I had a lot of fun producing this videocast for my A1 assignement. I decided to discuss the topic of cellphones in schools. I hope you enjoy! Feel free to leave me a comment here, or on my Youtube channel.
Here are the references for my analysis. You can also see them at the end of the videocast.
References
Board, S. E. (2019, November 04). Doug Ford’s classroom cellphone ban changes little. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/2019/11/04/doug-fords-classroom-cellphone-ban-changes-little.html
Digital transformation: A framework for ICT literacy, a report of the International ICT Literacy Panel. (2001). Educational Testing Service.
Johnson, M., Riel, R., & Germain-Froese, B. (2016). Connected to Learn: Teachers’ Experiences with Networked Technologies in the Classroom. Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse.
Karsenti, T. (2019). Acting as ethical and responsible digital citizens: The teacher’s key role. Formation Et Profession, 27(1), 112. doi:10.18162/fp.2019.a167
Karsenti, T. (2018). Agir en citoyen numérique éthique et responsable (Behaving as Ethical and Responsible Digital Citizen). SSRN Electronic Journal. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3300319
Ribble, M. (2015). Digital citizenship in schools: Nine elements all students should know. International Society for Technology in Education.
I agree with the students, cell phones should not be banned from the classroom. From a teacher perspective, I believe that banning cell phones would not work, be difficult to implement and enforce as students would find ways to subvert the rules with the net result that the problem would be hidden instead. I agree with you that we need to teach our students that the smartphone in their pocket can be a learning tool and to teach students to self-regulate. I also agree that smartphones can be a learning tool in the classroom and smartphones that are like body parts which can be interpreted as an augmentation to the human to make them more capable. So the ever-present availability of this tool makes it immediately most ‘handy’ to the learning purpose. I agree with you on the use of strategies to teach with and manage cell phones in the classroom. However, at the same time, I also believe that students are not able to prevent their smartphones from distracting them in class when students already have their smartphones in their hands.
Hi Ram,
I really like your comparison of cellphone to our body parts and how it could be “handy” (really good pun, LOL). I echo with you and Veronique that cellphone can be a very powerful tool for anybody because I have seen students made amazing projects with them. Honestly, we will all get distracted by something at some point, in this case, cellphone is the suspect. I think as educators we have a bigger responsibility besides educating the students, we also need to be models in school, plus educating parents to be models at home.
Hello Veronique,
It is an issue that I have been struggling with for a very long time. One would think that adults might have a little bit more self-control, but it seems that they get “addicted” or distracted by the cellphone. The use of the cellphone is a double-edged sword. I believe that these guidelines and instructors mentoring students on the use of cellphone for learning should be introduced to them as soon as they start using cellphones.
For those who already have been using the cellphone before using it for learning purposes, would these approaches be as effective?
Hi Silvia, like your, I believe many, many teachers are struggling with this problem, myself included. I think it is a difficult problem at the moment, as yet needing a solution.