<p>Wondering what your local high schools have decided about student use of electronics. Seems they have really changed their stand in recent years. Our school’s policy used to be all electronics were ‘off and away’ during school hours. </p>
<p>Guess that policy has gone the ‘way of the buffalo’ as I understand public schools in my area are allowing the use of Ipods between classes, during lunch, etc. and are also allowed in class at the discretion of the teacher. One administrator is quoted as saying it’s a battle the administration will never win. </p>
<p>Given the advent of smart phones, it’s virtually impossible to distinguish between phones and Ipods, I suppose that means they can be texting, etc as well. I no longer have a connection with private schools but I’m curious how they handle electronics use. </p>
<p>This would be a tough one for me if I were a teacher, or even a parent of a current h.s. student.
Not sure rigorous instruction can take place in a classroom setting if students are wearing headphones…Am I a dinosaur?</p>
<p>i don’t mind electronic devices–it’s just that they are rarely used for the right reasons in the classroom. </p>
<p>i initially was among the first instructors to allow laptops to be used during my classes. i encouraged students to use them for note-taking, viewing powerpoints along with the lecture, maybe even a quick google on a related topic.</p>
<p>however, i am now going to be among the first to ban them. they are a huge distraction. i see students nudging the student next to them and pointing to the screen to watch a video or look at a picture on facebook. i see students watching movies with headphones. i honestly didn’t think i had to say to students that they needed to remove headphones during class–i thought that was just a given! i see students playing games on their phones, texting and checking emails–all while i am roaming the auditorium trying to introduce new concepts. i now simply ask a student to leave when it is obvious they are unable to use technology wisely during class. it is really, really challenging to compete with that much technology. </p>
<p>in my lab, i have access to all computers via netschool. i actually have to blank their screens anytime i want them to listen. the vast majority can not refrain from looking at facebook, espn, email, pinterest–whatever it might be.</p>
<p>i have a feeling that most parents would be very disappointed to learn that the laptops their child just had to have is being used to play games and view facebook during classtime.</p>
<p>Given that we had a superintendentent who was known for playing with her blackberry during public board meetings, it’s hard to convince students they would pay better attention if their devices were put away.</p>
<p>The official school policy is that students are allowed to use their phones during passing time and at lunch. They do not allow kids to be plugged into an Ipod (earphones) during passing time because the hallways are crowded and it can be an issue. That doesn’t seem to be a big deal. They do allow one headphone in an ear, just not both. Teachers are allowed to make their own rules in the classrooms. Many teachers have incorporated using various apps on the phones into lesson plans, etc. All of the teachers require phones to be silent though. It seems to work out ok for the most part. They encourage parents to text the kids about after school plan changes, etc. vs calling the office now and trying to get a message to the kids.</p>
<p>DS2’s HS and MS both had a policy of no phones. Must be in lockers. Well, they were in pockets and out being used during class. In middle school, kids were hiding them behind their desk and texting, fbing etc during class. My DS would tell me about this. My DS doesn’t have a smart phone, and I know he wasn’t doing it.</p>
<p>When my DS1 was in HS he would use his phone during breaks between class to text me if he forgot something that he needed (which happened fairly regularly) This was helpful. The only other time it was good that they had phones was when the school got locked down for a bomb threat–all kids were kept in the stadium. My DS had left his phone at home, but a friend’s son was keeping in touch with her and she was chatting with me on fb so we both knew what was going on. Helpful to know everyone was OK.</p>
<p>With DS2 in same HS there is fbing and twitter stuff going on during class. With twitter they can talk to each other and also talk about other kids. If you wonder about this, most kids have their twitter open, so if you google the name and twitter you can see their twitter feeds. This is just another way to ignore class and also potentially bully others.</p>
<p>The HS also has started allowing the kids to register their products with the school so they can use them in class. While there are some classes where that’s a good thing, it will also lead to more fb and twitter and other stuff that shouldn’t be going on. Oh, did I mention the fact that they can take photos and movies on the phones/computers and I’ve seen both on FB pages–not always nice either.</p>
<p>The problem is that there isn’t an easy way to monitor and police the use of smartphones in schools. I really don’t see how they can control it. The HS had a policy of taking the phone away until the end of the week, but I think most people avoid being caught.</p>
<p>VAMom, our school has an effective ‘cyber-bullying’ policy that seems to successfully discourage inappropriate pics. Several students who have been seriously disciplined for this offense. Of course Twitter and FB are filtered on the school system, but that doesn’t help when using a smart phone.</p>
<p>Still looking for input from private schools. Do they work harder to enforce the ‘ban’? Are parents more supportive? I’m told a big part of the problem is parents texting kids even though the kids aren’t supposed to be using their phones…Agree it’s difficult to fix the problem. Maybe its not really a problem.</p>
<p>I understand one h.s. nearby tries to make their school setting as ‘real world’ as possible, telling the kids that certain things don’t happen in the workplace and they aren’t going to happen in the high school either. Not sure if they are more successful with the policing of electronics, but it seems to be a valid point. Brings up a second point: How does your workplace (or those you are familiar with…) handle the use of phones, texting and ‘personal music’??</p>
<p>VAmom–smartphones are just the 21st century version of passing notes in class. People passed notes, talked about other kids in those notes, etc. all the way back to the dark ages. It isn’t new, just the method of transmission is new. How do you fix it, by making sure your child understands how wrong and hurtful this behavior can be. It’s never going to go away completely. I do think that total bans are just setting schools up for failure though, same would have been the case back when we were in school if they tried to ‘ban’ note passing in school. Having reasonable policies to deal with cell phones is the answer. Allowing access to phones in the hallways and at lunch keeps the abuse down in our school. It still happens but it isn’t a big problem. Most of the teachers have become adept at knowing when the kid is texting in class. Smartphones have actually lessened the issue because the touch screens make it nearly impossible to text while the phone is in your pocket. Kids got pretty good at texting on a dumbphone without having to look at the keypad.</p>
<p>Someone mentioned a teacher using smart phone aps during class. I disagree with that, because it places a disadvantage on those who do not have a smartphone.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure, at my kids’ HS, the net effect of electronics is not beneficial. Entirely too much time is wasted on all the items mentioned above. Unfortunately, it’s not just by students either…:(</p>
<p>I’m not sure how much has changed in the year since the last child in my family graduated, but as of the 2010-2011 school year our high school had a very strict policy banning electronics. I went into the school one day to pick up my sister’s homework after she’d been out sick, and many of the school spirit banners had been replaced with large, black and white posters reading: “CELL PHONE = SUSPENSION.” It seemed a tad overkill to me. I got a detention once while I attended there because we were allowed to have cell phones on our person as long as they were off and out of sight, and someone slammed into me in the hallway and my phone slid out of my pocket right in front of administrator who, despite seeing exactly what happened, punished me anyway. I think kids might respond better to more reasonable (not necessarily less strict) regulations. I think teachers are doing the right thing by trying to keep these things out of classrooms, but I also think they’re fighting a losing battle trying to keep them out of the school and off at all times altogether.</p>
<p>sryrstress–that was me and for the very few kids that don’t have a smartphone in those classes, they just share with the other kids. It isn’t a problem at all. She even hooks her smartphone into the smartboard and off they go. If it was an issue I am sure she would not use them in class. Just an extra they can offer I guess. I can’t think of one of our kids’ friends that don’t have smartphones.</p>
<p>You may think it’s not a problem because your kids (and their friends) have smartphones. A child who does not have a smartphone may very well feel otherwise, even if they don’t go around broadcasting such. I’m doubting every kid in your HS has a smartphone, but maybe I’m wrong. D doesn’t have a smartphone; several of her friends don’t have cell phones or use one phone for kid-sharing.</p>
<p>sryrstress–not every kid in the school is taking this math class either. The kids that are in the class, most have smart phones, those that don’t, share with others. If they have an issue, I’m sorry, but if 99% of the kids have access to a smartphone, it’s a wonderful tool for teaching. Not every child has a computer at home either yet almost all of their homework is turned in online, emailed, etc. The school provides computer labs for those that don’t have access at home, same thing.</p>
<p>Ema- if you can believe it, good 'ole (insert high school name here) has decided to greatly relax their policy. They’re now allowed to use cell phones during passing time and lunch.</p>
<p>From a letter to the parents: </p>
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<p>One thousand hours?? Seems like a lot of time for something like cell phone punishments. (Then again, this is the same school that suspended someone for refusing to change because he “dressed like Waldo” and then suspended all the students who wore “Free Waldo” shirts.)</p>
<p>Romani: It shocks me that they changed it! But I am not surprised they were spending that many hours dealing with it. I think that’s a step in the right direction. When was the waldo thing? There was LITERALLY rioting on the senior’s last day last year, so if that’s the environment the whippersnappers are creating these days I am not surprised they are becoming more authoritarian about some things o.O</p>
<p>I’d have felt very uncomfortable as a high school student if smart phones became a major part of the classroom and my family couldn’t afford one… none of my classmates would have KNOWN if I didn’t have a computer at home, they’d have all known if every time we had smartphones out I had to scramble to find someone to share with. I was bullied in school and still feel a sick feeling in my stomach when I remember how reluctant some students were to share books with me at the teacher’s request because I’d forgotten mine. Kids are mean and judgmental. I’d have been at my parents throats INCESSANTLY to get me one. As it stands, I’m 23 years old and haven’t yet bothered to get one, so that shows you just how much I’d care otherwise!</p>
<p>Every other bit of technology like that that I can think of being used when I was in school was something the school provided loaners for the kids that didn’t have them if they were necessary for participation… like TI-83s when purchasing one was still optional. I think they do that for a reason.</p>
<p>Emaheevul07-how is the school providing a loaner $100 calculator any different than sharing a smartphone with a classmate? Again, in these classes most of the kids do have a smartphone, which is why the teacher uses them.</p>
<p>First- phones are still banned in the classroom. At least at our old high school. </p>
<p>Second- There is a huge difference between a calculator and a smart phone. A smartphone requires a data plan to work, which can cost $50+/month. A calculator is a onetime only expense. Calculators are required in many math classes, smartphones are not. </p>
<p>I do not believe smartphones should be used unless the school is willing to provide one to each student that doesn’t have one. </p>
<p>Well for one thing, I know for sure that if my parents HAD provided me with something so expensive as a smartphone that was not the school’s property or obligation to replace, they’d be pretty mad if I’d been required to share it in class because the person sitting next to me didn’t have one. Further, not as many people had the calculators back when there were loaners because they weren’t required and the loaners were available-- so there was no stigma if you didn’t have one. A situation where apparently 99% of the class has parents wealthy/generous enough to buy something for their kid, that is needed to participate in class, that you can’t have is an entirely different matter.</p>
<p>Well, they certainly use the expensive calculators WAY more than the smartphone apps and they don’t have loaners for them so people are expected to buy them although they are not “required”. It isn’t about being wealthy but maybe generous. I know a lot of kids got their smart phones last Christmas when Androids could be had for 97 cents and Best Buy was giving away free Iphones. Yes, there are data plans but most of the kids only got the smartphone or that and a few smaller gifts costing over the year WAY less than the expensive purses people talk about here :D. As a result, the teacher can add in some fun math apps for the kids to use during class…</p>
<p>From chatting with some high school teachers during alumni get-togethers…it seems most teachers would rather ban their use in class/school. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, it seems most of the upper/upper-middle class parents with connections/political clout and helicopterish tendencies have scared the politicians and some school admins into allowing effective unrestricted use in schools and even classrooms. </p>
<p>Personally, I’m with the teachers on their complete ban or restricting their usage to outside school hours. As it is, students with electronics in class have become a seriously disruptive disciplinary problem. </p>
<p>What’s worse is that the parents cause some of those disruptions by having the weird expectation their kids immediately respond…even during class!!! One thing those parents/relatives seem to forget…vast majority of the texts/phone calls could wait until after school…or they could leave a message and wait until school is over for a response.<br>
Being connected 24/7 is not only not always necessary…it could actually be detrimental…especially in some workplaces and in social interactions in many areas of one’s life.*</p>
<p>The problem is even worse in some college classrooms. </p>
<p>Some Prof/TA friends have not only had students who texted in class…but even obliviously answered their phones and carried out conversations during lecture…and then wondered why the Prof/TA was irate enough to sanction them with awarding zeros/negative points for that day’s/term’s class participation or even expelling them from that day’s class and counting them absent as spelled out on their syllabi policies. </p>
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<li>Some places I’ve worked at take a harsh line on personal calls during work hours not only to minimize “wasting time”…but also security breaches. I’ve also heard a marked increase in the frequency of complaints from friends about how “clueless” many first dates/SOs seem to be about how just having a cell phone out…much less actually fiddling with it is RUDE and defeats the purpose of dating someone. If your date is so lacking in his/her ability to elicit interest that you must resort to taking out your cell phone/fiddling around with it…you may want to consider taking a break from dating that person/altogether until you can get over what is an extremely off-putting habit to others.</li>
</ul>
<p>Ema is correct that it calls attention to those students doing without. She also made a good point about sharing and liability if the phone is dropped. There would be an ncreased risk of dropping/breakage by it being handed back and forth.</p>
<p>SteveMA-do 99% really have a smart phone? In a class of 20-25 students, that is fewer than one that does <em>not</em> have the phone. Doubtful, and if true, singles out that person even more so.</p>
<p>A good calculator costs $150. S1 is on his 6th year; that’s $25/ yr. A data plan for that same amount of time would cost ~<$2,500. I did that math without a smartphone :)</p>