One of the most hotly debated topics in education is whether students should have access to their cell phones at school. Glenn Robbins, superintendent of the Brigantine Public School District in New Jersey, talks to us about the potential positives and negatives of banning cell phones in schools and the way forward.
Cell phones have become one of the most important technological devices in our lives, offering a way to stay in touch with family, friends, and emergency contacts. But they can also create distractions in the classroom. Is banning cell phones the right way to go?
“I think it’s a proven statistical point,” Robbins says. “Over the last few years, we’ve seen discipline numbers go up. We’ve seen academic issues go up, and the question is whether that was due to the closures when the lockdown happened. You see the academic issues that some of these kids are having who were in virtual mode or not in school for a year or two. You hear a lot of administrators and teachers talk about how respect and discipline are not their cup of tea.”
The pandemic has changed the way many students and teachers view in-person school, but one thing that hasn't changed is that students stay in touch with their friends, and that's through their cell phones. But cell phones have many other uses beyond communication. Does that alter our considerations when it comes to banning cell phone use?
“What I’m most concerned about with this is equity, and by that I mean you have kids from all different backgrounds coming to your school,” Robbins says. “They may only have a cell phone at home. It may be a tablet. They may not have an updated laptop or Chromebook, whatever. So when the teacher sends the student home with homework, they may not have access to all these different apps and programs (that we’re using). So that’s one part that I’m a little concerned about.”
<h2 id="dealing-with-technology-based-issues-such-as-cyberbullying-3″>How to deal with technological problems such as cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is much more prevalent now due to children's access to connected devices and social media. Would banning mobile phones completely eliminate cyberbullying?
“I’ve seen articles where people talk about trying to stop cyberbullying,” Robbins says. “My question is, what happens when the bell rings at the end of the day? What’s the first thing a kid does? They pull out their phone. And from the end of the school day until they come back the next day, they’re teaching themselves what to do and what not to do with their devices.”
Focusing efforts on strongly promoting digital literacy during the school day can help inform students about the appropriate use of devices.
“We can show them the possibilities of how ethical use of a device can help them become successful citizens,” Robbins says. “I often think about ai. How do we use it? How do we analyze it? How do we dig deeper? How can we use it in different curricula? Again, if we don’t show them that, they’ll go home and download who knows what.”
It’s also critical that students understand the implications of their actions. “We bring in our local prosecutor, who works with our local police department, and they talk about things that shouldn’t be done with cell phones, etc.,” Robbins says. “Those conversations need to be had instead of just being pushed aside and pushed aside.”
How far would the ban on mobile phones go?
The ban on cell phones in schools primarily affects students, but what about teachers? Should teachers and administrators also be banned from using their cell phones in an educational setting?
“technology is going to continue to evolve,” Robbins says. “The companies that (students) are going to work for may not be iPad companies. They may be working remotely, using whatever technology is available to them to do their job. This gives them the freedom and autonomy to do their job. I look at it from a role model perspective. If we tell students they can’t have their phones, and then teachers or administrators use them, what message does that send? Are we supposed to be role models? Are we supposed to show (students) how to use technology properly? Sometimes, I question that.”
Regardless of how you look at the ban on cell phones, it is clear that students have a unique opportunity to learn how to interact with the digital world within a classroom. Whether or not teachers take advantage of the opportunity to embrace that philosophy is a decision for policy makers.
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