As you know from past blogs, I have been in the business of education for a long time. I have seen several educational movements and referendums since 1989 and have as best as possible been able to “go with the flow.” Over the past 8 or so years, I have noticed a keen trend with kids. I have read arguments both for and against this trend being an actual mental health issue and I have to admit, there are times for me, it is a real head scratcher. What I am referring to is what I will speak to as cell phone or electronic addictions in students.
Don’t get me wrong, technology is a great thing. It still amazes me that what I hold in my hand and have in my pocket has more computer technology than was in a behemoth of a building 50 years ago. The memory and speeds of these devices continue to get more beefed up and faster. The wifi coverage continues to grow as we in society crave more bandwidth. I do love when I have a question about a trivial or - non trivial topic I can quickly look it up and get the answers I was looking for. No more searching through a paper copy of an encyclopedia- that does date me quite a bit by just having that reference in here.
The flip side of this technology is that I have seen a new battle in schools I have never seen in my life. We are constantly working with students on not allowing the cell phones to get in the way of their education. In most cases, cell phones in school are a distraction. Discipline issues have increased by a multiplied level from something that never existed when I was a student. I have been a first hand witness to watching teachers, para-educators and administrators attempt to get students to cough up their devices when the phones are being used at the wrong time and it can become a massive power struggle. Depending on the student, some will comply with the request, while others become belligerent and will not comply with the request. Enter in the power struggle.
Part of what I have seen as the challenge here is that teachers can be inconsistent with a cell phone rule in their class. Similar to gum chewing or hat wearing, (smaller issues when I was teaching) even within a school, a teacher’s tolerance for cell phone use in classes is different from one to the next. Some teachers are fine with the phones being out at times while others have a “no way, never in my room” clause.
What I see as the biggest issues are the following.
The age of students who are harboring smartphones is getting younger and younger each year. I know of students in kindergarten who have called parents at recess to come get them because they don’t want to be at school. Remember folks, this is a 5 year old child.
Even if a school has rules for appropriate cell phone use times during the day, there will be some students who will push that envelope and use their phones at times when they should not.
If an adult in school feels the need to take the cell phone away- (normally from what I have seen with this is that the phone is either given back to the student after school or a parent needs to pick the phone up) many times, it is challenging to get the student to comply. This in turn, can lead to a massive power struggle that may or may not have needed to happen.
There are times when parents are not on the same page as the school and will not support the phone being taken away. This can also cause a breakdown in relationships between home and school.
I am noticing a trend in the world of Special Education where students at the primary age level are only (at first) qualifying in the area of social emotional. This has not necessarily been the case even in the recent past.
The most recent series of events we are dealing with is the Covid-19 issue. As schools are exploring and implementing remote learning, we are now having students relying on either laptops, tablets or cell phones to receive contact from teachers and assistants. I wonder how this newest form of delivering contact and instruction will impact how we do things? It hit me hard the other day in a zoom meeting when I said for 51 of my 56 years on Earth, I have been in a brick and mortar system. All of a sudden, we have monumentally shifted this paradigm. It has been out of necessity yet, I am wondering what the end result will be.
My hope is that we can create a balance between what we used to do in addition to how we are being forced to do business these days. I hope we can develop a new system where students can get their educational needs met both in person as well as remotely. I envision an educational world we have yet to discover while these new seeds are being planted yet, also have some reservation to it all.
I am not opposed to changing how we do business regarding school and the structures. Even our newest school buildings are created in the same way we have always done things yet society and outside systems have changed dramatically. My hope would be for us to come up with ways to use these new technologies as a benefit to what we are already doing and not a hindrance. Is there a way to create a technology balance to where we are connecting with students via screens instead of getting into power struggles with them over having phones out? Can we position ourselves so that we are socially connecting with students via technology and creating wins instead of punitive situations?
I feel this virus has put public education's back against the wall and we will come out ready to make good of it all. Systems will change, hopefully for the better and we can use this opportunity as a new way of connecting and educating students. Either way, I feel we will need to make some systems changes that allow for some technology or on-screen learning. I am hoping for a balance however so the students will respond to human connection better than they do with on screen. We will work to create this new system. That is what we do. We Plan, Do, Study results and Act on them in a cycle.
Until next time,
Cheers
Jon
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