I found it interesting when I came acros…
I found it interesting when I came across this article where 72% of students surveyed in Ontario said that cell phones should not be used in the classroom as an educational tool. Some gave the warning that it is just too distracting for them to use in the classroom. This makes me think whether students need to become accustomed to the idea of using cell phones in a classroom or whether they are in fact right and they shouldn’t use cell phones in the class. Thoughts?
http://www.cp24.com/students-not-in-favour-of-using-cellphones-for-school-1.611672
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2011/02/24/ont-student-survey.html
Posted in: Week 09:
manny 10:45 am on November 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Hi Colin,
This reminds me of a study I had read in a previous MET class. According to this study, an experimental group of students ranging in ages were asked to submit their mobile devices for a period of 48 hours. The results indicated that some of the students who were accustomed to using social media exhibited high levels of anxiety and depression similar to those withdrawing from drug addiction. Through my experience, when a student receives a bbm, tweet or facebook message, the temptation to check it is too high. There is no doubt that mobile devices pose a distraction and I think this is something we need to live with and accept if we wish to use them in education.
Manny
ETEC BYOD 11:13 am on November 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Interesting points, regarding the distraction factor. I would like to point out though, that the adults are (in my opinion) just as bad as the kids in terms of it being a distraction.
However, I also believe that this powerful tool should not be ignored, because at this time we are unfamiliar at its use, or even how to use it properly. Does more research, and strategies need to be implemented, yes. Should effective PD be developed for all age levels and professions, yes (especially considering when one of my staff members say a man texting, while riding a motorcycle).
Pandora has opened the box, and yes, all that is left inside is hope… So on that vein, what might we do as adults, educators, and potentially parents, to help ourselves and those around us learn appropriate use?
Thoughts?
Kent Jamieson 1:39 pm on November 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
For me i’m reminded of the discussions i’ve had around tech being a distraction and the fact that the pencil was once deemed ‘new technology’, and i’m sure it was fascinating, controversial and quite a hot topic of discussion. However, it is now an invisible resource, which i hope mobile devices to be one day. We’re far from that day, as we are just beginning to implement resources and programs that put digital distractions into the hands of students. I’m not arguing against the fact that cell phones don’t distract students, I just feel as many do in this class in that their potential clearly outweighs their detriment.
Peggy Lawson 6:17 pm on November 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for posting the link to the stories about that survey Colin. The distraction factor is very real, but I was surprised by the results . I’d be interested to see a wider sample being surveyed about this question. My initial tendency is to think that we need to help teach our students to deal with these distractions, putting phones aside while we deal with tasks at hand.
Peggy
Colin 9:00 pm on November 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thank-you everyone for your responses and I do agree that I would have liked to have seen a wider sample of student surveyed. I always assumed that students would embrace having BYOD but if this survey is to be believed then teachers might actually face some resistance from students to the idea. That said I do believe that it is important for students to learn educational uses for their devices as well as to learn to manage the distraction factor of their cell phones.
kstackhouse 9:02 pm on November 3, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
Thanks for bringing this up. I am not sure that students would actually oppose it. I know that when I introduced Edmodo to my class last year they were very excited about the text notices and the app. I think that the distraction is an interesting factor. I think students need to learn how to be polite and purposeful mobile users. There are a number of issues related to what would be common sense etiquette practices that many people fail to practice. Talking to someone while texting someone else really bothers me, most students do this when together. As mentioned above, the temptation to check a notice is very high. However, I think we should model how to handle this. We can’t check our notices while we are teaching or during a parent conference. Students should learn more about this. Our school has discussed creating PSA videos to address some of these issues. Another common problem is the way technology is interrupting our sleep. I do random surveys with my classes and it is becoming more common that more students are being woken up by their devices throughout the night. The shocking part is to hear how many people feel compelled to reply to a text that woke them up at 2 a.m.!
Patrick Pichette 10:04 pm on November 12, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I agree with the others regarding the distraction factor. However, even if cell phones can be distracting due to the constant notifications we receive, I still believe that the educational and increased productivity outweigh the distractions it provides. Having said that, I think it’s extremely important that students be made aware of how to configure their devices in a manner that reduces distractions. I look at my cell phone and how every application seems to think that it is so important that it needs to notify me whenever it is done something. To minimize the distractions, I’ve configured my device to disable all applications from the Notification Center other than the ones I truly need there. On top of that, I’ve disabled Sounds and Lock Screen access for all applications that I do not need this constant disturbance from. This has drastically reduced the number of distracting pop ups, buzzing sounds and lock screen light ups that I witness on a day-to-day basis. Most people don’t spend the time doing this which means they receive way more distractions than they should.