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Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

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Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#91

Post by seanmcdirmid »

zeroonetwothree wrote: post #28
Octokiddie wrote: post #9

Parents have not idea whatsoever of the destruction that phones have wrought on the education system, both in the large and in the small. Students who claim otherwise are gaslighting their parents. Parents are unfortunately all too willing to believe the lies because of course their child is above average and would never completely tune out of class for another hit on the electronic crack pipe. At this point, the pro…

I didn’t have a phone until college but I still didn’t pay attention in class in high school. It seems like a fantasy to think that if not for smartphones students would be happily sitting quietly listening to teachers, then go home and studiously do their homework. That’s just never been the case at any point in history.

Ya, same. The classes weren’t engaging, I did better just reading the book and doing homework in class.

I hope my kid gets more out of the education system than I did, or maybe he will have better options like starting college early.

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#92

Post by ajsnigrutin »

coldpie wrote: post #44
ajsnigrutin wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But still, it's not a thing that should be used in most classes, and it doesn't belong there. Even back in time when "snake" was the best mobile "app" around (so old nokia times), if a student used a phone in class, the teacher would take it away, and a parent would have to come and pick it up in school.

> Even back in time when "snake" was the best mobile "app" around (so old nokia times), Yeah, it's not 1998 anymore. Taking away Snake is not the same as taking away a student's entire social network. It's a hard problem, certainly, and we need to find solutions for it. But the situation has changed and the old solutions aren't acceptable anymore.

They have their "internet social networks" before and after class, just not during. If they still use it during, being without until a parent can pick it up is an apropriate punishment.

Also, the kids are _in school_, their social networks are sitting in chairs, walking down the halls and eating in the cafeterias all around them. 45 minutes without checking instagram won't kill anyone.

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#93

Post by LanceH »

thefz wrote: post #43
ethbr0 wrote: post #2

There's a phrase for something that people can't stop using -- addictive substance. We (and companies) need to ditch the equivocation and be honest about what we created. ( Edit ) > Parents have been split on the issue, with many critics insisting their children need phones in case of an emergency. Is a red herring and justification for helicopter parents to normalize their micromanaging. Someone shouldn't be texting…

> Parents have been split on the issue, with many critics insisting their children need phones in case of an emergency. Then buy a 30€ dumb phone. 100% of the parents I spoke with justify themselves with "all his/her friends have it, I don't want to create a social pariah".

It has a real social impact if they don't have a phone. They will miss out on things. You might argue "but if they were real friends..", but the issue is they may never get to be real friends if they keep missing out on things.

My kids get phones in 9th grade, but it is clear they aren't to be on them during school. What sets me apart from a lot of parents, though, is that I'll believe and support their teacher.

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#94

Post by hypertele-Xii »

throwawaysnxcv2 wrote: post #73
RocketOne wrote: post #8

Its overdue. As a principal I used to ban phones in our school. Back before every kid had one. If they were caught playing on them or if it rang during class, the phone went to the teacher's desk til the end of class. If it happened a second time, it came to my office til the end of the day. And a 3rd violation meant it stayed in my office til the end of the week. That last one rarely happened as any child who lost a…

Maybe there's a technical solution for this. Companies could give students a special form of (e)sim card where the school could disable data and block calls that does not go to family, emergency services etc. during class, and then unblock it automatically when there are no classes. I'm sure it's not as simple as suggested above, otherwise someone would have made it already. But perhaps there is a similar technical s…

Build a giant Faraday cage around the classrooms. Blocks telecomms.

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#95

Post by seanmcdirmid »

technothrasher wrote: post #32
RocketOne wrote: post #8

Its overdue. As a principal I used to ban phones in our school. Back before every kid had one. If they were caught playing on them or if it rang during class, the phone went to the teacher's desk til the end of class. If it happened a second time, it came to my office til the end of the day. And a 3rd violation meant it stayed in my office til the end of the week. That last one rarely happened as any child who lost a…

At my son's school, they all have to put the phones in the 'phone hotel' at the beginning of the day and pick them up at the end. Sorta worked, until the kids all just started bringing in old phones to drop in the phone hotel and keep their actual phones with them. That and the Apple watches and chromebooks mean pretty much no kid has any trouble doing whatever they want even without their phones.

What could you actually do with an Apple Watch though? Sounds like a better solution if you really need a communication link that isn’t as distracting as a smart phone. Texting is still possible, just not very convenient.

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#96

Post by seanmcdirmid »

hypertele-Xii wrote: post #94
throwawaysnxcv2 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe there's a technical solution for this. Companies could give students a special form of (e)sim card where the school could disable data and block calls that does not go to family, emergency services etc. during class, and then unblock it automatically when there are no classes. I'm sure it's not as simple as suggested above, otherwise someone would have made it already. But perhaps there is a similar technical s…

Build a giant Faraday cage around the classrooms. Blocks telecomms.

Then you’ll get a visit from the FCC.

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#97

Post by ecshafer »

Schools need to ban phones entirely, and probably parents should be strongly encouraged to not give them phones. Realistically it should be banned before 18 except basic calling.

>But many students — who use their phones for listening to music, arranging rides home, checking on grades or assignments — are unhappy with the crackdowns. Some check in with parents or coaches by text. Some think the decision should be theirs, not a school dictate.

This line is absurd. Why do you need to check in with parents or coaches during the day? You are at school, that is obvious. If parents need to get in touch, call the office and they can get the student. Or the reverse. It worked perfectly fine for the 100 years that phones existed before cell phones.

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#98

Post by mkr-hn »

ilikecakeandpie wrote: post #89
phyllistine wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The only way I see this being something that's truly time critical is if they're using "emergency" as a euphemism for school shooting. Parents are regularly getting notified about school shootings several minutes before the police. I absolutely do not want a school taking my kid's phone in this increasingly common case.

I get that, and maybe I'm being incredibly naive, but can't the schools utilize existing pipelines to inform the parents immediately? When we had a snow day, they'd call with an automated message and let us all know. Isn't there something in place to do the same for emergency situations? If not, wouldn't that be something relatively simple to build?

The existing pipeline is increasingly an app. (anecdotally from friends with kids in school)

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#99

Post by seanmcdirmid »

germinalphrase wrote: post #78
Mimmy wrote: post #17

Why do parents need to "check-in" on their kids during school hours? The fact that some parent are calling students in the middle of class is particularly egregious.

Former teacher. There is no reason. Parents can always get in touch with students via the office if there's a legitimate need. That never stopped parents from calling and texting their kids during class time of course.

The issue is more of what happens after and before school if you aren’t helicoptering them between school in an SUV. In my district, kids take city buses to middle and high school, which I think is fine, but a phone is useful in that case.

Re: Students can’t get off their phones. Schools have had enough

#100

Post by welshwelsh »

ethbr0 wrote: post #2

There's a phrase for something that people can't stop using -- addictive substance. We (and companies) need to ditch the equivocation and be honest about what we created. ( Edit ) > Parents have been split on the issue, with many critics insisting their children need phones in case of an emergency. Is a red herring and justification for helicopter parents to normalize their micromanaging. Someone shouldn't be texting…

Students don't spend time on their phones because they are "addictive," but because school is boring and doesn't provide them with anything of value.

Schools need to radically overhaul how they operate so that they can compete with TikTok for student's attention. Banning phones is lazy. I want to see:

- Gamified learning, using apps like Duolingo. TikTok-style short form videos produced by top content creators instead of boring lectures from mediocre teachers.

- Opportunities to earn real money, power and status as a reward for school achievement. Good performance should grant perks like the ability to freely skip class to play videogames, study from home or earn an income during the school day.

- Autonomy: give students control over how they learn, holding them accountable only for the results.

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