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At one school in Melbourne's south-east, students have accepted Victoria’s new mobile phone ban but pushback has come from an unexpected quarter: parents.
The federal education minister wants to take the state’s initiative nationwide but not everyone’s buying the argument
The state government's phone ban has divided teachers, students and parents in the public system. Now the attention has turned to private schools.
Banning mobile phones in school may seem sensible, but research and similar moves elsewhere suggest a blanket ban may introduce some problems.
The Victorian government has adopted one of the world's toughest stances on mobile phone use in schools.
A top London headteacher today said blanket mobile phone bans are “doomed to failure” because children sneak secret phones into school. Stephen Lehec, head of Kingston Grammar School, argued that schools should instead teach children to use their smartphones responsibly. The school, where fees are £18,000 a year and whose former pupils include Olympic rowing gold medallist James Cracknell, allows students and staff to have their phones in lessons as long as they are on silent.
The NSW government introduced a ban on phones in primary schools after an independent review.
As smartphones have become more common, educators have struggled with the question of what to do with smartphones in the classroom. For K-12 educators, the answer has been to ban smartphones from the classroom completely. College professors have also banned smartphones in increasing numbers. But now there’s some evidence to suggest that banning smartphones in the college classroom isn’t such a good idea.
A study conducted by researchers in Singapore found that undergraduate students who were allowed to keep their phones with them actually scored better on tasks that measured their cognitive functioning. Even when they weren’t allowed to use their phones, students who were allowed to keep their phones in their pockets performed better than students whose phones were confiscated.
In this case, researchers theorized that the poor performance by students without phones was due to a kind of smartphone withdrawal. When students had their phones taken away, they may have been anxious about missing out on something—a text message or friend request, for example. This anxiety could take students’ minds off of what they should be learning.
Use of mobile technology in the classroom is increasing at a remarkable rate and is the new normal at many schools.
Some teachers, however, are reluctant to incorporate into their teaching the variety of mobile apps and software available. Concerns range from fears of distraction to personal lack of knowledge on how the tech works, but these fears can be easily rectified, leading to a more inclusive and technologically advanced classroom that benefits students and teachers alike. Following are a few of the more prevalent concerns I've encountered - and my typical advice.
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At its heart, the proposed ban robs schools and principals of making decisions and once again devalues the teaching profession.
Banning mobile phones in schools is straight from the alarmist's book of bandaid solutions. Let's find a better one, writes Dan Hogan.
How can we teenagers become good digital citizens if we ban phones during school hours?
Education minister James Merlino announces move aimed at reducing classroom distraction and cyberbullying
What would happen to the dynamic in a school if the students locked away their mobile phones for the day? A lot, it turns out — and it's all positive.
Our experience tells us that in the vast majority of cases, when it comes to mobile phones there is usually very little learning taking place.
In a recent Teacher article, two schools discussed their differing policies on mobile phone use during school hours. Here, we look at a range of studies that have explored the positives and negatives of allowing mobile phones to be used in class.
As Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs become more widespread, questions are being raised about the benefits of allowing students to actively use mobile phones as learning devices in school. Over the past decade, several studies have taken a closer look at student and educator perspectives on the issue.
New evidence suggests schools should stop fighting technological tide and find ways to incorporate cellphones into schools
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Scoop.it!
