Comments on: Teach Cell Phones, Don’t ban them

By: Chris T

Chris T — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 18:55:45 +0000

The problem is that it is extremely difficult to make sure that students aren’t using them to text students in other rooms during the class period. I have had to deal with students more than 20 times this year about texting during class to other students, and that’s with a punishment of in-school suspension for repeated offenses (and no ban, just a rule that cell phones should be off during the school day). I teach high schoolers, who are by far more intelligent and likely to try and weasel around rules than middle schoolers.

I have students playing video games on their graphing calculators more often than using them for classwork, and that’s with our teaching them what graphing calculators can do. The thought that this answer to this is as easy as “let’s just show them what it can do and tell them what they can’t use them for” is naive.

By: Barry

Barry — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:09:48 +0000

Aren’t you also risking a class division, as the wealthier kids will be able to afford the phones with all those features, but the poorer kids won’t?

Also, you speak of all the things cell phone can (and likely will) be in the future – video conferencing, credit card purchasing – but they’re not available now, and I see no reason to relax restrictions on their use until they’re actually practical in an educational setting.

I don’t mind they’re being safely tucked away in a backpack, off until after school but during school hours if they need to get in touch with mom or mom needs to get in touch with them, there’ve always been ways to do that since time began through the school office. And it reduces the opportunity for cheating if they don’t have them in the classroom.

There’s nothing wrong with teachers using them for updates and reminders after school hours, but email works just as well. It’s just the students have somehow turned their back on email in favor of – ugh! – Facebook and MySpace as a communication medium. Defies explanation…

By: Rosana Hart

Rosana Hart — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:59:37 +0000

I wouldn’t be in favor of this because I think the jury is going to be out for quite a long time on whether cellphones are potentially harmful to young brains. Mercola.com is one site that makes some good points against having kids using cellphones.

BTW, came here from your twitter tweet about this page.

By: Doug McCaughan

Doug McCaughan — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 19:37:55 +0000

I think that’s part of what incorporating them into the curriculum could do under the “responsibility” bullet above. Naturally, as with all things scholastic, I am not implying the burden be placed solely upon the schools. Parents must be involved in teaching and reinforcing the habits.

By: Barry

Barry — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 16:17:45 +0000

They won’t ever be used as anything but gossip devices if we don’t regulate our own kids’ texting habits early…