As an administrator, the thought of the provincial government implementing a ban on cell phones and classrooms fills me with dread. While I support the general idea of limiting cell phones in classrooms to limit distractions to learning, enforcing this legislation will continue to land on the plates of classroom teachers and school-based administrators. Many schools already have cell phone policies that prohibit students from having their cell phones with them or using them during class time. Despite these pre-existing policies, school staff fight daily with students about their cell phones. I am not sure how provincial legislation is going to change this fight. It is nice to have support from the province and the Ministry of Education behind school voices saying that cell phones are a problem in a classroom. However, I do not believe banning cell phones in schools is the solution.
When I think about my stance on this debate, the usual arguments come to mind: This is the world we live in now. We need to spend more time teaching kids about digital citizenship; we need to spend more time training teachers, and parents need to be more involved in monitoring and learning about the technology that their children are using. However, Kendyll raised an excellent point today that has stuck with me. When and how do we do this? As experts in teaching children new skills and helping them find solutions to a myriad of problems in traditional subject areas, teachers have a general idea of what needs to be done to address concerns about technology in classrooms. The problem comes with finding the time and adequate resources to do it well.
Our education systems are currently divided between what curriculum standards teach and what society values. Digging into the Saskatchewan Curriculum, there are no formal learning outcomes related to the use of technology in the curriculum until grade 10 when students can take optional Practical and Applied Arts (PAA) courses. Students in grades 7-9 may get earlier instruction on these concepts if their teacher decides to teach some of the outcomes as part of their PAA program. Other curricula from K-9 often mention reviewing or responding to information in multi-media formats. However, a significant lack of direction regarding student learning about technology exists. Teachers often spend class time designated for other subject areas to teach students the minimum required skills to use the technology in their classes effectively. Teachers are expected to use technology in their teaching and classrooms and understand it well enough to teach students how to use it. However, there has been little to no capacity building for teachers to build their familiarity and proficiency with the available technology, leaving students to learn how to use it independently or through their peers.
When considering cell phones in classrooms, the opposing side made several key points, highlighting how cell phones can be useful resources and tools for students and staff. While I agree with this argument, with our current education system and the level of tech instruction that teachers and students receive, at the moment, it kind of feels – to borrow a phrase used by my school division while teaching through COVID – like we’re building the airplane as we’re flying it. Certainly, classroom management plays a huge part in ensuring that cell phones are not being misused or disrupting the learning taking place in classrooms. However, at the same time, it is clear that children need more education and support from adults to use their devices appropriately and find a balance between online and offline interactions.
Just like prohibition didn’t curb the sale or use of alcohol, putting a blanket ban on cell phones in classrooms will only encourage students to rise to the challenge of finding sneakier ways of getting their phones in the building and using them.
What a great summary of this debate, Amy! I appreciated reading about how you looked into the Sask Curriculum for specific language on the use of technology. I mentioned in one of my first posts that, as a grade 6/7 teacher, I like teaching digital citizenship, online safety, and graphic design, and even looked into coding this year as a way to implement PAA and other cross-curricular subjects.
I had to chuckle when reading your airplane analogy because it is just too perfect in this situation too! The discussion in class surrounding the prohibition and the Tunnels in Moose Jaw – https://tunnelsofmoosejaw.com/ – was also great. I had never thought of it this way but it makes sense! Determined kids, when told they can’t have or do something, will find any way to make it happen and we have all seen it.
Great post, Amy! I agree with your comparison of banning cellphones to prohibition. Kids are smart and can be sneaky if they put their minds to it aaaaand..if there’s a will, there’s a way. I also think it has been shown in classrooms and schools that effectively already have bans on cellphones that they don’t work. I also worry about how a ban would be policed if put into effect. I don’t think it’s beneficial to anyone for teachers and administrators to dedicate their time to policing phones rather than teaching kids. I also don’t think just letting them be in the classroom is also a solution either though.
I LOVED this statement that you wrote: “We need to spend more time teaching kids about digital citizenship; we need to spend more time training teachers, and parents need to be more involved in monitoring and learning about the technology that their children are using.” I think that in order to enact real, positive change, we need to approach this as a united front. It is so hard trying to do anything where parents are not on board.
I love that you brought the Saskatchewan curriculum into the discussion! Like you mentioned, almost every debate has boiled down to the idea that teachers need to educate students on how to properly use technology, but I had no idea that the province itself was taking such a half-hearted approach when it comes to technology in the classroom. If I could go back in this course I’d want to change every time I said something like “Teachers have to help students how to positively use technology” to something more along the lines of “Our school boards need to provide teachers with adequate training and changes to curriculum so that they can provide more relevant instructions for students growing up in a technology filled world”. Thanks for sharing Amy!
Hi Amy! I think that your comment on the fact that teachers are expected to teach technology in every subject but are given to capacity building is so important. We often as teachers are just sort of left to figure out how to navigate things on our own – you can only theorize classroom management so much am I right? Technology is something that almost feels like a throwaway here – a “yeah, well… when you get to it, ok?” – and let me tell you; I rarely get to it. It comes down to planning for me and integrating PAA at the beginning – otherwise, it falls to the wayside of the main curricula for me. I have never had a tech PD, have never been trained on how to incorporate those tech outcomes, or really have had anyone bring them up! It is obvious to me (and also to you) that way more support needs to happen with our teachers if we are supposed to be supporting our students in full!
This post brilliantly captures the complexities of implementing a cell phone ban in classrooms. Your analogy to prohibition highlights how restrictive measures often lead to unintended consequences. My main takeaway is the need for a balanced approach that includes digital citizenship education and better support for teachers. Given your outlined challenges, how do you think schools can effectively integrate technology education within the existing curriculum without overwhelming teachers and students?