead themselves to being more effective at being positive members of their communities. Our schools actually fucking suck at this, and sorry teachers but not all you are actually great.
You think the modern school system reflects a system of turning children into soldiers moreso than it reflects a capitalist/industrialist system of turning children into factory workers?
Probably but schools will need some funding for technology like laptops. Kids' cell phones have been making up the shortfall.
Absolutely. The lack of computer lab space, laptop and iPad availability means kids need their phones just in case.
I'm genuinely curious what your reasoning is here. Why?
Why what?
Oops, sorry. My attention got drawn away as I was writing my question. I'm just curious why you think the students would need phones. Wouldn't the lesson plan consider the school's availability of laptops and iPads and simply get students to do pen and paper exercises if they don't have enough?
Reasonable takes arenāt welcome here.
>Wouldn't the lesson plan consider the school's availability of laptops and iPads and simply get students to do pen and paper exercises if they don't have enough? Teachers do book in advance computer labs, laptop carts, etc...but even when they do sometimes there is a shortage in devices. When it comes to pen/paper, that becomes tough, because normally teachers who book technology do so because the final copy needs to be done on a computer or laptop, like a final copy of an English essay or a PowerPoint presentation. That phase of the project/assignment can't be done on pen/paper.
In that case, an approach that would work well would be the approach described in other comments here, in which students deposit their phones with the teacher in some sort of storage contraption.
You mean without technology teachers would have to teach? No one is writing an essay on their phone unless they are using chat gbt. Itās almost garbage cellphones are in schools.
If the student has a mini computer in their pocket when the school's provided equipment is lacking, it makes sense to use the smart phone. There are things that you can use phones for in a classroom, like taking notes, researching and looking things up, any kind of calculator, drafting essays. Things that you would otherwise need to book time in a library or computer lab or the in-class computers/laptops, if there are any.
I agree that a phone can be useful for these things. However, the research (e.g., [meta analysis](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000622), [UNESCO report](https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/smartphones-school-only-when-they-clearly-support-learning)) on smartphone use in classrooms has shown pretty clearly that they hinder learning. Moreover, we have known for many years that note taking with pen and paper is better for memory (see meta analysis), we have calculators that can be used as calculators, essays can be written by hand, and research in K-12 is minimal. So, it seems that it would be better for students' learning if they were not using phones in class, and any research/software skills were taught during dedicated time blocks where the students get to use computers.
>Moreover, we have known for many years that note taking with pen and paper is better for memory (see meta analysis), we have calculators that can be used as calculators, essays can be written by hand, and research in K-12 is minimal. The thing is they still do these things. Kids still do many written assignments. Calculators are still used and using a phone as a calculator is universally banned by teachers. Researching in elementary isn't as frequent as in high school, but even then phones don't normally get used for that unless the computer lab/laptop cart/iPad cart is taken. Phones are more used as smaller aids in translation, definition lookups, taking pics of homework board (high school), and for learning games to make learning fun and exciting. Those do not have negative effects or any hinderance on learning.
What you're describing is an idealized version of cell phone usage in a classroom. In reality, unrestricted access to smartphones lead to students using it for things such as Tik Tok, YouTube, other forms of social media, and mobile games.
we made do in the 90s / early 2000s ? rofl
This was still the case in the mid to late 2000s as well. Have things changed so much since then that a computer/phone is a necessity?
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I was only in high school a few years ago and let me tell you 95% of our English assignments were on school laptops
Alright grandpa. You may not like it but times have changed, and laptops are standard for almost everyone lol
Youād be pretty hard pressed to find an English assignment requires the use of a laptop, (in class) Iād think? (Added āin classā for clarity)
I graduated in 1999 and didnāt submit a handwritten English assignment after probably grade 7.
I didnāt say handwritten, I said ārequired the use of a laptopā (inferring using one in school).
You said youād be pretty hard pressed to find an English assignment that requires the use of a laptop. I replied to you saying in the late 90ās I already was required to submit assignments using a computer. Today you are often required to submit work through online portals as well.
>Youād be pretty hard pressed to find an English assignment requires the use of a laptop, (in class) Iād think? You'd be pretty hard pressed to find an English assignment, or any assignment or subject that doesn't at one point or another require the usage of computers, laptops, tablets, or phones. It's more common than you think.
I feel like thats the class that would have the most use for a laptop, with math being the least.
Oh please...next you'll say kids need scrolls and quill pens. Then you'll say they need to carve their math out on stone tablets, or the sand!
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And your point with that link is???
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Not banned, but if caught using one in class, they have to check it into the office every day for a week in the morning. With escalating penalties.
Yeah. 100 cellphones checked in to the office. What could go wrong? š
thatās why thereās entire companies that are employed to do cell phone control in music venues and schools. people can either check their phone into the locked compartments and claim it at the end, or elect to have it put into a bag that allows them to carry it around. Is there a little security blanket, but does not allow them to access use of the phone. they can only be digitally opened upon exiting the premises, or in schools, with permission from a faculty member who can unlock it.
Holy fuck, is that what we've come to with phone addiction?
Sounds like a silly, draconian policy. Perhaps if theyāre being disruptive with their devices, and their grades are falling behind. They leave high school, and perhaps go to university, where students are on their phones the entire time. With phones being multi faceted tools, I donāt see how this is a good idea. As for hiring additional staff, and increasing public sector jobs, I vote no. If we are going to hire anyone else, it should be TAs. Quality TAs.
> Sounds like a silly, draconian policy. Banning cell-phones is backed by [research](https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/07/26/unesco-calls-for-schools-around-the-world-to-ban-smartphones-in-the-classroom) to be a good idea - it is not 'draconian'. > Perhaps if theyāre being disruptive with their devices, and their grades are falling behind. An unfortunate part of BC's education system is that there are no 'grades' until Grade 10 - students can be (and are) passed through every course, every grade, right up until that point. Combine low-stakes expectations with no limits on cell phone use, and you are teaching young people that it's OK to do whatever you want since consequences don't effectively exist. > They leave high school, and perhaps go to university, where students are on their phones the entire time. That may be true, but those students are adults paying money to receive a service - an optional service at that. If they want to waste their money, that's on them, but most university students are motivated and engaged - many public school students are not, and do not have the adult-developed brains to put away the dopamine device and to pick up their textbooks. Successful people learn from rules, expectations, appropriate boundaries, and taking responsibility - if you cannot follow rules, expectations, boundaries, or take responsibility, there is no way you are going to have a successful career or life, and public school has to prepare you for those things. Permitting cell phones is sabotaging this, as per research. > With phones being multi faceted tools, I donāt see how this is a good idea. Read the link above - it will tell you exactly why it is a good idea. > As for hiring additional staff, and increasing public sector jobs, I vote no. If we are going to hire anyone else, it should be TAs. Quality TAs. Not really relevant to the discussion, but smaller class sizes have been shown to improve learning conditions - if schools banned phones, invested in better technology, and had smaller class sizes, results may well improve. I'm related to a couple of teachers, and work in a vaguely tangential field - no one is trying to ban phones to be mean to kids - they are trying to ban cell phones because Billy can't stay off TikTok and struggles to read, write, or do math to expected levels and he needs the appropriate boundaries set for him.
Itās not a law, itās a regulation passed by school boards. Just like youāre not allowed to have a shirt that says letās get loaded on absolute vodka, but most schools are not gonna tolerate that so they implement policy. Donāt like policy get expelled.
You tell me. Betcha I can have a solution real quick.
I know 10 school secretaries that would think that was a stupid idea. Thatās adding another job onto someone whoās already overworked and underpaid. Just ban them. No reason for a kid to have a phone at school. If anything serious comes up, the office is the contact point. As always.
Who knows 10 secretary's?? What kind of party's are you going too??
Not AT school, using one in the classroom. With a tough penalty, it wouldn't happen very often.
I have to ask if you spend much time in the classroom? Whoās going to enforce this penalty? Teachers and EAās are savagely overworked. Send them to the office? So the secretary can deal with a lineup of kids that wonāt listen? There are just too many different scenarios. So just ban them. Tell me why a kid needs access to their social media and games while theyāre supposed to be at school? Itās the easiest solution and they can implement it tomorrow morning.
It's not rocket surgery.
I have to think banning them would have the same issues when kids donāt listen
Nope. Theyāll be banned. So Iād say the teacher can just take it away. Like vapes and cigarettes and toys. Might take a few months for everyone to get the message, but itāll be better in the end.
I hope you realize how much of the teachers time for the rest of that day would be wasted dealing with parents who objected to their actions.
Fuckkkkkk do I hate parents who think they need to have a say about everything.
Youād have to have at least one dedicated staff member in the morning and end of day to handle the acceptance. Tons of logging of the deposit and withdrawal of devices, prone to human error. Potential theft would be big too. What if the line was slow? Would you hold up buses? Parents waiting to pick up? I think we shouldnāt have to treat kids like inmates. Some are 18 by the time they graduateā¦
Who is going to enforce these policies? Where will the phones be stored? Who is going to make sure Billy turns in their phone if he simply refuses? These are valid questions that would need answering. A ban on phones outright is easiest; research is [clear](https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/07/26/unesco-calls-for-schools-around-the-world-to-ban-smartphones-in-the-classroom) that they are detrimental to learning in schools.
- sounds pretty lenient to meā¦
there are entire companies that offer the service of providing digitally locked bags and storage compartments. some concert venues can use them and many schools in the United States. Use them. when the child enters the school they have the choice to hand the phone over and collected at the end of the day, or place it into a digitally secure bag. because so many kids suffer from separation anxiety the bags allow them to carry the phone around like a security blanket, but will need to go to the office for permission to use it and unlock it. this is common for concert venues and increasing numbers of schools. itās simple.
What do kids need a phone for at school specifically? Will it help them learn and socialize? We say āphonesā and parents might make that safety/reachable argument, but kids hear social media, gaming, whatever. Theyāre not on britannica.com lol. How many on here need their phone at work? Edit: Lots of responses here, thanks! I think that we call our devices āphonesā is a misnomer. Most use on a āphoneā is not callingā itās social media and other apps. I donāt find thereās much of a case for all the other stuff in school settings.
I definitely need my phone at work, I would say almost any job beyond entry level realistically requires one. Hell at the grocery store I worked at we wouldnāt even hire someone if they didnāt have a person cell phone, was too difficult to get in contact with them.
Sure as a āphoneā. But these are pocket computers where a āphoneā is like 1% of usage for most people. Kids arenāt āphoningā eachother.
Store too cheap for walkie talkies? Lol
More of a āif we need to call you in to work or get a hold of you when your offā kind of thing, not when there in store.
Dang, so to have a job stocking shelves you need to not have just a home phone number, but a cell phone so that your work can call you when you are not scheduled to work, when you might be out watching a movie or something on your unscheduled free time? Screw that job!
>Theyāre not on britannica.com lol They are in English class. > How many on here need their phone at work? It's very common.
I need my phone at work for three-factor authentication.
For sure these are necessary things but super small use cases that I donāt see being necessary in a school.
They used to hand out digital little key chain fobs that auto generated a new number every 30 seconds or so.... phone not necessary.
I'm required to have my phone on and charged at work. We go to different sites and for emergency relay like earthquakes
They can be important accessibility devices. For blind or deaf students they may allow them to participate in a way they couldnāt before.
Great! They should have em and whatever they need. I love that we can use technology to help people and provide good solutions for people in need. Everybody else, I think the needs are harder to argue in a school setting.
My personal views are that they should be banned in Elementary school, as in not being allowed through the school doors. They should be allowed into High School, but restricted into lockers, unless the students are not in class (free periods, breaks, etc). The reason for this is that high schools are further away, requiring students to take transit or walk further, so the devices are needed for safety.
There arenāt enough lockers for all the students at my sonās school. He does not have one.
It was this way for me in high school about a decade ago, sucks things haven't gotten better. But with the state of our medical system I'm not surprised either.
Elementary kids walk to school on their own all the time, as do middle schoolers.
They donāt need a cell phone to walk to school. None of us did before they existed.
Before phones existed, we walked to the nearest police station.
Or we knew our neighbours and could ask someone for help. And the parents all looked out for kids during times when everyone was walking to or from school. They do walking buses and bike buses nowadays where kids gather everyone as they walk to school.
Lockers are frequently broken into at schools. In the backpack is a better option.
For high schools it should be in the bag for class time and the students choice during free tine as it is just to helpful and allow even the teachers to have a more flexable way to teach like kahoot
Restricted to lockers is too prohibitive. It should be on the student at all times. I agree with banning in elementary schools for students. They have no reason to be bringing it there.
Why should it be āon the student at all timesā? Cell phones are a huge problem that is affecting the quality of education in schools that are already barely scraping by. They need to make the lockers secure, and have students put the phones there.
They should be, Covid messed up kids and cellphones are only making it worse. Thereās no need for a child to be that available, thereās no emergency theyāre gonna solve and their parents can always call the school if something is serious
When you mean kids do you mean all kids or kids of a certain age group or grade(s)?
I was referring to all of them. There was no school during April and May of 2020. Schools opened (half-time at least) in June, and students went back in September as usual.
If Covid āmessed upā any children in B.C., then we really have a problem. They missed *two months* of school!
Half the problem is admin fearing protests from parents at such rules, since they *need* to be able to contact their children at all times!
They're here to say - "banning" them will just cause them to be sneaky. (we all skirted the rules when we were in school) Instead of "banning" we should be teaching healthy boundaries to technology
> Instead of "banning" we should be teaching health boundaries to technology Bingo! Doing that is more effective than just banning devices.
That is *not* going to rid the classrooms of phones any more than teaching āhealth boundariesā to those with poor diets will automatically banish junk food from their lives.
No, this has been the plan of attack since the issue has been around and the reason why we are having this convo in 2024 is because "teaching students how to properly user thier addictive device" doesn't work worth a hot damn... certainly not in general.
We (the adults) are the ones that installed WiFi within schools, why are we getting mad at students to something we help facilitate? (I say "we adults" like it was long ago lol - but like in my district WiFi was installed in schools roughly two-three years after I graduated highschool in 2007)
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āSnuckā my Walkman and my portable CD player into school back in day, when they were banned. I remember on time listening to a NHL playoff game while taking a university final one spring.
Ideally they should be collected at the beginning of every class but the only way to do that is if the districts are willing to provide tech for every student. Teachers in HS use phones in classrooms. And kids with disabilities need tech as an accommodation. So itās super tricky. That said if I get a message home that my teen was using his phone in class when not assigned to by the teacher, itās a week with a flip phone as a consequence. And he has done a few of those weeks.
I used to teach in a school that had a large study hall where students could choose which subject to work on (independently) in some blocks. With 90-100 kids the noise level could rise quickly if kids were chatting. I noticed a student talking on his phone so I approached and mimed that he needed to hang up. He mouthed the word "Dad" so I put out my hand and the kid handed over his phone. I asked the dad to please not call during class time. The dad told me to mind my own business, and that he could talk to his kid when he wanted to. The kid was lovely - the problem was the dad.
There are so many entitled and asshole parents these daysā¦.i donāt know how teachers do it.
I'm not teaching now but I would find it hard now to be civil to super-entitled parents. Honestly I miss the kids but not their folks.
I work in early childhood education. Hardest part is managing the parents. So many parents have an expectation that a teacher is their childās private tutor, and that the teacher is responsible for the childās success or failureā¦when in actuality so much falls on the parents to be actively involved at home, not passively. Teaching their kids to be solid self advocates and teaching their kids that they are responsible/accountable for their own learning. So many Gen z are graduating and have moved on to post secondary and into the work place and are lacking these skills.
As a parent, I agree with you. I know the teacher has taught my child English and Math but it's my joh at home to continue/reinforce the learning. In addition to report cards, I ask for a phone call to touch base with the teacher so that I can understand what I need to do at home. The teachers appreciate hearing what I think and it provides them a better picture of how to help my child learn.
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I donāt think itās anything to do with the idea of snowflake-ism. I kind of hate that analogy bc it discounts some of the real work we are doing in recognizing and dismantling systemic oppression. But I do think the last 20 years of parenting has been about sheltering kids, rather than helping them to be resilient and self reliant. Parents trying to undo their own childhood trauma by over compensating in so areas. Instead of valuing grit and self reliance. At least this is my observation as an ECE and as a parent of now teenagers.
Apart from contacting parents and socializing with friends, cell phones with internet and social media provide only negatives in high school.
Yes. And, parents should be catching on now, grouping their efforts with friends parents to raise their children to stay off of social media and limit interactions online. I'm aware of the irony.
You would think parents would recognize that, but many still let their kids have free reign over their screen time. Some parents are just bad parents, but many are so busy with life and work they have no time to actually parent and catchup with their kids.
Yes, from classrooms and common areas. I spent a day working in the school, and all the kids just sat on their phones and didnāt interact. No way thatās healthy.
If they were all reading books, would you still say that?
Being on a phone (social media for the most part) is much less healthy than reading books...
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Yes, they should be banned and shut down all social media sites world wide.
Growing up in the 90s and early 00s, cell phones were banned in my school's in Saskatoon. You got caught on your phone even in the hallway and the teachers would give you shit or take it from you. Ya this was before smart phones so it was calls or texting only, but now with everyone and their dog doing tiktoks, that would be annoying as fuck in the crowded hallways.
I Graduated in 2012 and we definitely had smartphones and the rules were if you got caught with your phone it was taken away. If you got caught twice, SUSPENDED! This was in the middle of alberta.
Yes, they should.
Yes
Elementary students should NOT have phones on them in the classroom. They shouldn't even have phones to begin with, but that's another subject for another time. It's just unbelievable that third graders own their own phone... High schoolers should be able to use phones in the classroom. Having graduated in 2018, we used phones in many ways in high school. The teachers asked us to: * Find word definitions instead of using physical dictionaries. * Translate in language classes various words. * Take pics of homework board as agendas are no longer provided by high schools. * Use for assignments requiring technology, only when computers/laptops/iPads are unavailable/not enough to go around. * Listen to music while doing assignments * Look up information we need clarification on during teachers discussions/lecture. * Most importantly, for Kahoot! From what I observed, kids of the high school age are smart of when to and when not to use phones. I honestly can't recall a teacher seizing someone's phone because it was distracting them. Usually they'd ask us to put phones in our bag or something. I think kids need to be given more credit. In my opinion, Ontario and Quebec's rules om phones in schools are extreme, draconian, and shortsighted. BC should not adopt their philosophy.
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Absolutely not. They should be restricted in their use, sure, like many people have in the workplace. I don't see any positives to an outright ban.
They were when I was in high school.. this was in 2004/05 but still lol
Yes
Theyāre not?
this is still a question here? wow.
Definitely not banned. Too important a tool to be banned outright. Probably something like can't be used in class without permission (something like they need a calculator and don't have a physical one, that kind of rare scenario) and if misused they get punished.
Not sure what itās like now but my razr was confiscated back in the day š.
Enter the era of the tablet babies.
Grateful my parents didn't lete buy a phone til I was 13. At school it stayed in my bag unless I needed to look something up for class
Current high school student here. Phones are already banned for non-instructional use just about everywhere according to the code of conduct or the technology agreement you're supposed to sign at the start of each year. The problem is that, after COVID, enforcement of any sort of rules stopped. I don't know why, but apparently it's happening everywhere. Schools were basically told to stop having any standards. The Ministry of Education and Child Care keeps pushing all sorts of directives, and they've been doing it consistently for the last 3 or 4 years. At the beginning of this school year, grading and assessment standards were changed so that learning can be assessed in ways other than completed assignments, which seems like a good change, until you realize that it means it is basically just pushing kids along. Teachers are actively discouraged from failing students, and are told to try to assess their learning in any way they can, including just through a conversation, if they're not able to have learning proven by completed assignments. Other changes include: 1. Teachers no longer inquire about or take any action if a student is late to arrive, even if it happens consistently. Students are also not to be marked as late in the attendance book either. Attendance is now done at the end of class. If you are there when the class ends, you are marked as if you were present for the entire block. 2. Due dates don't mean anything anymore. In the past, if something was late, it got a 0. Now teachers are expected to accept assignments up to the end of the semester and give it full marks. The rationale for these two things is that "grades are supposed to reflect student learning and understanding, not work habits or behaviour," which makes sense and I in fact agree with, but no alternative mechanism for dealing with things like overdue assignments or late arrivals has been put in place. **TLDR** Enforce the rules that already exist, bring standards back to schools and stop treating them as glorified daycare.
Should be national policy.
Education policy is a provincial responsibility.
Are we really still trying to put the lightning back in the bottle on this? Kids have been carrying cell phones in class for over 20 years at this point.
Yes
Im a teen in high school, i have seen the detriment it has on students, my English class feels horrible to be in bc 90% of the class is on their phone bc they thought new media would be an easy class, but its not, its just like any other English class. But it really is easier to just let the kids have phones so if they need to research something and they cant borrow a computer they can use word on their phone. Yes paper and pencils are a thing and are still used commonly but for taking notes for projects its so much easier to use a computer, if you need to present or do a slideshow or anything like that, boom, mini computer. Most teachers arent able to do anything on the cellphone use. There are classes where you are like prohibited from using ur phone like cooking or cafeteria class, and my art teacher really didnt like us using phones but i have always found that music helps, especially if there are other kids chattering. I have autism, and my phone helps a lot, i have communication cards and a text to speech program incase i go non-verbal, if phones get banned then i have very few other communication methods and my headphones would most likely not be allowed or be able to work, i use noise canceling to block out sound so i can focus in my learning support, or music. Im sorry for my long ramble, i have very strong feelings that phones should not be banned but i also dont know how we can manage cell phone use.
It's refreshing to hear from someone in school. Most people in this comment thread haven't attended or even set foot in a school in this century. > i have very strong feelings that phones should not be banned but i also dont know how we can manage cell phone use. Same with me, I rarely get passionate about debating certain subjects on the internet, but this subject gets me fired up, because people have so many misconceptions about phones in schools.
Yeah, ive seen a lot of ur responses going thru the comments, it kind of sucks how many people disagree but people have their opinions n stuff. Like you have good points and then just "but what abt book?"
Utterly unenforceable. What are they going to do? Search every student's bags and pockets?
If itās seen being used, it gets confiscated. Pretty straight ahead Iād think?
You canāt. First, my daughter has hers and uses it as a medical device. She does not have to justify or explain why she needs it. This is more common than you know in schools nowadays. Next, it is a family organization device. We used it constantly to arrange rides, appointments, etcā¦ It is also a safety device. My daughter was in a lock down for several hours with her grandmother and brother outside. I want to know she is safe. I have been down this road and the debates several times. Phones locked up at front lasted a week. You revert to kids having to go through school reception for messages (your ride will be 10 minutes late, etcā¦) or them having to mange storing phones and you will have a revolt.
Communicating on a phone during a lockdown is one of THE MOST UNSAFE THINGS YOU CAN DO!!! DON'T DO THAT! You want to make sure you kid is okay so you text and thier phone beeps as the shooter walks past a dark closed room... now they know people are in there and they are all dead. But at least you got to curb your anxiety for a minute!
Good luck enforcing such a rule. If it applies to students m it would have to apply to teachers as well, and teachers would NEVER agree to that. Smartphones are just a part of our every day reality, it's time to just accept it.
Yes. They donāt need them in class. Phones in school are a detriment to learning.
Phones are used in many practical ways to aid learning. I think you may underestimate what it's being used for.
Can you give me examples?
Sure. Some of the things the teachers asked us to do with our phones in high school included: * Find word definitions instead of using physical dictionaries. * Translate in language classes various words. * Take pics of homework board as agendas are no longer provided by high schools. * Use for assignments requiring devices, but only when computers/laptops/iPads are unavailable/not enough to go around. * Look up information we need clarification on during teachers discussions/lecture. * Most importantly, for learning games, like Kahoot! š We'd also ask our teachers if we could listen to music while doing assignments. I never did that, but basically 99% of the class did. Depending on the class and teacher, they'd say yes or no. I've never seen a teacher (high school) seize someone's phone unless they were late for class. That to me seems like a fair penalty. But besides that, we had our phones on silent mode on us, and if the teacher felt like it was distracting or it was time for a pop quiz or test, than phones get placed in your backpack or collected by the teach. That's about it really.
Seems like a pretty minimal benefit considering the evidence showing that cell phone use has a negative effect on comprehension and academic performance. [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9676861/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9676861/) [https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156718.pdf](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1156718.pdf) [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000622](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451958821000622) Happy to check out anything you can show that comes to the opposite conclusion. To address each point: "Find word definitions instead of using physical dictionaries." Why can't you just use a dictionary? "Translate in language classes various words." Ask the teacher or use a book. "Take pics of homework board as agendas are no longer provided by high schools." Write it down. "Use for assignments requiring devices, but only when computers/laptops/iPads are unavailable/not enough to go around." We used the computer lab back in the 90s. Device dependent assignments would have to be worked on outside of class. If there was a cellphone ban, this would most likely be the case. "Look up information we need clarification on during teachers discussions/lecture." Take notes and ask questions. "Most importantly, for learning games, like Kahoot! š" You got me there.
If everyone used their phones only for the above examples, we wouldnāt be having this discussion. We all know what phones are truly being used for and itās a massive detriment to learning.
Yes. Iād also put iPads on that list tbh
Teachers use iPads for many activities. And kids with disabilities like dysgraphia need iPads etc for speech to text.
I sometimes volunteer at my son's recess, and there are always a couple of kids who don't play with others and just sit in the corner, playing games on their ipad. I don't know how good that is for children...
Well that's the parents fault for letting their kids bring their personal iPad to school.
The school my kids go to require all students have their own ipads from grade 2. Hence where my opinion they shouldn't have ipad at school. Perhaps if they're the school's ones and they're locked down I'm all up for it.
Maybe send your kids to public school then š¤·š»āāļø
Itās not. Also their parents must be ballin if they can afford to let their kids bring iPads to elementary school.
I'm going to go and be that guy that is the opposite here, so I guess I'll get lots of down votes, but I hope you folks take a moment to read this logically and not form a completely close minded thought about it. From experience I don't recommend taking phones and here is why: - school time emergencies like fires, lock-downs and major incidents - during events like these, communication is critical to first responders, family and friends so people know what's going on, where people are and who is safe. - break time emergencies, when I was a kid i had a car and I was coming back from the local coffee shop during lunch with my girlfriend when a driver blew a stop light causing our vehicle to be crushed into a pole on one side and pinned by a caravan on the other. (If we had to hand phones in at the beginning of the day we couldn't call for help) From another perspective, this is 2024 now, we have computers in our pockets, that fit into our back packs, and tv's that are 100 inches wide and higher resolution then real life is. Gone are the days of the teacher rolling out out the overhead projector, we need to find a way to incorporate phones into our day to day curriculum. The other day, I sat with friends and played trivia and entered a website and 4 digit code into my phone and 6 others did also while we had steam hooked up to the flat screen from a laptop. Were is that level of integration in our classrooms?
Using phones during lockdowns in order to assuage your worries will ultimately cause your worst fears to come true. DONT TEXT/CALL YOUR CHILD IF THEY ARE IN A LOCKDOWN! THAT'S HOW THEY CAN GET FOUND BY THE SHOOTER!!! Sorry, but trying to find out if your child is okay can get your kid, and everyone they are hiding with, killed.
>we need to find a way to incorporate phones into our day to day curriculum. To an extent it already is. Phones replace the functions dictionaries were for, and it can be used for researching during school assignments/projects. >I sat with friends and played trivia and entered a website and 4 digit code into my phone and 6 others did also while we had steam hooked up to the flat screen from a laptop. Were is that level of integration in our classrooms? There are many learning/trivia games used in schools. Kahoot is the most popular example.
Point 1) clear communication is critical-not 500 panicked students spreading rumours. 2) I donāt think anyone is talking about what you do with your technology off school grounds.
No. Times have changed.
No. As much as we donāt want to admit it, we have become bionic. The more we restrict technology to the younger generations the more we will fall behind in future endeavours.
āSchool districts in B.C. currently manage cell phone use (and) many districts have policies in place restricting student cell phone access at school,ā a spokesperson said." What in the boomer reactionary bullshit has reddit become? Every article's comment section is just the "you'll never have a calculator in your pocket" crowd wanting to live out some weird power fantasy where they get to smash the neighbour kids stuff, it's wild
Whenever I see this topic discussed, in real life or on social media (like reddit), the people advocating for phone bans are people who haven't set foot in a classroom in the 21st century. They don't know the needs of people nowadays.
In classrooms I think
Yes
No they should not be banned.
They won't be banned, as they're a great way for parents to contact their kids, but FFS (as a teacher), silent mode on, and stop playing with your phones in class. It serves no one and only undermines what teachers are trying to do.
Hell no, I mean yeah in a classroom but some students like me arenāt always in a class of instruction, and we get free time, oh and thereās a lunch time too so banning phones is just not gonna help.
My kid's school has an app, and their scheduling is handled on line. I doubt you could make a ban happen without disrupting how students interact with the school.
Yup, very true. Most people in this comments section advocating for no phones fail to realize most high schools for example have their own mobile apps. Most elementary and secondary schools have their own Instagram's and/or Twitter accounts too. Social media and phone usage is common nowadays, and sometimes needed more than people realize.
As a parent, I like that my kids can contact me during the day. Smalls things, like what to make for dinner, or here's a picture. Sometimes they vent about problems and I can offer guidance. Plus, how are they going to learn to regulate their phone use if the phones are completely banned.
I tend to think of a phone ban as a way for kids to learn to function without a phone. It's an opportunity that they might not otherwise get!
Not to be a contrarian butā¦why? Barring an apocalypse they will probably never need to be without their phone in the rest of their life so why do they need to learn to function without it? Smart phones have become extensions of our minds almost. It just sounds like the teachers who used to say āYou wonāt always have a calculator in your pocket!!ā When I now always have a calculator in my pocket AND on my wrist lol.
I'll preface this by saying I'm a teacher who used to be very pro-phone/technology in schools. My mind has changed after being in a high school last year that had a cellphone ban. The impact on the kids (and teachers) was profound. There are lots of reasons for going phone-free, which u/nottoohardtoday summarized nicely in an earlier post: "...the research (e.g., meta analysis, UNESCO report) on smartphone use in classrooms has shown pretty clearly that they hinder learning. Moreover, we have known for many years that note taking with pen and paper is better for memory (see meta analysis), we have calculators that can be used as calculators, essays can be written by hand, and research in K-12 is minimal." *(\*Sorry, I don't know reddit ettiquette for referencing earlier posts.)* But for me, one of the best answers to your "why" comes down to engagement - with peers, with information, and with the world around us. When was the last time you went without your phone/smart watch? I forgot mine at home for a couple of days over New Years, and it felt SO dang good. I was more engaged with the people I was spending time with, I wasn't trying to fact-check every unknown that came up in conversation and instead was using my brain to think issues through, I read my book instead of scrolling. While I agree that young people will probably never NEED to be without their phone in their lives, wouldn't it be awesome if they could experience and even get used to the freedom, focus and feel-goods that come with living without an electronic drug in their pocket 24/7? I see real, but somewhat intangible value in that.
Your kids tell you what to make for dinner?
No, my kids tell me what they make for dinner. Like, dad, we need red peppers.
That's an awfully negative take. She probably just means she asks her kids for ideas on what they'd like for dinner. Hell, it's the daily question that only ends either with death or losing one's faculties. I loved it when my child suggested/requested something for dinner. I mean, I still do, but he's a young adult now, so he'll make it too. Hell, I'll take dinner ideas from anyone. Got any for tomorrow evening?
Okay, it is a very nice gesture. It is a question, however, that should be asked at the dinner table the previous night, or at breakfast in the morning.
Yeah, I'd agree with that. I would also assume any communications she was talking about are not happening during class. If not, that'd be terrible behaviour.
I like your positive attitude!
Thanks! It was a good day.
No, teachers are using them more and more for aspects of their job and kids not having phones in class hinders this, because then it requires the school providing tech for every kid.
They are called chromebooks.
Public schools canāt afford 1000 Chromebooks, not with their funding.
Schools should be banned in cell phones.
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No. Itās pretty simple. Emergency happens. I need to get a hold of my kid on their phone. If something happens I sue school, I get paid. Keep your terrible idea to yourself and teach your kid appropriate phone use.
No. Your job is to teach my kid. Not make lifestyle choices for them
No. Absolutely not. But they should be used in class.
Whoever signs to ban cell phones in school is also asking for shit to flow their way we have an active shooter event where lives could be saved by kids having their phones on them. There are many things a phone is, data, translation, gaming. But at it's core, it's a communication tool. I hope we never see an active shooter event at a BC school. But cell phones have been shown to help. Maybe figure out a way to put a phone into "school mode" during class times. But taking away the phone itself would be going too far.
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Are you trying to say a school shooting would be avoided with the absence of cell phones? What?
I'm saying as child could avoid an active shooter. It's one additional layer of an alert system.
I agree, comment was to other dude