Banning cell phones in school doesn’t work. I’ve taught in schools with cell phone bans, and students still sneak them into class. Some parents still text or even phone their children during class time. All this does is waste time forcing teachers to play “phone police.”
Teachers need to set reasonable limits in their own classrooms, and we need clear rules about when we are allowed to confiscate cell phones, as well as strong support from school administrators. Teachers also need the flexibility to include cell phones in lessons (particularly in high school) because they can also be a powerful learning tool.
Banning cell phones doesn’t teach students to be responsible with technology. It’s like banning paper because students might fold it into airplanes.
David - 5 years ago
Banning the phones in the classroom allows the kids to take a break from these things while class is in session so they are able to pay more attention to classroom activities and each other. According to my daughter, kids at her school are all on their cellphone during breaks anyway. Most of the parents give them these things to keep in touch during the day because of the horror stories we are made to addict to on TV. Children need to be mentored, disciplined and trained to be sociable. We can't lose that on our communities, or wherever they end up going in the future.
Macyn - 5 years ago
Cell phones in classes have there benefits. Though in some cases yes there a distraction, for many kids music is helpful to learn or used as calculators and for notes as well in many classes teachers design games and activities that can be done with the students phone. As well as instant research on classes for better understanding and on top of all weather it's banned or not kids will be using there phones. I'm currently studying abroad in Spain where the use of phones is prohibited in classrooms and it seems it only causes more problems kids hide phones and headphones and are on them quite a bit despite the ban. In my classes in Canada kids are generally pretty respectful with the use of phones in classes not all but most. Where as in Spain they could care less they've been told not to use them and so they simply want to use them more. Today's society is made so much up of Internet use that it doesn't make much sense to ban it kids who use there phones all the time aren't gonna change. The problem is teaching when they should be used and how keep kids off Instagram and snapchat and other social media but don't restrict the benefits of the Internet in classrooms
Rick - 5 years ago
Use cell jammers during class hours, but not during lunch hour. This prevents phones being used during class hours for phone calls, texting and social media, but allows them to be used for note taking, as calculators, etc. Then with the jammers turned off during lunch hour, the kids have full use of the phones as they desire.
Richard - 5 years ago
Not only cellphone is a learning environment distractor, listening to music to mask envirimental noise is alao a distractor!
Mary German - 5 years ago
most businesses make their employees turn their phones off except for breaks. The kids should be in the real world not some fantasyland
Banning cell phones in school doesn’t work. I’ve taught in schools with cell phone bans, and students still sneak them into class. Some parents still text or even phone their children during class time. All this does is waste time forcing teachers to play “phone police.”
Teachers need to set reasonable limits in their own classrooms, and we need clear rules about when we are allowed to confiscate cell phones, as well as strong support from school administrators. Teachers also need the flexibility to include cell phones in lessons (particularly in high school) because they can also be a powerful learning tool.
Banning cell phones doesn’t teach students to be responsible with technology. It’s like banning paper because students might fold it into airplanes.
Banning the phones in the classroom allows the kids to take a break from these things while class is in session so they are able to pay more attention to classroom activities and each other. According to my daughter, kids at her school are all on their cellphone during breaks anyway. Most of the parents give them these things to keep in touch during the day because of the horror stories we are made to addict to on TV. Children need to be mentored, disciplined and trained to be sociable. We can't lose that on our communities, or wherever they end up going in the future.
Cell phones in classes have there benefits. Though in some cases yes there a distraction, for many kids music is helpful to learn or used as calculators and for notes as well in many classes teachers design games and activities that can be done with the students phone. As well as instant research on classes for better understanding and on top of all weather it's banned or not kids will be using there phones. I'm currently studying abroad in Spain where the use of phones is prohibited in classrooms and it seems it only causes more problems kids hide phones and headphones and are on them quite a bit despite the ban. In my classes in Canada kids are generally pretty respectful with the use of phones in classes not all but most. Where as in Spain they could care less they've been told not to use them and so they simply want to use them more. Today's society is made so much up of Internet use that it doesn't make much sense to ban it kids who use there phones all the time aren't gonna change. The problem is teaching when they should be used and how keep kids off Instagram and snapchat and other social media but don't restrict the benefits of the Internet in classrooms
Use cell jammers during class hours, but not during lunch hour. This prevents phones being used during class hours for phone calls, texting and social media, but allows them to be used for note taking, as calculators, etc. Then with the jammers turned off during lunch hour, the kids have full use of the phones as they desire.
Not only cellphone is a learning environment distractor, listening to music to mask envirimental noise is alao a distractor!
most businesses make their employees turn their phones off except for breaks. The kids should be in the real world not some fantasyland