So an intruder comes into the day care center. You don't want your wife or an adult to have a cell phone on them to call for help?

 

The Boss/manager has a phone (notice I said I could speak to her if I called her place of business directly) and I am more concerned of a fire/thunderstorm/tornado/earthquake/child biting her, than a intruder getting into her room! Heck on the few occasions that I have visited her at her work place, it's like getting into Fort Knox!

My school district disallowed cell phones about four years ago. This did coincide with a new principal, so as a science teacher I must point out that changing two variables in an experiment makes reaching a conclusion on the results very difficult. However, after the new cell phone policy went in place, disciplinary issues went down drasitically. I used to have to confiscate phones frequently for kids that were texting. Now, the only time a phone is an issue is if one goes off in class (maybe twice a year.) Phones are supposed to be in lockers, but if a kid has it on them and it is off, no one will know, so it is not an issue.

 

As to the issue of allowing phones, due to possible positive technological uses, I am reserved. I don't want texting distracting students. It used to, back when we allowed phones. I wouldn't care even remotely if I were recorded in the classroom. I welcome anyone, anytime as long as they don't distract my students. What I don't know is what would be gained from allowing that there aren't already tools in place to make those same gains. Maybe EKUbum will be able to give us more details later on this.

The Old Guy is...well...old.

 

As soon as you ban cell phones from every minute of the school day you'll be overloaded with detention and trips to the Asst. Principal's office. In the end, they would lose more educational time than if you give them a little leniency.

 

I might be old but I am around HS kids enough to understand that with a phone in a HS kids hands, they are going to use it and not for what you think they will be using it for!

I might be old but I am around HS kids enough to understand that with a phone in a HS kids hands, they are going to use it and not for what you think they will be using it for!

 

You are saying that teachers cannot control their classroom.

You are saying that teachers cannot control their classroom.

 

No, he's not. He's saying that it is a waste of time for the teacher to spend time controlling it when they can instead spend the time teaching.

 

I have had a variety of kids and situations over the year. I've never NOT had control of any classroom, but I have had a few instances where the amount of time that I've had to spend maintaining discipline noticeably encroaching on time that I could have used to teach.

Funny my daughter attended a HS that didn't have locks on their lockers and she never lost a single item from it in four years and my guess is that you can still call your school to get a hold of your child during school hours!

 

My wife works at a day care center and she is not allowed to have her phone with her. I can call the day care to speak to her but she/they are not allowed to carry their phones with them, as the children parents, you know the ones that pay her wages, like her spending her time watching/working/teaching their children and not talking on the phone!

 

Everybody is different. I hate being put on hold and with texting I can get what I need taken care of in two 15 second text messages.

I might be old but I am around HS kids enough to understand that with a phone in a HS kids hands, they are going to use it and not for what you think they will be using it for!

 

There's going to be 2-4 like that in every class. Should the other 26 be punished and not allowed to use modern technology because a few take advantage of it? I don't think so.

No, he's not. He's saying that it is a waste of time for the teacher to spend time controlling it when they can instead spend the time teaching.

 

I have had a variety of kids and situations over the year. I've never NOT had control of any classroom, but I have had a few instances where the amount of time that I've had to spend maintaining discipline noticeably encroaching on time that I could have used to teach.

 

You said earlier that now you only have a ringing cellphone about twice per yr. You have controlled your class.

 

 

Did I misunderstand your original post?

Hopefully I haven't mislead. The phones are to be used ONLY as an instructional tool. That's the goal anyway.

 

I don't see how that is a bad thing.

My school district disallowed cell phones about four years ago. This did coincide with a new principal, so as a science teacher I must point out that changing two variables in an experiment makes reaching a conclusion on the results very difficult. However, after the new cell phone policy went in place, disciplinary issues went down drasitically. I used to have to confiscate phones frequently for kids that were texting. Now, the only time a phone is an issue is if one goes off in class (maybe twice a year.) Phones are supposed to be in lockers, but if a kid has it on them and it is off, no one will know, so it is not an issue.

 

As to the issue of allowing phones, due to possible positive technological uses, I am reserved. I don't want texting distracting students. It used to, back when we allowed phones. I wouldn't care even remotely if I were recorded in the classroom. I welcome anyone, anytime as long as they don't distract my students. What I don't know is what would be gained from allowing that there aren't already tools in place to make those same gains. Maybe EKUbum will be able to give us more details later on this.

 

While my view may chance (time will tell) I wish personally we had a no cell phone policy. That would be my own preference as I like as little distractions as possible in my classroom.

 

Having said that, it is true that the cell phones could add more resources to the classroom in theory as we don't have easy access to computers. There are more teachers and classes than there are computer labs and mobile carts, so a teacher with students allowed to use the phones could incorporate that into their lessons much easier than scheduling lab time.

 

I'm curious to see how it goes, as is my district. I will not be allowing it in my classroom at the beginning but will monitor the results and see if it changes my mind.

IF there were a situation where there weren't enough computers for everyone to use, AND it was part of the classroom project at the time, I would see how allowing the cell phones to double as a "research tool" could/would be a benefit.

 

And, if there were a serious emergency situation, sure it would be nice to have 30 cell phones at the ready. However, in all of the classrooms, in all of the states, for every school day that takes place...how often does that situation really arise?

 

However, I think what's missing is the fact that kids will use the phones for various other "activities". And while it would be great to be able to control things on a network, who's to say that they don't just bypass it and use their own data plan to surf the web? Facebook updates from 4th period English class...you betcha. Angry Birds (or whatever game they've already downloaded) during 2nd period Chemistry...you got it. Because the phones nowdays can do sooooooooooo many things, I think it's naive to believe the kids will ONLY be using them for the "right" purposes.

 

So, I agree with TB&G...eliminate all the distractions (or the potential for distraction) for both the students and the teachers...and let the classroom learning begin.

We cannot discount safety simply because of frequency. Punish kids that use them in violation of the rules.

 

Replace teachers that cannot teach because they cannot enforce rules.

Again, I think people are being naive if they believe a no cellphone policy will be adhered to by every student.

You said earlier that now you only have a ringing cellphone about twice per yr. You have controlled your class.

 

 

Did I misunderstand your original post?

 

No. Now that we have a "no cell phones in class" policy, I only have a couple of violations per year, as opposed to a couple of violations per day when they were allowed to use them between classes and have them on their person. Now, they are supposed to be locked in their lockers, though certainly if they are off and in their purse or pocket, they aren't going to ring, vibrate or make any disturbance.

 

Your reply to TOG, who mentioned that kids would be doing everything but what they were supposed to be doing on their cellphones IF allowed in class, was that in that case a teacher doesn't have control of their classroom. I disagree. I could maintain that classroom, but at the cost of a noticeable loss of instructional time.

No. Now that we have a "no cell phones in class" policy, I only have a couple of violations per year, as opposed to a couple of violations per day when they were allowed to use them between classes and have them on their person. Now, they are supposed to be locked in their lockers, though certainly if they are off and in their purse or pocket, they aren't going to ring, vibrate or make any disturbance.

 

Your reply to TOG, who mentioned that kids would be doing everything but what they were supposed to be doing on their cellphones IF allowed in class, was that in that case a teacher doesn't have control of their classroom. I disagree. I could maintain that classroom, but at the cost of a noticeable loss of instructional time.

 

Do you see any potential positives ie emergencies?