Mobile phone ban – What the??
Posted by shanetechteach on September 4, 2009
A relaxing Friday afternoon, reading the newspaper whilst preparing the dinner, and I turn to an article with the disturbing headline – Mobile Ban a Success. The online version of the article is here. Essentially, a Queensland school has adopted a zero tolerance policy with mobile phone use and sighting at school.
I can’t believe this approach, and it devastates me that it receives prominent coverage by the media. Lets all rejoice in schools doing all they can to turn back evolution and progress by banning a powerful learning device. Are they serious?
Claims within the report state that the ban has reduced cyberbullying, improved behaviour and increased respect for teachers. I for one would certainly like to see the data for that. Imagine if the staff instead looked to manage the mobile phone as a learning device (much like they already do for TV, internet, computers, whiteboards, paper). Instead of reducing behaviour problems they may increase engagement in learning and achievement of their students.
I actively encourage mobile phone use in my classes, and I can manage their use and the relationships of my students to ensure there is no bullying. To suggest a device is responsible for bullying is ridiculous. Phones don’t bully people, people bully people. So while we are at it why not take away their pens. We wouldn’t want them writing messages to each other.
I applaud the school for taking action to improve the learning environment of their students and working environment of their staff, but think they re woefully off target in their chosen action.
September 4th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
Shane that is called fear of what you can’t control. But what they don’t understand is that ultimately we can’t control people, only ourselves. Do these teachers, administrators and policy makers not remember when they were at school? For most of them mobile phones weren’t around at that time I’m pretty sure! They certainly weren’t when I was in Primary school, not even in high school —- but guess what there was still bullying! I know I got bullied and yes it hurt – but I grew stronger within as a result. I realise this is not always the case with students, so it is part of our professional responsibilities as teachers to teach emotional resilience and gauge students emotional thermometer – not ban mobiles.
September 5th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Using portable devices and going to the beach have a lot in common:
What parent wouldn’t supervise a child carefully in and out of the water? Hazards are still there- rocks, poisonous crustaceans, swirling water, tides, rips, bluebottles, even a pedophile lurking in a dark corner perhaps?
Resonsible parents will teach theit children how to enjoy the beach safely, nurturing them each step of the way. How many teachers would be confidant though, taking a whole class to the beach? I am thinking only a few. Only those with appropiate skill, training and expertise would consider it with the rest putting a ban on such activities having done a risk assessment.
Phones are banned in schools simply because teachers lack the wherewithal to really tackle the real issues – bullying, on the one hand and digital literacy on the other.
September 5th, 2009 at 7:09 am
Ahhh typed my response then forgot to put the anti spam word in…
Love your reflection above – I too saw the media coverage on TV last night and sat with absolute amazement at the comments made, as you’ve highlighted above.
I wonder if a “Pencil” or “piece of paper” is at fault for bullying?
As a system and as a society, we really need to start realising that these tools are sticking around, and isn’t it better to help our students use them safely and ethically rather than ignore them. Not to mention the learning potential! But then I guess they may produce a group of students who ‘don’t bully’ but will they operate successfully in society?
Deb
Doesn’t the sheer banning of them possibly advocate to that parent community that they are a bullying tool?
September 5th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
Hi Shane, you know I’m 100% in agreement… One comment here from the conference is relevant – “We banned all whiteboards, pens and pencils at our school because students were using them to write insults about eachother”.
September 7th, 2009 at 8:41 am
I have worked in an anti-mobile phone school. My students used them in my classes every day. We used the calculator in science and maths, the cameras to record results of experiments and projects. The administration were hugely against them. Therefore it was an awkward moment when the Principal arrived at the class and found an entire yr 8 science class not only with mobile phones out but also using them! He told the students to put them away and they said “we’re using them as calculators”. Even the child who was famous for not engaging with learning was working. I got called outside and asked to explain why I was flouting the rules and it was very uncomfortable.
I suspect people promoting the use of devices such as mobiles are going to continue to stand our grounds on this. This attitude will continue for a while yet. One of the problems I believe is the cameras. People are scared that problems in the schools will be aired on you-tube and feel the first response to this is to ban the device that enables this behaviour. They forget that at the same time they can also enable some really powerful learning.
I would love to see the parameters and data that the school used to make the claims regarding cyberbullying, improved behaviour and increased respect for teachers. It would be interesting to see how valid they actually are. I also find it interesting that there in no mention of engagement or learning being increased.
Vocal chords are a great mobile device. Most students carry them with them every day. They are often used to put people down as an enabling tool of bullies. I wonder how they will ban students from using their vocal chords?
September 9th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Great discussion generated here. We are a small Catholic primary school in Bowraville and are enjoying our first adventure into using an iTouch as a learning in hand device. Using it, creating and managing podcasts and downloading APPS have been successful. Hoping to graduate to using some mobile phones in education
May I digress and ask a management question?
Our school, like most of yours I’m sure, has a network system and every person in the school community has their own profile once logged onto a computer.
So what happens in your school when an iTouch or iPod is used by a group of people. Does one person manage the ‘account’ and then the device is synced to only one computer under that person’s profile? This one person would be responsible for setting up the podcasts, adding appropriate playlists for different groups of students, download APPS from a special account etc. This is how I would do it – but is there a better way?
We need to get our head around this management side before we purchase more devices in our next budget.
Can you shed some light on the management side of a communal iTouch device please?
Thanks
Lesleigh Altmann
September 11th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Lesleigh,
I would encourage a nominated responsible person to manage the devices. I’m not sure how many devices you can sync to a single iTunes installation, but this would ensure consistency. An extra job unfortunately.
September 13th, 2009 at 8:02 am
What bothered me most about this story, was listening to ABC radio and how they were so gung-ho in their support of the school and their support of this ban.
No alternative viewpoint was raised – it was as though it didn’t exist.
I really, really wanted to ring up and give my point, but it was 7.30am – I was dropping off my kids and getting ready for the school day – and besides, I was unsure if I would be able to hold my temper.
And I’m not as articulate, or as learned, as some (eg Shane).
How do we get the alternative “side” to this issue out for discussion in the wider (non-education) community?