Personal electronic use in schools has been a heavily debated issue since the distribution of paging devices in the early 90’s. Though our school will be administering Chromebooks next year, they currently still plan to abstain from allowing phone use during school. However, in combination with a few protective regulations, cellular phones can be extremely beneficial to the affected students in ways a Chromebook alone cannot. It allows a line of communication between parent or family and student throughout the school day; an important source of peace-of-mind for parents of students who engage in extracurricular activities and interact with friends. Additionally, these devices provide an instant connection to other views or opposing facts which are vital to the sufficient education of students in a more rural, homogenous community like ours. Finally, these devices can provide the student with additional education socially, developing their methods of outputting ideas, information, and opinions on a subject.
Many teachers who have embraced these tech-tools, in schools like nearby Susquenita, have found high success rates through their use. “They give students a chance to collaborate with each other, or connect with peers in other countries,” said high school chemistry teacher Steven Shirmer. “They can be used for high-tech alternatives to boring classroom lectures, letting kids take part in interactive assignments like classroom polls, serve as notepads or as an alarm for setting study reminders. They could even be recording devices, letting students record impressions during field trips and create audio podcasts and blog posts.”
Despite their many positive aspects, phones may be banned for a variety of reasons. However, all of these reasons may also apply to widespread Chromebook use, which our school will be initiating next year. First, the EPA has expressed concern in the past regarding long-term exposure to computer screens. However, these issues will be identically found in the much larger, much brighter screens of a Chromebook. Additionally, students may be able to access inappropriate materials by bypassing school WiFi security or accessing the internet through other sources. Unfortunately, these same regulations may be even more easily bypassed through a Chromebook or other personal laptop. Of course, allowance of phone use in class may provide additional room for students to become distracted from lessons, however Chromebooks will ensure the same distraction even more discreetly. Personal use during class is a concern for many teachers, however a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project in April of 2010 found that in schools where phone use was allowed, 71% of students sent or received text messages during class. In schools where phone use was banned, the percentage was nearly identical: 65%. And finally, what is likely the reason phones are banned at our school, it is far easier for administrators to simply negate having to deal with the phones by outright banning them. This allows them to save the effort of having to actively regulate phone use (while also denying the students of a huge source of educational enrichment).
Thus, there are many school districts who have seen extreme improvement by allowing the use of digital devices in the classroom. It is clear that when such use is permitted, guidelines should be in place to ensure online safety, quality sources of information, and restraint from personal use during class.
Many teachers who have embraced these tech-tools, in schools like nearby Susquenita, have found high success rates through their use. “They give students a chance to collaborate with each other, or connect with peers in other countries,” said high school chemistry teacher Steven Shirmer. “They can be used for high-tech alternatives to boring classroom lectures, letting kids take part in interactive assignments like classroom polls, serve as notepads or as an alarm for setting study reminders. They could even be recording devices, letting students record impressions during field trips and create audio podcasts and blog posts.”
Despite their many positive aspects, phones may be banned for a variety of reasons. However, all of these reasons may also apply to widespread Chromebook use, which our school will be initiating next year. First, the EPA has expressed concern in the past regarding long-term exposure to computer screens. However, these issues will be identically found in the much larger, much brighter screens of a Chromebook. Additionally, students may be able to access inappropriate materials by bypassing school WiFi security or accessing the internet through other sources. Unfortunately, these same regulations may be even more easily bypassed through a Chromebook or other personal laptop. Of course, allowance of phone use in class may provide additional room for students to become distracted from lessons, however Chromebooks will ensure the same distraction even more discreetly. Personal use during class is a concern for many teachers, however a study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project in April of 2010 found that in schools where phone use was allowed, 71% of students sent or received text messages during class. In schools where phone use was banned, the percentage was nearly identical: 65%. And finally, what is likely the reason phones are banned at our school, it is far easier for administrators to simply negate having to deal with the phones by outright banning them. This allows them to save the effort of having to actively regulate phone use (while also denying the students of a huge source of educational enrichment).
Thus, there are many school districts who have seen extreme improvement by allowing the use of digital devices in the classroom. It is clear that when such use is permitted, guidelines should be in place to ensure online safety, quality sources of information, and restraint from personal use during class.