After the government banned cell phones in schools this past year, I’ve now had a full year to experience a “cell phone–free” classroom. The school I’m currently at didn’t have major issues with phones to begin with, so the shift didn’t make a dramatic difference in terms of behavior. However, I did feel the impact was in their potential use for educational purposes.

Photo by bartekhdd on Pixabay

The recent class debate on this topic raised compelling points on both sides. In the end, though, I personally believe that elementary and middle years students should be allowed to have phones in the classroom with clear boundaries and consistent rules in place.

The pro-ban side emphasized five main arguments: phones are designed to capture attention, they harm student well-being, teachers shouldn’t have to be “phone police,” teens struggle with self-regulation, and phones are a major source of distraction. The one article they shared from the National Center for Education Statistics confirms these points with a lot of interesting facts and data driven information. I’m actually shocked that more than 50% of school leaders agree that cell phones in the classroom hurt academic performance.

To be honest, I fully agree with all of these concerns. Still, I believe many of them, though not all, can be addressed through proper classroom management. Establishing rules and routines is a key part of setting up a classroom in the first few weeks of school. When I worked at a previous school where students were permitted to have phones, we implemented a simple routine: phones were placed in a drawer upon entering the classroom. Of course, there was some resistance at first, but consistency and teacher follow-through helped build a routine that worked. I understand this isn’t feasible for every classroom or every teacher, especially if the teacher struggles with managing their own device use, but banning phones entirely feels like punishing everyone for the actions of a few.

6 Reasons Why Kids Need Phones in Schools

My main concern with the ban was less about misuse and more about losing access to a valuable classroom tool (but the 6 Reasons Why was an interesting read from a parents’ perspective). Phones could be useful for assignments and projects, especially when it came to taking photos or videos for presentations. While it was never a requirement for students to use their phones, it was helpful to have them as a backup option when computers were unavailable, or the Wi-Fi wasn’t working. That flexibility is something I genuinely miss.

Ultimately, the decision around phone use is out of our hands as educators. And yes, we’ve managed just fine this past year without them, though at times it’s required more creativity and flexibility. Still, I wonder: if students aren’t taught now, at a young age, how to manage their phones responsibly, when to use them, how they can be used for learning, then when will they learn? In my opinion, teaching responsible use is part of preparing them for the real world.

Great work by all the debaters this week! Enjoy your evening 🙂

This debate topic was a tough one for me to vote on. As I listened to both sides, I found myself agreeing with each of their arguments. There really wasn’t a clear right or wrong as both sides presented valid points, which made the decision even more challenging. Kudos to the debaters; it was a thoughtful and engaging topic.

One quote from the “for” side really stood out to me: “If you’re pro-technology, you’re pro-AI, as it’s used in all apps.” That couldn’t be more accurate. AI is integrated into so many aspects of our daily lives, often without us even realizing it. From unlocking our phones with face or fingerprint recognition to the curated content and ads we see on social media, AI is present. Even GPS navigation relies on AI to improve routes in real time. It’s everywhere, and because of that, it makes sense to begin integrating it meaningfully into education because at this point, there’s no turning back. Is it being overused? Absolutely. And that’s where the risk lies. But too much of anything can become a problem.

The article “Can AI Transform Education to Ensure All Students Benefit?” highlights many ways AI can support teachers, and while I do use a variety of apps for planning, editing, and creating, I often find that the final product doesn’t quite meet my expectations. Sometimes it takes more time to tweak AI-generated content than to simply do it myself. That said, I do find AI tools incredibly helpful for brainstorming ideas especially when I’m stuck. But when I already know exactly what I want, I’m usually the only one who can execute it the way I envision.

For students, I see both pros and cons. Critical thinking hasn’t disappeared, but students now have more tools to assist them. As educators, it’s our responsibility to guide them in how to use AI tools, especially ones like ChatGPT, responsibly and effectively. We know they’re going to use them regardless, so teaching them to do so in meaningful and ethical ways is only going to help them in the long run.

Interestingly, I was just listening to JACK 94.5 FM where someone shared an experience at a store. The young cashier struggled to make change from a cash transaction and needed guidance to figure it out. The blame was placed on the education system for not giving students enough real-world experience in basic tasks. It’s a small, but very real example of how over-reliance on technology can weaken foundational skills. The following article talks about the “Erosion of Fundamental Skills” and tools like calculators and smartphones can sometimes do more harm than good by reducing opportunities for critical thinking and mental math.

Photo by loufre on Pixabay

Photo by ijmaki on Pixabay

My post today is all over the place, so I apologize for that! In the end, I’m not sure if AI will revolutionize education, but I do believe it’s here to stay. So as educators, it’s important we find balanced and intentional ways to use it to our advantage without letting it replace the human skills that truly matter.