Social Media and the Classroom

So, I took some time to reflect on this topic. I feel that while the government has decreed that cellphones are not be allowed in the classroom, there was a lack of consultation and roll out. Do cellphones pose interesting questions as to the direction of education? Absolutely. However, much like other legislation regarding technology, it is passed without much consultation, and with haphazard understanding and foresight.  So, lets dive into this murky legislation and its fall out.

First, our school had a cell phone procedure in place. I figured this was common sense because cell phones are here to stay, and most kids (at least at my school) have them. I would say somewhere around 90% of my students have a smart phone. I was content with the policy. It allowed for some freedom (which teens crave), extra technology for school assignments, and it combined different tools into one place (ie. French-English Dictionary, Bescherelle, calculator, etc.). It allowed for students who get distracted by classroom noise to listen to music. Our classes weren’t interrupted with notices from the office regarding parent phone calls and reminders. Students stayed in the classroom instead of having to leave to “go call mom” for something they forgot, needed, or wanted. This eliminated some of the wandering in the school.

However, there were some down sides. I found my students spent FAR too much time in the bathrooms making TikToks, playing games, and Snapping friends. I saw some very unhealthy habits beginning to form, as well. The year before the ban came into existence, students began Facetiming each other while they were both in class. They would stay on these calls for hours.  As if, the time they spent apart in another classroom was too much to bear. It was weird and wildly unhealthy. The addiction level to their screens, snap streaks, likes, and posts was becoming invasive. They were unable to focus on school, because they had become so preoccupied with social media and the realm of influencers.

Since the ban, I have seen some interesting trends. While some schools allow the students their phones during lunch, my school does not. We have a full 8:45-3:20 ban. This has lead to some interesting observations. My students went through a “detox” phase, where they needed to almost relearn how to be kids. They didn’t know how to have discussions without checking their phones, they were lost as to what to do during lunch (that sense of imaginative play was hindered), or they needed to ask what to do for fun. However, the ideas slowly came back, the conversations began to take form, discussions and debates took place, they started to play with their classmates. Have they regained what they lost with the inclusion of phones? No, but it is beginning to reform.

Does this mean that I fully support the ban? No. I believe there should have been nuance and allowances for professional judgement. I understand and support professional oversight, but not at the blind expense of the experience classroom teachers have. There should have been discussions with school divisions and teachers. There should have been an inclusion of the voices who are in these environments everyday. However, there was not. Furthermore, as a middle years teacher, my students have a black and white sense of justice. Having them recount how their friends (who attend schools in another division) are allowed their phones at lunch time creates a lot of animosity. They don’t understand why there are exceptions in other schools. The lesson behind the ban is overshadowed by the reckless implementation in schools without proper consultation and regulation.

Next, as we discussed in class, there is now no option to teach students about the appropriate use of cellphones in the school and work environment. Some skills take guidance to learn. There are a lot of legal implications for some actions that happen online. Our students do not understand this. They do not realize that breaking these laws have real life consequences for them. They are children. They need guidance. We don’t hand our kids the keys to a car and say “have at ‘er”. There are skills to be learned, laws to be followed, and a need to gain experiences in real life situations. Yes, a machine that can instantly end a life is a little different from a piece of technology that fits in your hand. But, I would argue it has the same potential for destruction (albeit not as immediate). Social media has proven to be detrimental to mental health, caused some to commit suicide, has lead to child exploitation, and a whole host of other negative impacts. We take the physical safety of those behind the wheel seriously, but why aren’t we showing the same level of concern for the physical (and mental) safety online? Is it because we still refuse to acknowledge the importance of mental health because it’s effects are invisible or the belief that it is something that you can solve by “pulling up your boot straps”? Am I advocating for licensing social media users? No. I am simply comparing the potential damages and wondering why we don’t show the same level of consciousness and intention with technology that impacts our young people, and why we have taken away the space for these students to learn about these issues. Yes, digital citizenship is included in the curriculum. However, as we discussed in class, it is a stand alone and is usually rushed through. Furthermore, I find that the material is outdated or written by people who don’t understand teenagers and their use of technology.

In the end, there is a lot to be said about the ban. I am unsure that it is dealing with the issues that everyone (the government) believed it would. It has had some unintended consequences for both the positive and the negative. I think there were a lot of discussions that needed to be held with all stakeholders in education before this took affect, and allowed for teachers to discuss the needs they saw in their classroom daily. I believe that this ban took away some of the professional agency that teachers had in their own classroom, and perpetuated the ideology that teachers are not professionals to be trusted. While we can hear the echoes of Mrs. Lovejoy’s screaming “Won’t someone please think of the children?!”, when will the lesson of collaboration, foresight and understanding begin to take root so we can all work together to ensure the optimal environment for students to learn in?