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Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

theguardian.com

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Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#161

Post by yourusername »

vacuity wrote: post #127
mongol wrote: post #119

In the workplace you have BYOD, bring your own device. But in order to access the services needed at your workplace, you need to install MS Intune and similar, which basically give your workplace limited admin access, they can remotely wipe your device, set stronger pin requirements etc. Perhaps something similar should be made available for schools. So the school can limit use of the phone without putting the phone…

> they can remotely wipe your device That seems like a no-go. What are they wiping, exactly?

Depends on the enrollment type. If they are using app protection policies they're just wiping the corporate data from apps. If they're making you completely enroll your phone they could wipe everything but that's a no go for most people.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#162

Post by cubefox »

edu wrote: post #132
cubefox wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What does close mean? So close that they can walk there instead of using the subway?

I can speak of my case in Barcelona, I used to walk to schools since I was around 11-12. A 20 minutes walks in a pretty centric location, also took the seldom bus/metro to go there or visit some friend.

Okay, but presumably most school kids don't live in pretty centric locations.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#163

Post by unethical_ban »

TheAceOfHearts wrote: post #136

I wish education went the other way, focusing on integrating educational tools to adapt to a world where everyone has access to the world's full repertoire of knowledge at all times. Teach kids to integrate these powerful tools as part of their learning and problem solving skills. By the time a kid is out of high school they should have a powerful index of knowledge accessible from all devices to help them tackle com…

How do you integrate Instagram into a lesson plan, and why?

Banning personal smartphones and forcing kids to focus on the class is the objective, not to be arbitrarily Luddite.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#164

Post by rationalist »

Shrezzing wrote: post #40
rationalist wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the next logical step would be to find a community of like-minded parents and set those kids up to be friends.

Having been a teenager once myself, I can attest that there's nothing in this world that'd more successfully ostricize a kid socially, than grouping them with other isolated kids.

I think it depends how big the group is. If the group is 3 or 4 kids, then yes, that will be a problem. If the group is larger where they can choose who their friends are and not be constantly surrounded by others with phones, then it might work.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#165

Post by distortionfield »

rainclouds wrote: post #79
retrac wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> My 12 year old can take the subway to school by himself, but ONLY if he has a phone in case he ends up in some wackadoodle situation where his train has gone express or is on another train line and he needs to call his lifeline (me!) to figure out how to work it out. I was taking the subway to school by myself at 12 in Toronto (maybe a slightly less intense city, to be fair). I'm not sure about NYC but in Toronto i…

Turning red is accurate /verified. The only place I’ve personally witnessed wide spread mass transit use for youth in school is Japan. Totally normal and feels safe.

Germany, too. Very common to see very young children riding the U Bahn or S Bahn alone.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#166

Post by rationalist »

stathibus wrote: post #32
rationalist wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the next logical step would be to find a community of like-minded parents and set those kids up to be friends.

Parents can't just get together and decide that their 14 year olds are going to be friends.

14 is way too late to start, so you are correct.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#167

Post by unethical_ban »

porcupinepig wrote: post #96

The smartphone is the greatest education tool in perhaps ever. All the world’s information available immediately on a handheld device. The stuff of magic. Taking this away from anyone, especially children who will benefit the most from this amazing resource, is tantamount to child abuse.

You don't need all the world's information. You need to listen to the teacher and follow the lesson plan during class.

If kids could learn effectively and become educated citizens with zero adult curation or guidance, you'd be right.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#168

Post by narag »

verve_rat wrote: post #64
bgribble wrote: post #42

My kid just graduated from a NYC high school that had a complete ban on phones in school. The kids checked in their phones at the front desk on the way in and got them back when leaving. It was by no means watertight -- many (most?) kids had a "burner" phone that was dead or broken or whatever that they turned in (because nobody would believe a highschooler who said they didn't have their phone with them lol) and the…

Did 12 year olds take the subway to school 20, 30 years ago? (Genuinely asking, never lived in a place with a subway, but took the bus all the time at that age.)

In Madrid my son did, ten years ago.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#169

Post by unethical_ban »

veave wrote: post #39

Since 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.

"Since the cat is out of the bag regarding functional democracy"

Optional education for students is fine if we don't utilize self-government.

"Filtering" kids more easily distracted or less motivated leaves behind a lot of decent kids who just need more support than a self-starter. It's a horrible idea.

Re: Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools

#170

Post by sidewndr46 »

distortionfield wrote: post #165
rainclouds wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Turning red is accurate /verified. The only place I’ve personally witnessed wide spread mass transit use for youth in school is Japan. Totally normal and feels safe.

Germany, too. Very common to see very young children riding the U Bahn or S Bahn alone.

I remember being on a train in the Bavarian countryside and was puzzled when at one stop it was suddenly filled with 10-13 year olds. Then I realized the time made about sense for school to let out. They got off at the next few stops
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