So much for bicycles for the mind I guess :(
Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
51–60 of 263 posts
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#52We've come full circle. When I was in high school (2013), smartphones had just started to become the default (i had a galaxy s2) and cell phones had been banned in-class since they became common for every teenager to have one (as early as 2007 for me, probably earlier than that for older millennials) I guess at some point teachers gave up trying to enforce the rules. Or the idea of being away from your phone for hour…
>I guess at some point teachers gave up trying to enforce the rules. Or the idea of being away from your phone for hours at a time became strange to everyone. Or maybe teachers thought they could incorporate phones into lesson plans. I can speak from experience in teaching, and being married to a teacher who both have seem the implementation of smartphones and the consequences thereof. It's not the students, it's not…
I grew up in a rural area and I was running off into the woods behind my house with my siblings at like age 4 or 5, no supervision required. The idea that a kid can't play in the woods by themselves is weird to me. Parents are definitely getting to helicoptering, I saw a group of 18 year olds decide they wanted to get pizza while at someone's house, and then decide to all call their parents to ask if it were okay (not ask for money, just ask if it were okay). I was flabbergasted.
The relationship parents have with kids is way too much and people need to tone it down. Banning cell phones is a good first step.
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
That's eliminating the temptation forcefully, not training to ignore it.
You enforce discipline from an extrinsic source until the expectations are understood and self discipline takes over. Works with dogs, soldiers and kids the same. Doesn't work with cats sadly. And the best thing you can do is model the behavior of putting your phone away and out of sight for things like meals and family time.
This is exactly how we fought the war on drugs! I'm sure it will go great!
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#54Since the cat is out of the bag regarding mandatory education, I don't support this. Allowing kids to use smartphones freely in schools 1) will act as a very good filter and 2) will keep the most annoying kids entertained thus allowing the kids who pass through the former filter to learn without interruptions. The way it works now, we're just going for the lowest common denominator. The results are obvious.
Majorly oppose this proposal for a bunch of reasons.
Also, fun fact: phone confiscation (except during midterms/finals) is a punishable offense at my university.
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#55Going against HN's usual anti-smartphone thing, I think this is incredibly dumb. Luckily no one really cares much about what UNESCO calls for. Outright bans on smartphones in schools are no different from the video game, TV screen time, "kids will only play games on computers" and other related superstitions that were in vogue back in the early 2000s. All they did was make parents feel validated (without having to pu…
> Outright bans on smartphones in schools are no different from the video game, TV screen time
Back then kids were not watching tv or playing video games in the middle of class.
I remember when I was in school people were texting on their flip phones, I can't imagine the extent of distractions in school today. I used to pay attention in class only because there was nothing more entertaining to do. If I had a phone and could play minecraft while my teacher lectured us on US history I would not have learned anything.
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
We did just fine in schools before smartphones. Perhaps even better .
Do you mean to imply that education outcomes are unrelated to technology or that advancing technology may make them worse? Do you think there's a defensible abstraction of your claim? We also did "just fine, if not better" in my role at the bank (vaguely) before digitization. I assure you, the efficiency upgrades of advancing technology pay for themselves many times over, even if there are hiccups and new learning to…
It’s time to have a higher standard of “technology”.
Phones aren’t some magical solution to better education. They are just a source of digital candy, digital crack, that pollutes minds with harmful or vapid ideas.
If you want an advanced teaching device, build one from scratch and make it nothing like a phone.
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#57Well, I'm not supporting this. Our society try to ban everything. I believe education is better than repression. Ok, it takes time but it worth it.
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#58How about teaching kids self control and concentration?
Because these things are addictive? You can say the same for drugs, alcohol, and most people that consume those are adults, how can you expect kids to do what adults can't? You see 90% of people in the buses, trains looking their phones like idiots (including me). It is very difficult because it creates addiction.
> You see 90% of people in the buses, trains looking their phones like idiots (including me).
Isn't that just making the best of a bad situation? I am guilty myself, but at the same time I forget that I even have a device when not subject to such drudgery. Addiction usually implies a greater compulsion.
Which, too, explains why this ban is only targeted at schools and not in general like drugs. While there are some skillful teachers, most aren't worth your time. As such, the phones come out as a distraction. In my pre-smartphone youth we were doodling in our notebooks, or what have you, instead but the motivation was the same.
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
We did just fine in schools before smartphones. Perhaps even better .
Do you mean to imply that education outcomes are unrelated to technology or that advancing technology may make them worse? Do you think there's a defensible abstraction of your claim? We also did "just fine, if not better" in my role at the bank (vaguely) before digitization. I assure you, the efficiency upgrades of advancing technology pay for themselves many times over, even if there are hiccups and new learning to…
What are the concrete uses of phones in enhancing education? I've only seen
portable calculator: fair, but why write problems that rely on calculators
searching things up: just note it down for later
taking pictures of slides: teacher can just post the slides
Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
#60Going against HN's usual anti-smartphone thing, I think this is incredibly dumb. Luckily no one really cares much about what UNESCO calls for. Outright bans on smartphones in schools are no different from the video game, TV screen time, "kids will only play games on computers" and other related superstitions that were in vogue back in the early 2000s. All they did was make parents feel validated (without having to pu…
> Outright bans on smartphones in schools are no different from the video game, TV screen time
The distinction is that tvs and video games are indeed banned in school. Banning smart phone usage outright is different from banning smart phones in school.