Cell phone use in school - evolving, finally?

[Minnie_me]

For those of you saying that students should communicate with their parents *through the school office*.......have you ever worked in a school office? My friend has worked in our high school office for over 20 years, and she says that the best thing that ever happened was cell phones! Back in the 90s, she was constantly being interrupted throughout the day by students and parents who had no other way to communicate with each other than to go THROUGH HER. In a building of 400 students (and that's much less than many other districts), it was ridiculously time-consuming.

 

[mom2rtk]

I work in a high school. About 10% of the cellphone use is for education. The rest is to text someone else in the class, outside of the class, etc.

Yeah. I totally agree. My freshman daughter would probably put it closer to 5% use for education. It's a joke.

Don't get me wrong. I like that I can get a quick message to my child if I really need to. It was nice to be able to get ahold of my son the day I was supposed to pick him up but found they were under a lockdown because of a bomb threat. But in general, the genie is out of the bottle. And I see no way it's not distracting from classroom learning.

I agree in theory with what has been said. They do need to be able to use them for research. They need to learn responsibility with them. But the teachers here don't seem to be instilling limits with them.

 

[Shanti]

It seems like every time we get something new, there's a backlash, but then people start to come around.

Could this be the case with cell phone usage in school? Some people seem to think so...

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifesty...ory.html?p1=Article_Recommended_ReadMore_Pos4

"The lack of consensus about cellphone use in schools is reflected in a hodgepodge of policies around Massachusetts.

Boston Public Schools prohibit their use during school hours. Melrose allows them in class with teachers’ permission, and the use of smartphones as teaching tools. Some schools permit phones only during lunchtime or in the hallways. Others decree that phones stay inside lockers; some forbid tweets or texts. At Burlington High School, students can carry silenced mobile devices, but using communication features during class is prohibited.

Still, the trend seems to be in favor of increased tolerance of cellphones.

“About a year and a half ago, I said, ‘All right, we can’t win this battle, how do we turn it so it wins for us, so we can make it a positive?’ ” said Cyndy Taymore, superintendent for Melrose Public Schools. “[Students] weren’t paying attention, they were checking their e-mail, and God forbid the Patriots were in a playoff game.”

But banning cellphones entirely can create unexpected problems. Many parents support phones in schools so they can coordinate pickups and after-school activities with their children. They also want to be able to reach them in case of emergency.

In March, the New York Department of Education lifted its decade-long ban on cellphones in the New York City schools. The ban was unpopular, not least because thousands of students in schools with metal detectors were paying daily fees to vendors to store their phones during school hours. Now administrators will decide for themselves where and how phones will be allowed on each campus.

Through it all, the efficacy of mobile devices in the learning environment remains unclear.

Blatt says: “There is a lot of substantial evidence to show the kind of learning that is possible for kids using these devices — when properly supported and managed by teachers who make the best use of them — can be powerful learning.”

In my area, a common school rule is that they must be turned off in backpacks/lockers during the school day (students bring them at their own risk of theft or loss). A phone that audibly rings during the school day or that is being used against the rules is confiscated and held in the office until a $25 fine is paid. No problems with the phones with these guidelines in place.

 

[mjkacmom]

For example, when a high school student takes an AP test, all electronic items such as cell phones, smart phones, smart watches, laptops, tablets, MP3 players, cameras, anything that can access the Internet...all of that stuff is prohibited.

The problem with phones in the classroom is because the instructor really can't tell whether the student is using the phone for the classroom-intended use or if the student is using the phone to goof off. And honestly, if having a smart phone in class is mandatory for the student to do his/her work, then the school should provide devices for the students to use in class.

The high school that ODD & YDD will eventually go to has a strict 'no phones in class' rule. Phones are permitted to be out during break periods like lunch and after class, but if you're at an after-school club or if you're going to a teacher's classroom for extra help on a particular subject, then the no phone rule still applies. The school has a couple of classroom sets of laptops that teachers can check out and use in class, but they are not checked out for students to take home. For higher-level math classes, a certain type of calculator is required, but if a student can't afford it, the school will provide the calculator...not a phone.

I don't know how old your kids are, but I have some in middle school, high school and college, and cell phone rules have changed pretty rapidly over the past few years. By the time your kids get there, the rules might be changed.

Of course phones aren't allowed out when kids are taking tests. Yes, you can get a graphing calculator app on your phone, but that won't get you out of having to but a $100+ one. You need it for the SAT's and ACT's anyway.

It sounds like your kids are younger. The abi,it's to get in touch with my kids during the day, and them with me, is a huge advantage with our schedules and trying to coordinate.

 

[AppleDumpling]

I have mixed feelings on this. I can see where having phones in the classroom can be useful for certain situations and I can also see that they can be a huge distraction. In MS, HS (and college too), I think each teacher should set their own rules at their discretion.

If a student is paying attention to their phone instead of the teacher, not only are they missing the material being taught, they are being rude.

The issue goes far beyond schools to society in general. I'm in business meetings all the time where half the people aren't listening to whoever is speaking because they're too busy multi-tasking on their phone. People are so phone-addicted that they have lost any sense of common courtesy. The fact that we have to be told to turn them off in movie theaters, at plays, in church, etc. is proof of this. Not to mention major safety issues with people driving while using cell phones.

We can't go backwards, but we can teach our kids to use technology properly and to know when it is or isn't appropriate.

 

[PollyannaMom]

If it were me though I would feel really bad for the boy and would probably try to pick up a cheap cell phone or see if anyone has an old cell phone that works well and download a decent calculator app that he can use at school without it being used as a phone and give it to him as a present.

Brilliant idea!!

Kids are so fused with their phones that they'll get up in the middle of a teacher's instruction and go plug their low battery phone into the wall unit behind the teacher's desk.

Now, that is ridiculous!

I get the 'access to technology' - we're all so used to instant access. No one has to think, remember, look at each other, talk to each other. A bunch of tuned out zombies. Rise in anxiety and depression, social disorders -all came around when we got the sooooooo needed technology.

That's definitely something to consider, but I think it has more to do with the general pace of life than the devices themselves - though they're likely one of many factors (along with overchoice, changing perceptions of control, etc.) that might contribute to it.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I think that if the schools are going to allow phones then teachers and aides should educate themselves on the different apps that kids can use. There is an app called Periscope (associated with Twitter) that streams live publicly. When going through different live feeds I've seen quite a few from students (sitting towards the back of the class) Periscoping. The camera usually faces them and a friend or two, and you can hear the teacher in the background. Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Allons-y!]

I work in a high school. About 10% of the cellphone use is for education. The rest is to text someone else in the class, outside of the class, etc.

If a parent needs to contact a child during school hours, it should be done through the office. If a kid needs to contact a parent during school hours, it should be done through the office.

Kids are so fused with their phones that they'll get up in the middle of a teacher's instruction and go plug their low battery phone into the wall unit behind the teacher's desk.

I get the 'access to technology' - we're all so used to instant access. No one has to think, remember, look at each other, talk to each other. A bunch of tuned out zombies. Rise in anxiety and depression, social disorders -all came around when we got the sooooooo needed technology.

Kids can't even think without a phone in their hands. They obsess about what they may be 'missing' if they can't check their phones. They're snapchatting selfies during class, using the camera as a mirror, hiding earbuds in their hands.

So, no I don't think kids need to have access to technology during class, especially not their phones. Let them learn to listen and think.

You sound like you are burned out, to be honest. I have two teens, and they and their friends do not in any way resemble the bleak picture you describe.

I always find it ironic that people on discussion boards slam people who use technology to relate to others. If you are so against technology, why do you participate?

 

[monorailsilver]

I love that my HS dd can have her phone in class. She will text me to pick her up or that she is staying after. My ds is in MS and they can't have their phones on them so he has to go to the office or text me just as the buses are leaving to say he is staying after. My youngest is 10 and in elementary school so there is no phone.

But yesterday I saw the benefit of cells phones in school. My oldest stayed home with a cruddy cold-sore throat, cough, tired. We went to the doctor just to check did strep. When we got home she was face timed by a kid in one of her classes and actually sat and participated in class. The teacher told them to FaceTime the 2 that were absent. They worked on google classroom. She listened to part of another class as well.

She was out about a month ago for a concussion but there was no way she could of done the FaceTime then.

 

[VandVsmama]

It's not infantilizing kids at all. What a ridiculous notion.

I'm all for technology in the classroom. But smart phones don't have a place in the classroom in my opinion.

 

[Aliceacc]

I'm a teacher in a high school where phones are to be off and in lockers. Having a phone out in class is a serious offense, guaranteed to get you 5 demerits. (As a point of reference, 20 demerits is suspension.) The reality is that most kids have their phones in their backpacks, either turned off or on to silent. As long as the phone isn't out (and doesn't go off) it's not an issue.

So it's not a big issue.

But on the subject of "in case there's emergency news from home...": If there IS an emergency at home, please don't text your teenager with bad or frightening news. Please, think for a moment of your child sneaking a look at his phone during math class and finding that grandpa has had a heart attack. Please, call guidance and have someone pull your child out of class to be with him when he receives that sort of news.

My own kids have a lot more freedom with their phones... they can use them between periods and in lunch. I will admit-- it's good to be able to text them, to see how the history test went or to find out when practice ends. But I do wonder how much of that lunch period is spent on their phones instead of engaged in conversation with the friends with whom they're eating.

On the subject of "what did we do before?"-- there were a LOT more payphones "before." Think of your local mall-- would your teen know here to locate a pay phone (or how to use one?) The pay phones in my school used to be in constant use during lunch periods (particularly during the time of year when college acceptances came out); I'm not even positive they're still there. (A kid without a cell can always use the office phone to call mom and dad.)

As with most things, there are pros and cons. We're in the process of extending IPad use. It's currently used by all our freshmen and sophomores. Next year it will be everyone but the seniors. And it' a mixed bag. Yes, communication is easier-- but that means they are better able to communicate with each other. Everything from cheating to cyberbullying becomes easier, along with the increased opportunities for learning.

 

[verleniahall]

Total been on them here. If you are caught with it, it goes to the office and the parent has to come sign for it and pick of up, but hours into your file at the school

 

[Aliceacc]

.. wqhI will say, though, that my perspective as a parent is light years away from my perspective as a teacher.

As a parent, I see my own 3 kids. On the Disboards, that means that the overwhelming number of kids we're dealing with are apparently all upper 25%, AP, Honors, Valedictorian... you name it. They're the future movers and shakers of the world. (Somehow, I've managed not to get thrown off the Disboards yet, in spite of the fact that my kids are not upper 25%, AP, Honors, Valeditorian... Don't tell anyone.)

But as a teacher, I realize that some of the students in my classes, and in the local public school classes, fall at the opposite end of the spectrum. Somewhere in a school in this country, there is a kid who will someday be arrested for a violent crime. Somewhere there is a cyber bully. Somewhere there is someone who will be arrested as an embezzler. Somewhere there is someone who will abuse a spouse, someone who will abuse a child. The felons of tomorrow are in school today. They're a teeny tiny minority, but they're there. And giving access to a cell phone to all the Disboard kids means also giving access to the future felons. Not every kid we're discussing is your kid, but the rules have to be applied to all kids.

All teachers have caught kids cheating. But cheating is easier with a phone. As is bullying-- and with a phone it's in real time. So you can post a video of the class nerd minutes after he trips for all to see. You can post the failing test grade you've seen of a kid. Miss a goal in gym? Have a bad hair day? Sneeze during a test? You can expect the world to know within instants. You can call a kid a name, you can threaten him, you can mock him. All from 5 feet away, without the teacher ever knowing a thing.

As to the claim of "infantizing"-- I know that I cannot and do not use my phone while working. I can text my kids during free periods, but the only time my phone is out during class is if it accidentally falls out of my purse. (That happened yesterday, and my seniors got a laugh out of the dinosaur I call a phone.) Does that mean that I'm being infantized, because I'm expected to do my job during working hours... when I'm teaching your children? If not, then how is it infantizing my students to expect them to be on task during the same time period?

 

[aprilgail]

Yet repeatedly the math teacher says to all the middle schoolers for them to get out their phones in order to use them as calculators...and her son is treated by the students AND the teacher like some sort of alien from another world because he doesn't have his own phone.



What happened when WE were in school and we needed to reach 1 of our parents?
You went to the FRONT OFFICE and used the SCHOOL'S PHONE to call Mom or Dad or Grandma or your guardian, etc.

Starting in Jr High the teachers would ask the kids to take out their phones and look something up-kids are at a disadvantage if they don't have a phone- they have to try to find someone willing to share theres.
And forget using the office phone, they would put up with that once or twice but not much more than that!

I asked him if I called the front office if they would get dd a message that the surgery went well since I knew she would still be a bit nervous. The principal said why do that you can just text her and tell her to keep her phone on vibrate to check when she could and skip the middleman.

When we drop anything off they tell you to text your child and let them know its there- they don't call them in the classrooms for you.

 

[DisneyOma]

How does it make sense to infantilize them in HS and expect them to understand how to conduct themselves in college and in a work setting?

They are not being infantilized by being denied access to cell phones during a class. If anything, they are being shown the skills to be successful. In college, listen to your professor, not your texting friends who aren't in class right now. At work, get off your damn phone and do your job. Very important skills.

You sound like you are burned out, to be honest. I have two teens, and they and their friends do not in any way resemble the bleak picture you describe.

I always find it ironic that people on discussion boards slam people who use technology to relate to others. If you are so against technology, why do you participate?

You think they don't resemble them, but do you sit in class with them all day? Do you monitor their cellphone use all day, all night? I think you might be surprised how plugged in they really are.

I'm not burned out, just frustrated by some students. They're the ones who will be shocked down the road when they figure out how much they missed in class.

Picking a small amount of my day to check out the DIS and FB on my PC (less than an hour a day) is much different from constantly checking for updates on a personal device. I don't have a FB app on my phone. Had it for about 10 minutes, took it off.

I believe people are defensive about their cellphone addictions. It's like a drug - your brain gets wired that you need to know NOW. You need to have that reassurance NOW. You have to let someone know what happened NOW. It seems people rarely stop to think first, post second. I call it mental diarrhea.

 

[Allons-y!]

You think they don't resemble them, but do you sit in class with them all day? Do you monitor their cellphone use all day, all night? I think you might be surprised how plugged in they really are.

I'm not burned out, just frustrated by some students. They're the ones who will be shocked down the road when they figure out how much they missed in class.

Picking a small amount of my day to check out the DIS and FB on my PC (less than an hour a day) is much different from constantly checking for updates on a personal device. I don't have a FB app on my phone. Had it for about 10 minutes, took it off.

I believe people are defensive about their cellphone addictions. It's like a drug - your brain gets wired that you need to know NOW. You need to have that reassurance NOW. You have to let someone know what happened NOW. It seems people rarely stop to think first, post second. I call it mental diarrhea.

Nothing you posted above makes me change my impression of what you really think of teens. You paint with a very broad brush, characterizing them in your previous post as rarely interacting with others putside of tech, and I know that is far from the truth. In other posts on other threads, you have also demonstrated that you don't think highly of teens. I find that sad and, as a parent, I wouldn't want you teaching in our high school.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

DS is going into JR High next year, and we went to a meeting last week to get some idea on what to expect. They mentioned cell phones, and that it's ok for the kids to have them, but not to pull them out except with teacher permission. The only time cell phones aren't allowed (for jr/sr) is during standardized tests. Must bring a real calculator for those. During regular class testing, cell phones are ok. If you are caught cheating, you automatically get a failing grade.

The school is going to online text books for home, and actual books for at school only (unless you don't have internet access at home, then they'll make an exception), and are moving to an online communication board of some sort the year after (for the teacher to post assignments, answer questions about those, etc) instead of having a planner. They already have grades/absences online on the district website (no more interim report cards on paper), and jr/sr high school, grades and assignments are supposed to be posted (not sure how that works yet, as we don't have access). DS's school does online grading for the 6th graders, to help them to adjust to the way it is in jr/sr high school.

 

[nugov2]

Our kids can have them, but silenced in backpacks. They don't need them because there are both laptops and tablets available for the students to use. I have no issue with this policy as there is no need to have a phone during school hours in our area.

Call me old fashioned, but I think that it's really dumb to allow students to have cell phones in the classroom. I really don't care what all of the excuses are, but I will say this...I have a friend whose income is low enough that her kids are on the federal school lunch program, she struggles to get by each month, and just cannot afford for her son to have a cell phone. Her kid's school policy is no phones in class. Yet repeatedly the math teacher says to all the middle schoolers for them to get out their phones in order to use them as calculators...and her son is treated by the students AND the teacher like some sort of alien from another world because he doesn't have his own phone.

If you need a calculator...USE A CALCULATOR, NOT A PHONE AS A CALCULATOR in the classroom.

I suspect that the way I feel about this might not be the norm and y'all can certainly bite my head off and defend all the reasons why a 9 year old needs a phone at school, but let's just keep our heads on straight for a moment, ok?

What happened when WE were in school and we needed to reach 1 of our parents?
You went to the FRONT OFFICE and used the SCHOOL'S PHONE to call Mom or Dad or Grandma or your guardian, etc.

What happens when people spends tons of time in front of their tablets & smart phones? They disengage from the people sitting right in front of them. We all have seen it countless times in restaurants and heck, even at DL and WDW. How do you establish solid relationships with others? YOU TALK TO THEM...not through text messaging...not through Twitter...not through Snapchat. You have an actual conversation that involves speaking out loud, not by typing.

Ok, getting off my soap box now.

I'm surprised your friend doesn't apply for the government program that provides free or reduced cell phones. Maybe it isn't in every state but it is advertised here all the time.

 

[cabanafrau]

They are not being infantilized by being denied access to cell phones during a class. If anything, they are being shown the skills to be successful. In college, listen to your professor, not your texting friends who aren't in class right now. At work, get off your damn phone and do your job. Very important skills.



You think they don't resemble them, but do you sit in class with them all day? Do you monitor their cellphone use all day, all night? I think you might be surprised how plugged in they really are.

I'm not burned out, just frustrated by some students. They're the ones who will be shocked down the road when they figure out how much they missed in class.

Picking a small amount of my day to check out the DIS and FB on my PC (less than an hour a day) is much different from constantly checking for updates on a personal device. I don't have a FB app on my phone. Had it for about 10 minutes, took it off.

I believe people are defensive about their cellphone addictions. It's like a drug - your brain gets wired that you need to know NOW. You need to have that reassurance NOW. You have to let someone know what happened NOW. It seems people rarely stop to think first, post second. I call it mental diarrhea.

Precisely my point. Parents can comfort themselves with the idea that their kids have the best situation if phones are flat-out banned at school, but IMO that doesn't truly teach anything. The school my DDs attend(ed) does not ban phones. There are times and classes where they are not to be used. There are classes where they are utilized -- primarily from what I've heard in discussion situations. I have no idea if they're ever used as calculators because my DDs both carried their TIs and their phone wouldn't have been the tool they'd choose for math or science class.

That's what the phones are, a tool. They are occasionally used for class purposes. They are occasionally used to communicate. They are sometimes used for entertainment (music, internet). Neither one of my DDs can use their phones at their jobs. No big deal. They understand that. They are not required to leave their phone locked up somewhere. They simply don't use it at work. The older one has been in college a few years now. She uses her phone to complete her homework for her Mandarin class because it's simpler to use than the app on her Mac. She understands when it's appropriate or not appropriate to use her phone during her classes. She managed to grasp that life skill in HS, as has her sister. I feel better knowing they have a handle on that long before heading off for college.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

My dd's MS & HS allow cell phones.

The teacher set "the rules" of their classroom.

Our district uses common sense which is one of the reasons we were in that district. It is quite refreshing.