Ontario Premier says the government will ban cellphones from classrooms, but not everyone thinks that’s a good idea, writes Peter Vogel. (Pexels photo)
In an Aug. 22 post to his FordNation Facebook page, new Ontario Premier Doug “Buck-a-Beer” Ford served notice that his government intends to see cellphones removed from classrooms.
“I’ve heard from both parents and teachers that cellphones have become an unnecessary disruption in classrooms, impeding the education of our students. Our government will consult on the steps schools should take to remove distracting cellphones from the classroom.”
I suppose we could parse the statement and infer that “distracting cellphones” will be removed from classrooms, and those that are not causing a distraction can remain. However, that would surely be over-analyzing the statement.
Within 12 hours of making the post, it had amassed well over 1,000 likes and almost 360 comments.
Most were generally supportive of the idea of a ban, but many were somewhat derisive.
Here is a smattering of the comments:
“While that's great and all ... I'd like to know how you’re planning to reduce wait times in hospitals and ensure everyone has a bed.”
“This reaches the point of micro-managing. It’s a board/school/classroom issue, not a Ministry of Education one.”
One writer suggested the statement is meant as a distraction. “Purely theatrical hand-wringing and fretting about what’s best for the children, meant to distract us from bigger issues.”
Another saw some irony in Ford’s statement. “I just can’t wrap my head around this. What about a proactive, educational based approach as opposed to all or nothing. I find it a bit ironic that this message is shared on Facebook where most adults will read it on their phones themselves.”
A teacher weighed in. “As a teacher I’m ecstatic to hear this but also rather skeptical. It’s basically an epidemic, the cell phone usage in classrooms. Most teachers have given up even trying to enact rules against it as nowadays students have way more power (as do their parents) than teachers. Also, I’ve caught numerous students attempting to cheat on their tests while hiding their cellphones on them.”
Some commenters noted that schools can easily manage the issue by having cellphone collection baskets at the front of the classroom.
In fact this has become a bit of a trend at elementary schools and up to, say, grades 8 and 9 at secondary schools.
Another interesting model is that of the traffic light. As students come into a classroom for a specific subject, the teacher projects a traffic light set to one of its three colours.
A red light signifies that cellphones should not be seen during that block as there is no designated use for them. Orange signifies there will be limited use at the specific direction of the teacher. And a green light signifies that cellphones can and should be on the student desk as they will be needed for and throughout the lesson.
B.C. secondary school teacher and longtime colleague Angela Filipovic has considered the classroom use of cellphones for many years. Here are her extensive thoughts:
“There are many benefits to using cellphones in the classroom from an English teacher’s perspective. After all, they are small computers. I can make use of apps like Kahoot! or Quizlet; students can easily photograph or video a project and upload it to Google Classroom; students can read e-books or listen to audiobooks; I can send out content to students’ phones through Classroom or Remind. We live in the Star Trek age, and the smartphone can be an amazing classroom tool.
“Where problems arise is in classroom management. How does a teacher ensure that a student isn’t using the phone inappropriately? One could argue that students could do almost all the same activities and more using a Chromebook or a laptop, and they won’t be sending Snapchats using class time. Granted, I prefer a Chromebook for most classwork, particularly word processing. Typing on a phone can be tedious. If students are using a Chromebook for research rather than a browser on their phone, they won’t be sending Snapchats. That being said, there are other distractions available for students, including online games, videos, and other teachers’ coursework. Swapping out one technology for another does not solve this classroom management issue.
“Is the answer to eliminate all Internet access? That would do students a major disservice. I prefer to have students working on my assignments in class, where I can answer their questions in real time and be less concerned about the authenticity of their work. Besides, students would then trade the distractions of technology for more traditional ones that many of us remember. Students’ education must include giving them the opportunity to learn to set boundaries for themselves. That doesn’t mean we should leave them unobserved and with no consequences for misuse of technology, but this is an issue that will arise after high school, whether in university classes or in the workplace. Before smartphones, before offices had Internet, people were playing Solitaire or Mine Sweeper. Before that, they were talking on the phone. There is always something to keep one from being as efficient as possible.
“There are concerns about other effects of constant smartphone use. Their use in the classroom should be the least of anyone’s concerns. My biggest worry is seeing students against the wall in the halls during break and lunch, glued to their phones instead of interacting face to face with one another. A phone should not replace social interactions. Perhaps, instead of banning the use of phones in the classroom, phones should be banned during lunch and break.
"As a parent, I agree with the teacher me. I am fortunate enough to see my children in the halls at school, and I love the fact they are not on their phones during the breaks. Am I concerned about whether they are using their phones in the classroom? I would be if their teachers reported that they were frequently distracted by their phones, but this is not the case.
“Should phones be banned in the classroom? Does the danger go away if an ostrich buries its head in the sand? Funnily enough, a student with a smartphone would be able to tell you that’s a myth.”
Clearly Ms. Filipovic has given this a lot of thought ... much more I daresay than the premier of Ontario gave to his Facebook post.
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