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Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

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Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#191

Post by iainmerrick »

jimbob45 wrote: post #131
thedingwing wrote: post #123

I went to high school when cell phones were common and most students had them. But, at least at my school, if you had one out during class it was instantly confiscated and returned by the front office after school. I assumed this was the norm, so articles about "cell phone bans" as a new policy are surprising to me. I assumed it always was this way. When did schools start allowing cell phone use during class? Do teac…

Same policy here. Seemed like it worked just fine. If you really needed to use it, you had time between periods and during lunch.

I believe most UK schools have the same policy. However, I've heard from teacher friends that it's difficult and time-consuming to enforce -- kids will do anything to sneak in a bit of phone time during lessons.

If you really needed to use it, you had time between periods and during lunch.

The people campaigning about this are concerned about that too.

Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#192

Post by fergonco »

thedingwing wrote: post #123

I went to high school when cell phones were common and most students had them. But, at least at my school, if you had one out during class it was instantly confiscated and returned by the front office after school. I assumed this was the norm, so articles about "cell phone bans" as a new policy are surprising to me. I assumed it always was this way. When did schools start allowing cell phone use during class? Do teac…

There are teachers out there asking students to look up words in their phone. They forget to add "and please ignore all notifications, games, etc. while you're at it".

And then there are kahoots, which makes learning a game (you don't need effort!) and exercises are automatically corrected (so teachers don't need effort either).

There is no way to escape tech in some places.

Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#193

Post by n4r9 »

kwhitefoot wrote: post #180
chgs wrote: post #172

Our son’s high school (Shropshire) requires a phone - homework is set via app (no website option), sometimes homework requires an app to do it, all comms is via app (so parent also need an app) They are sometimes told to get their phones out in class to perform work. In theory phones are banned outside these hours, but unless a teacher is in the room that’s not enforced.

How can a UK school require a mobile as an educational tool? I thought primary and secondary education was supposed to be free in the UK.

OP may send their child to a private secondary school, like 18% of secondary school students in the UK. Private schools tend to have kids from wealthier backgrounds as well as the resources to provide devices to those who can't afford them.

A friend of mine works in a boarding school where the pupils are provided tablets in order to do their work, join video calls etc... .

Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#194

Post by Ylpertnodi »

knallfrosch wrote: post #176
hannob wrote: post #155

I mean, I somehow understand the motivation behind a phone ban. But Fitbits? I understand there's probably a problem creating a clear separation, but in times where lack of movement and exercise is causing major health problems, we probably shouldn't disincentivize young people using fitness devices.

Wearing a tracker doesn't actually increase your fitness.

It will track some things you do to improve fitness. I had a fitbit (until it crapped out, and i lost faith in the company) and would walk in the mornings, lunchtimes and - if i hadn't got my steps in - I'd walk at night, too. Without a tracker - as i am now - up, work, home: and certainly not as fit as i was when using a tracker.

Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#196

Post by watwut »

WalterBright wrote: post #44
xoa wrote: post #2

Having used a Palm Pilot to genuine benefit in highschool in the 90s, and having finally just gotten a smart watch in part specifically to reduce smartphone usage, I have mixed feelings about broad restrictions. Networked smart phones absolutely have major addictive and disruptive effects, and are hard to police in practice. But watches provide some pretty useful health and emergency benefits, while IME have lived up…

> But watches provide some pretty useful health and emergency benefits For kids? How ever did anyone survive before 1990.

It was accepted as a fact that kids got lost or in trouble and needed help from strangers. Or that parents had no idea where they are.

Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#197

Post by lupusreal »

shiroiushi wrote: post #153
WalterBright wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does a health monitor need to be in constant connection with the internet? If there's a problem, it can just beep at you. Yes, school shootings are a problem. But why does there need to be 30 cell phones in the classroom? The landline on the teacher's desk can be enough. Or even a button to turn off the jammer. For wildfire, call the principal who then hits the fire button. We had tornado drills in elementary sch…

>Yes, school shootings are a problem. But why does there need to be 30 cell phones in the classroom? The landline on the teacher's desk can be enough. Or even a button to turn off the jammer. A single landline isn't going to help 30 kids call their parents and say a final good-bye before the shooter kills them, while the town police force stands outside.

That's a rare circumstance that is made to seem more common by very wide media coverage. And even in that sort of situation, it seems doubtful that it actually helps anybody either. Some parents will show up and get in the way of emergence responders. Most kids who call their parents will end up surviving anyway, and the phonecalls end up increasing the number of people who get PTSD from the whole thing. If a modest sized school of 500 kids has an above average shooting which kills 20, then you have 480+ parents getting a premature ""last call""; all would have been better off hearing about the incident after they already knew their kid was safe.

Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#198

Post by dyauspitr »

chgs wrote: post #177
dyauspitr wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dread the day when my daughter (who is now 3) tells me that she is a laughing stock and pariah because she misses out on every event that happens at school because she doesn’t have a smart phone/no social media. The only way to correctly do this is to outright ban kids from having smart phones and accessing social media nationwide. Being the handful that selectively buck the system is a hard road.

You’re absolutely right (I suspect some have read this as 3 year olds need phones). But aren’t kids already banned from many places they congregate. WhatsApp, Fortnite, etc. A ban only works if 1) significant numbers support it 2) the ban is enforced And neither of those are likely outside of school, and in my experience are unlikely in school.

Oh yeah, to clarify, I mean when she like 10.

I believe banning kids from using smart phones is much more enforceable than individual bans on particular sites

Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#199

Post by defrost »

chgs wrote: post #178
WalterBright wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> But watches provide some pretty useful health and emergency benefits For kids? How ever did anyone survive before 1990.

You never used a pay phone as a kid?

Good grief, he's not that old ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bright

Maybe mentally append a '/s' to the comment you replied to.

Re: Greenwich schools to ban most cellphones, Apple Watches, Fitbits and more

#200

Post by dyauspitr »

monero-xmr wrote: post #164
Refusing23 wrote: post #160

my kid has a phone that is so boring to use (only snake, texting and calling) that he has it in the bottom of his backpack and only takes it out when he needs to call me its truly amazing and i hope to keep it this way forever. meanwhile the rest of his class mates have smartphones and stare at it from the moment they leave their home ... and i assume till it runs out of battery. they dont even watch where they're go…

I had a gameboy with a special cartridge loaded with roms I ordered from a strange European import site that took 3 months to arrive, and this was 2002! I played video games in every class. I was a bad student. I set a bad example. Yet learning how to load roms on it, the firmware, the command line. My poor mother didn't know what to do with me - I was constantly late, skipping school, in detention, hanging out with…

Sure you made it but that’s probably not the norm. Also, there are plenty of people that do a three month boot camp course late in life and end up doing well in software and tech careers. You don’t really have to be loading roms when you’re seven years old for it to work out.
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