“Bad” Technology in the Classroom
I’ve recently read Will Richardson’s post about the new Classroom War (http://www.weblogg-ed.com/) over the inappropriate use of technologies like computers and cell phones in the classroom. Add to this Wes Fryers post http://www.speedofcreativity.org/2007/11/08/the-outboard-brain-memory-transfer-and-learning/. Adding my personal experience with my kids’ schools - my daughter’s school allows the kids to carry their phones with them but they can be confiscated if they are used in school; my son’s school has the kids put them in a basket on the office desk when they arrive.
Schools seem determined to restrict many technologies - especially cell phones - from the classroom. No, that’s not quite accurate! You can bet the teacher DOES have his / her cell phone handy. And I bet in most cases they are careful to use their cell phone appropriately - only when necessary!
Hopefully, schools prepare the kids for life beyond school. How are these technologies used then? I keep my cell phone with me in all meetings - but put it on vibrate. I only take a call if I consider it an emergency. I get up and leave quietly and take the call. Some people aren’t quite as considerate, but I think all my colleagues are making an effort to use their phones appropriately.
Could such appropriate usage can be modeled and encouraged in school? I think so. And I think appropriate use could be best accomplished if the other students in the class exerted peer pressure to correct improper use. But would students provide peer pressure such that others will use their phones appropriately?
I would suggest the answer is Yes and No. I mean, it depends…
- If school is an unhappy place where students are just trying to survive until the bell rings, any disturbance is a welcome relief from the drudgery they are facing. The ringing of a cell phone and the excitement trying to keep the teacher from finding it would be welcome. Any student peer pressure to quell improper use would seem very unlikely.
- But… if classes are engaging and kids are interacting in activities that are meaningful to them, a cell phone ringing would either be ignored or looked on as a nuisance. In this classroom, the peer disapproval to improper cell phone usage might motivate proper usage.
In summary, I think inappropriate cell phone use in school is a symptom of 2 things.
- Kids aren’t taught to use them appropriately.
- Typical schools do not provide an environment such that appropriate use would be motivated by peer pressure.
So, where does that leave us? In my opinion, cell phones aren’t the problem. The real problem is that schools are not the engaging and meaningful places that they could be. So banning the phones might be necessary (might not), but by all means let’s work to find ways to make the schools better places for kids.
Question for me… What can I do (as a parent) this week that could help create a better classroom experience for kids?