mobile phones in schools - yay or nay?

phryne

onlyroz wrote: »

Obviously the kids shouldn't be fiddling about with the phones during lessons but I don't see a problem with them having a phone at school and using it during break times.

Apparently what's happening since the ban is, the kids are actually talking to each other during breaks instead of sitting there individually glued to their devices.

phryne

And for the benefit of the person on the first page of this thread taking swipes at me for supposedly asking questions but not returning to the thread, just like hbk..whatever (and also to the person thanking them for their useful post ) I have been away from my computer for a few days. I do hope that's alright with you. You might want to bear in mind not everybody has the time - or the inclination - to spend all day every day writing on a message board..



Anyway back on topic.. Generally I think mobile phone use has made us MORE anxious and we actually become dependent on the things. It's always been perfectly possible to get to and from school without using a phone. Granted there were phone boxes around years ago (there still are in a lot of places) and on the rare occasion that you NEEDED to contact your parents you could use one of them, and even reverse the charge if necessary. But now it seems that parents want to track the child, like a parcel lol, to see where they are all the time, and I'm not sure this is healthy.

pogofish

Given the way my teachers and indeed some of my former colleagues used to treat kids, I think every child should carry a smart phone, for evidential purposes as much as anything and to call for help when they lock you in filing cupboards/behaviour holes and the like.

foxtrotoscar_2

svain wrote: »

What strange thinking ... (unless you are a child?) .... On that basis children should be able to drink alcohol, have sex and smoke

The kids at the school I used to work at did all three!

Starchaser

peachyprice wrote: »

I wonder how many of the people who voted NO leave their phones at home when they go to work?

svain wrote: »

How is that at all relevant?

peachyprice wrote: »

It's relevant because it's a prime example of parents treating their children as lesser beings just because they are children.

If an adult doesn't leave the house without their phone why should their children be expected to? What makes whatever may be happening in their lives more important than what may be happening in their children's lives?

In my view there is an important difference.
Being at school is a formative time in a child's life. They're learning about several different subjects in order to inform them of the world in general, and to help them possibly develop interests that will help them decide what to do with their lives after school. They're also developing their social interaction skills with their peers, hopefully involving things like empathy. I believe that smartphones in school could impair a child's ability to do these things. As a poster implied previously, I think it's too early to say how smartphones will affect children that have grown up with them.

My view is that children should be allowed to take a phone to school for use in contact emergencies, and perhaps to use in classroom activities when permitted. At other times the phone should be off/silent and in bags or lockers, including at breaktimes.

Ultimately though, I think each school should be allowed to set their own rules on the matter.

Lioness_Twinkletoes

Comms69 wrote: »

They should have mobiles for emergencies; but if school want to stop general usage - that seems reasonable.

Surely a genuine emergency can and should be dealt with through the school office?

maman

Lioness_Twinkletoes wrote: »

Surely a genuine emergency can and should be dealt with through the school office?

Of course.


I firmly believe that pupils should be able to take their phones to school. IMO, any school that bans them completely is trying to turn back the tide. Mobile phones are part of everyday life so it's far better that students learn responsible use than try banning them.


Of course in an ideal world parents would have taught their children an etiquette for using phones so the school wouldn't have to but that's not the world we live in.

Ergates

Lioness_Twinkletoes wrote: »

Surely a genuine emergency can and should be dealt with through the school office?

That presumes they're in school and not on their way to or from school, or in some after school activity.

RichardD1970

peachyprice wrote: »

I wonder how many of the people who voted NO leave their phones at home when they go to work?

I'm not allowed my phone at work. Technically it's not allowed on the shopfloor even if in your pocket and can only be used at designated break times. Anything else is a disciplinary offence.

DigForVictory

Our Scouts are expected to use a Phone Box - and put their mobiles into supervised storage during Scouts unless otherwise agreed. I don't see why that couldn't work at school, and it would make bunking off early a bit more obvious. However, there will be bright sparks who sign in a dumb phone & keep the smart phone mute in a pocket...