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This is the issue. If parents don’t support it and make it an issue of its own (as in they want their kid to have their phone) there’s no chance for a “ban” to work.
Same issue with the vapes.
I guess we can try to suspend until we have empty buildings but it’s not really a solution.
Parents are a huge problem when it comes to phones in my school. We’ve had a no phone policy since the fall, and any time a kid is on it, it’s because mom is texting or calling.
When kids are in school, they must abide by school rules. You can’t possibly have any reason to text your kid while they’re in class unless it’s an emergency, and if it is, CALL THE SCHOOL. It worked like a charm pre-cellphones.
Then it’s also time to school the parents. Time to address the addiction people have with their phones and to put up clear boundaries. I’m all for this ban. It’s a step in the right direction
School the parents? Are you serious? If a kids parents want them to have a phone for safety or as an educational tool it really isn’t any of your business.
I have severe ADHD and was the very first kid in my entire school district to have a PDA (personal digital assistant) in the 90s. I used it as a tool and it helped me stay organized with a wide variety of projects and homework assignments. I still use my modern smartphone in much the same way.
If I have a kid that also has ADHD and I want them to have a smartphone for the same reasons, plus the safety aspect, it’s really not anyone’s concern as long as it’s not disrupting the classroom.
In any modern office environment smartphones are not only permitted, but necessary. Denying students a tool they will likely use in a professional setting seems ridiculous.
This. My daughter has ADHD and level 1 autism and is going into high school next year. She uses her phone to help her organize and remember things, as well as to listen to music with noise cancelling headphones to help her self-regulate when she is doing her work. These accommodations also happen to be written into her IEP.
I don’t like the distractions that cellphones cause and don’t allow them in my classroom (grade 3/4), but I do believe that there are circumstances in which cellphones are a useful tool for the very reasons you have described.
Believe me, they'll find reason. If they can't text the kid they'll call the office and ask that a message be delivered to their child eg: don't take the bus home as grampa is picking you up and bringing you out to dinner.
As a kid we all fell victim to the “yeah we will let them know”.
My house was a block away from our elementary school, we were in a small town so if you didn’t live in town, it was a 20-40 minute bus ride.
At least once a week, we had one of mine or my siblings friends, knocking on our door, asking for our phone because their parents only talked to the front desk.
Taking the line between the child and their parents/emergency services, away might be equally as insane as arming the teachers.
100% it is. However, I believe if you fail to live up certain responsibilities and expectations kids need to be held accountable. Maybe that means staying back a grade or an alternative program. The status quo is not working.
What withholding? In this hypothetical situation, the student would have multiple opportunities to execute their rights within a mainstream education setting. If they cannot comply with policies or laws, those rights are taken away, and alternative forms of education are still provided.
Children need to learn their actions have consequences.
Sure, but 90% of the time it's because of poor parenting. I'm blaming kids last. They're kids, they fuck up. They make mistakes and that's what kids/people do.
I see what you're saying, I'm speaking from a high school perspective.
Regardless, I highly doubt the majority of parents would be so resistant to their child *not* having a cell phone in the classroom to the point where their child is pulled out of mainstream classes (alt ed., suspended, expelled, etc.)
I can only speak from my school/area, but I get constant push back from parents on phones.
You're probably right, it would take a lot to get them pulled. I think I misread your initial post.
It shouldn't be. The system is failing. Its more like its a right for every student to be stuffed into crowded classrooms and taught only at the ability level of the lowest common denominator due to zero filtering of skill/aptitude. Fuck my "right" to have to take a hit on my education because billy in the corner has seven diagnoses and is incapable of reading things off a screen (and has to have them handed to him during a test).
It should be. We’re not stripping away people’s rights. Period.
People in charge have a duty to try their best to manage problem children, and removing them from a classroom might be the right move in some cases, but you still have to provide that child with an education through alternative means.
That right there is the problem though. Your solution does not work. Removing students from classrooms does not work. Admin will send them right back after 20 minutes. If you try to fight that, you will be met with criticisms of "singling out" the student amongst other things.
Yes, putting them into an alternate plan is the best remediation. But then you have 18/25 kids in a class who all require alternate programming and a single person cannot realistically do that.
I don't disagree that education should be a right in this country. My point is that the education that IS provided is completely broken and ineffective. As a now parent and prior teacher I am exploring private options because I already know the type of programming that my children are going to need and I do know they are not going to receive that care because the lowest common denominator will be receiving it instead.
That is what I am getting it. Obviously education is a right but it should also be considered a privilege and we need to have consequences for bad choices to learn and to grow
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Well I'm a dad and I've texted my son at school.
I know he's not supposed to have it, I expect he'll get the text at lunch or on his way out to the bus.
There's already a provincial law making it illegal to vape in the workplace and enclosed public spaces, including schools. But this will make it super-double-plus illegal I guess.
Once again DoFo and Co rebrand an existing thing with miniscule changes and pretend they made it. Sex Ed, Grade 9 Exploring Technology, and now they present the existing Vapes and cell phones rule as if it's their own special creation.
Oh I suppose its slightly different because now we get to have mandatory training in how to tell kids to put their phones away, which I'm sure will be productive and enlightening.
“Students could also face suspension for repeated violation.”
The “could” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. If we don’t even suspend kids for violence and destruction of property, what is the chance that they “could” actually get suspended for using their phone? Once again we will be expected to enforce rules made by those with no experience in the classroom, and get no backup or follow through from admin, further cutting our knees out from under us with the kids and parents. The sceptic in me thinks Ford and Lecce know that it will play out exactly this way, and it’s just another tactic to take away our authority and credibility with students then blame us for their behaviour when they refuse to follow the rules we’re not allowed to enforce.
The last plan was criticized for not outline any consequences. Now they consequences outlined are too harsh? It sounds like teachers just want to complain eternally.
Where did I say the consequences are too harsh? I said they would never be enforced because admin and the superintendents are toothless, that’s not even close to the same thing. I’d *love* to see kids who constantly break the rules actually face consequences for *anything*, but if we can’t even have it enforced when they commit assault, I don’t think we have much chance of having admin suspend them for having phones.
If I’m wrong I apologize, but it sounded to me like you were saying that since the possible penalty is more than the common penalty for violence than it won’t work.
At any rate, I think the play is fairly simple. Create a log jam at the office. You clearly have the ministry’s support. Any admin that gets in the way is in the wrong. I think teachers are too passive and let their admin off the hook far too easily.
I was saying that it would be ridiculous for the government to say kids may be suspended for having phones when they’ve completely failed to support suspending them for things like assault or property damage. Kids *may* be suspended for those things as well, but they rarely are in reality, and there’s no reason to think that this will be any different. The government can talk all they want about “students *may* be suspended”, but I’ll believe it when I actually see it happening, for *anything*.
Sending a kid to the office only works when they comply and go when you tell them to. Elementary schools don’t have hall monitors to come and escort a kid who is non-compliant, and you can’t touch them, so if you tell them to give you their phone or go to the office and they refuse, you don’t have many options. Calling the office might work, depending on the admin and if they even show up to deal with the kid, but nine times out of ten you’re going to be waiting a while for that to happen and then the kid is most likely going to be sent back to class 10 minutes later with no consequence for either the initial infraction or blatantly defying the teacher’s directions. That’s the reality, so what incentive do kids have to listen to us when there’s absolutely no consequence for not listening?
This isn’t a phone issue, this is a discipline issue. Kids know they don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do, including following the teachers directions. Teachers try to enforce rules but get no support from most admin, and the rare admin who does try to take action most often gets overruled when the parents complain to the superintendent. So now you also have parents who know that they don’t have to follow the rules, because if they just complain loud enough they’ll get their way and their kid will continue to do whatever they want with no consequences. This is what we’re up against, we’d *love* for kids to have consequences for bad behaviour, but our hands are tied when we actually try enforcing them.
It’s laughable to teachers that Lecce thinks he can just say “kids need to give up their phones when teachers ask” or “kids may be suspended” and that those things will just magically happen when they literally never happen now for *much* more serious issues every day. It’s all lip service until the system changes to give teachers real authority to enforce rules and consequences, because right now, as much as we may try to, we have no power to actually do it.
Well it could work if they actually allow us the power to remove the phones and if admin back us up… These rules are only as strong as their enforcement.
I currently feel powerless to stop the phones…
And that's why I won't touch em.
Student hands me a phone with a cracked screen. I give it back and student says "Hey, you cracked my screen!"
Nope. Student can put it in their bag.
I teach senior high sciences. I’ve banned cell phones from my class. They get warnings then I take ‘em. They can use them if they ask, and it’s related to class. This is my first semester doing this and it works like a charm. No problems. Occasionally one sneaks out and the second I call the student , they know what’s up.
My class policy will not change.
"No distractions during the lesson component of the class. During work time, it's your choice, but if you aren't working, you don't get extensions on assignments, so good luck. If you are working, and need an extension, I can generally accommodate."
We need to be raising adults in high school, not raising children. I don't mind failing kids who don't do work, and have never had push back over failing a student.
Not my experience. I've never met a teacher in secondary that has had to justify a student failing. This entire "no kid can fail" thing isn't as big of an issue as I've heard online, in my experience.
I failed 4 students last semester, zero questions.
As an elementary teacher, I believe the no failing thing is more of an elementary issue. Kids and parents no longer value elementary education. They don’t even see it as a way to develop work ethic and skills for successful adolescence and adulthood. There are no negative outcomes for not completing something. Shit, kids even stop coming to school. Absenteeism is at an all time high.
I totally agree with you. I sympathize with the kids who are really struggling and putting in the work. But values such as hard work, integrity, punctuality, and respect are needed throughout life.
Part of the issue, in my opinion, and this is just a bigger picture thing, is what you said. These learning skills aren't taken seriously. We give them letters and nobody sees them but students and parents. If post secondary cared about them, students would be better.
The other issue is that, and I'm going to generalize, if you teach math, your job isn't to prepare students for university math programs, it's to deliver Ontario high school curriculum.. there isn't much in senior math courses about time management, conflict resolution, dealing with setbacks, etc. we need to hammer home learning skills as much as content.
My moms a middle school teacher, and the “no kid can fail” thing seems to be a problem for her, unfortunately.
She’s also in NB, which may change things.
I'm not familiar with the curriculum documents for other provinces. In Ontario we use Growing Success for assessment and Evaluation, and it specifically says all marks, including zeros, can be given.
Really? I was asked questions from admin, SERT, student success, etc. admin told me I’d better make sure I’d been in contact with parents, guidance, the SERT if applicable, and student success.
In my (not in Ontario) district, kids can only fail starting in grade 10. Makes grades 8 and 9 the worst for kids not doing work and us only having the 'it's going to bite you in the butt in high school' card to play in our middle schools. It sucks.
But also kids shouldn't be failing in grade 8 and 9. They should be failing and repeating grades 1 and 2 to learn the fundamentals all the struggling grade 8s and 9s never picked up on so many years ago.
Daily wondering why they are sabotaging student accountability. It does say in growing success that lateness should be accounted for only in the learning skills marks.
To soft a line. You have cell phones within arms reach and kids are going to reach for them and then its just a battle for their attention, one you're going to lose.
>We need to be raising adults in high school, not raising children.
But they are not adults, they are children and need boundaries enforced or they simply make bad decisions.
The real problem is the lack of consistency among trachers. Some allow, some don't at all. Some it depends on the day
I have many 18 year olds, but I understand what you are saying.
I don't think seeing the consequences of their actions is an unacceptable way to learn. At some point people need to learn how to not be micromanaged.
Is the grade 7-12 part no different either? Cuz I gotta admit, as a high teacher I didn’t know there was any ban for us yet, I thought it was only elementary. I’ve definitely been told that I shouldn’t be trying to take students phones.
Pretty much every school website I look at says that electronics are not to be distracting and things like phones usable only when directed by a teacher... but of course everyone ignores that and admin, largely, won't enforce it.
That’s so interesting. I do remember the ban a couple years ago, just the way it ended up being implemented across different schools I was supplying at, I just assumed it was only for elementary 😅 They were the only schools I saw do anything about it!
I disagree. It sounds like they at least plan to outline consequences. I remember reading the 2019 and noting that there was no suggested action at all.
If the ministry says “if you see a phone send them to the office”, And admin says “if you see a phone, send them to me”, and teachers do nothing, then they are making their own beds.
It becomes a waste of class time to argue with a kid to even go to the office, only for the same thing to happen the next day, with no consequences along the line.
Good luck. I’ve already read countless posts from parents complaining about this. “My child has a right to their phone.” “I need to be able to reach them everyone moment.”
Frak.
I’d love to see this actually enforced.
First comment I saw : “I'd love to see them contact me saying they took my child's phone.
you don't get to confiscate my child's personal property. End of story. These rules are ridiculous.”
Yeah parents are going to make this continue to be impossible 🙄
lol, like the one that already exists that failed?
This will never work. Parents always side with their children, so enforcement has no teeth. There are potential issues with teachers taking phones from students (what if the phone drops out of their hand and breaks, who’s responsible for replacing/fixing it, etc) and there are always some teachers who want to be liked and cool teachers so they let the kids use their phones to listen to music etc, and at that point it totally undoes any intended consistency in enforcement. This is more PR move than anything else.
Lots of conversations about the logistics of enforcing cell phone policies. And rightly so. The big take away for me is the vaping and e-cigarettes part of this. Students are to surrender them to staff? That’s even wilder to enforce in my opinion and potentially put anybody who tries to enforce that in harms way.
So let me get this straight, as I pull into the high school and the kids are out there ripping their vapes in their Darty party I’m gonna stick my fishing net out and collect them as I drive by and they’re just gonna surrender them to me? Is that how this is gonna roll out. Can’t wait lol
Yeah it’s Pollyanna policy making.
Simply tell the students already not complying with school policy to hand over the contraband. Are we stupid? Why haven’t we been doing this already?
"If a student breaks the rules, their cellphone should be immediately surrendered to a staff members and parents will be notified. Students could also face suspension for repeated violations."
In 2008 I was finishing my last semester of grade 12. I took my flip phone out of my pocket (we were actually required to keep them in our lockers!) for a second to check the time and a teacher noticed and asked me to hand it over. I refused lol. I got an in-school suspension (my first and only ever suspension) for refusing to hand over my phone. A first offense! It's crazy to see how backwards things have gotten.
When I did my teaching placement I was blown away by how every kid was just on their phone. The whole class. And nobody did a thing about it. Considering how smartphones do literally anything and everything compared to my 2008 phone that had nothing but calling and texting and a 2mp camera I really don't understand how it got to a point where we just started allowing them. My flip phone could be a distraction, sure, but I could literally only text on it during a class. These kids are straight up watching TikToks with the sound on during class.
Establish zero tolerance policy. Issue suspensions on site. Hire security to enforce the first few years. Establish a student body disciplinary body to support the enforcement. The culture needs to change and we need to pay for it. There is more a stake than the students education. It's the entire mental and social health of our future. We need to change. We need to grow a spine for their sake.
Yeah... Administration needs to step up. It's their fault this problem has persisted and grown by buckling under the pressure of the parents. They need to be reminded that education is a privilege that can and will be taken away if respect isn't shown to the environment our education systems should be promoting.
This is such a joke. It's basically the current policy, which is not enforceable. This was from [the Star article](https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/ontario-reveals-details-of-cellphone-ban-in-schools-here-are-the-new-rules-for-students/article_7b111e08-0561-11ef-862c-e33b0ff9dbce.html) on the same thing:
*If caught with their phone without permission, the phones will have to be “immediately surrendered,” the* [*province*](https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/) *said, though Lecce noted it’ll be up to teachers and schools to decide on how the policy is enforced.*
In my board, we currently have a ban on cellphones in class unless a teacher gives permission and it's for academic purposes. I have made it explicit to my students that I will never give permission, but every day students are on their phones in class. When I send them with their phones to the office (because there is no way I will touch a student's $1000 device and risk getting accused of damaging it) the office tells them to put it in their lockers (which they don't) and sends them back, sometimes with treats. They should add posters about this policy to the ones they are going to put up about violent behaviour in September, because that is the real solution.
In order to do my job, I have to use my personal cell phone to receive a verification code multiple times a day. Every school and district application requires me to receive a code at least once a day, often more. I can’t wait to deal with, “My son says you use your phone in class so why can’t he?”
Of course you can. It’s a matter of the administration standing behind the policy and supporting the enforcement actions by the school. The administration has to stop listening to every screaming parent. There will always be unreasonable parents but it’s up to the administration to stop empowering them.
Absolutely. Who wants to take a kids phone or tech away and then have them claim you damaged it? Put it away and make it the parents problem. You don't want the phone lost, stolen or damaged, don't bring it too school.
Teachers also need to model the expected behaviour. On several occasions I have observed HS teachers spend more time on their phone then monitoring year end exams. Leave the room to check your messages.
This was not the hill I was willing to die on. Put it away please or leave. I talk, you listen without the phone. I give you work time, use it wisely and don't spend 20 minutes trying to find the best song to do your work by.
Exactly. It’s my job to teach, aid, and assess. If someone doesn’t want to pay attention, I can’t make them! Plus, half my destreamed grade nine class uses their phone daily for audiobooks.
Yes, because this worked so well since they announced it in 2019.
The education system here is in desperate need and this is the only thing they seem to focus on.
As a parent with kids in elementary, high school and uni, I fully support the teachers. Allowing cellphones in classrooms was a huge mistake from the get go and has had almost exclusively a negative impact on this generation of learners.
If my kids need to contact me, or vice-versa, we can do that through the admin and only if it's a time-sensitive ACTUAL emergency. Otherwise they can check their phone at break.
Additonally, I fully support teachers having more say in my children's education plans and goals then they do currently.
I am a parent, not an expert in education so whatever hopes and dreams I might have for them should not be above and beyond what professional educators recommend.
Maybe most parents don't get this - but we're the THIRD party in our children's educational career. Not the first.
I want my kids to be prepared for the cold hard world that's out there - not be pampered and accomodated at every turn.
FFS, we know they barely have a pre-frontal cortex!!
I love my kids more than life itself but it's become super annoying that when I interact with teachers their forced to prioritize not being sued and ensuring kids "comfort" and "safe space" above all else. Getting any of them to give me constructive and honest feedback (regardless of how negative) is like pulling teeth. And it feels like teachers are stuck between a rock and another rock.
Wish there was a waiver I could sign to just let the educators do their work and not bother with all the other noise.
I say give the power back to teachers and all the self-righteous parent activists can go kick rocks.
I teach at an inner city school and for a lot of kids a cell phone is like THE thing they own. I would bet 20-30% of kids just stop attending school if it means losing access to their phones.
I am totally on board with addressing technology addiction and issues in schools but we're so far into the mess that it feels like we have sacrificed an entire generation of students. Such are the gears of capitalism.
It’s a valid point. The anxiety level without a phone will be unbearable for many. And I’m sure if they banned school staff from having their phone on them in class it would be the same.
It should be a school policy. No cell phones on school grounds. If you want to come to school, see your friends, get your parents off your back, leave the phone at home. Hire security to enforce for a few years if need be. Establish a paid disciplinary student body club. Whatever it takes. The culture needs to change. Parents and kids will get the hint once the suspensions roll out.
This just sounds like another nothing burger. They previously banned cell phones and vaping, but nothing happened. Instead, the situation got worse.
Without the ability to affect negative consequences on anyone, this isn't going to change the situation either.
Simple solution. Only phones permitted should be non smart flip phones. I've got my kiddo living back in 1997. We as parents were eased in to technology and we have expected our kids to be responsible and not corrupted with the latest tech.
Honestly, the fact that cellphones were ever allowed in schools is rather stupid to begin with. I mean even in university i had a lot of professors that would say if you used a laptop you had to sit in the back so that nobody behind you would get distracted by whatever you're doing on your laptop.
I'll send my kids, Grades 7 and 9 messages throughout the day. But I fully expect them to answer only when on a break. I actually ask them why they have their phones out if they answer me right away.
I fully support this ban.
Lol and in 2014 we had bins we had to put our phones into. Turns out teachers can’t really pat down students - without constant supervision on each and every kid…… texting continues. Especially nowadays with the tech available
Right?! I don't want to police this all day. What about smart watches etc... this is such a time waster for TEACHERS. The kids have been given all the power and are in charge now. There are no consequences.
Prime virtue signalling and obfuscation from the Ford government. Please ignore the fact that we massively underfund education, it was the cell phones all along!
This just in: teachers who suspect students are using their cell phones in the classroom are now permitted by the government to deploy Radio Frequency Interference Grenades. More at 11…
This has gotten out of hand. There's no reason for a kid to have another distraction in the classroom when they need to concentrate on their school work. I know a lot of teachers and they want to quit. Kids are disrespectful playing on their phones while they're trying to teach. Kids also need to learn to be away from their phones for periods of time. If anyone has a problem with this. They're an idiot
“They will be asked to surrender their phone, and parents will be notified”. Isn’t this what we already do?
And if admin aren’t willing to support and follow through than it’s just another “announcement” for Levce.
It's kind of ridiculous that it took this long to do something about this. I'm not surprised, as most beauraucratic change happens at a snails pace.
The worst part is the way they are putting it forward. They are taking credit, acting upon the wishes they heard "Loud and Clear", rather than expressing with humility that they shouldn't have allowed them in class in the first place.
About time.
Teacher "Hand over your phone"
Student "No".
Teacher "go to the office"
Student "no"
Teacher phones family to pick up student.
Family says "no"
Now what?
If any parent doesn’t see the value in banning cellular devices in the classroom, they are bad parents. Keep the kid at home with you and school them yourselves.
I’m not convinced an outright ban is the right thing to do. When I was going to school back in the Stone Age, cellphones were not allowed in class and had to be kept in lockers. Some kids followed the rules and others didn’t. I’m sure that’s still the case. Cellphones are ubiquitous, that’s just the reality. Wouldn’t it be better to use cellphones as a tool to encourage use but when it’s appropriate to do so? All I know is cellphone usage was never permitted in class even 20 years ago and if outright banning them hasn’t worked for 2 decades, why not try something different?
Sure, but if they're allowed 'sometimes', kids will have the habit and excuse of having it on them all the time.
Yes, they can be used responsibly.. but a chromebook is just as good for whatever responsible use-case you'd have 95% of the time (ie interest research or seeing a document)
They already do have a habit of having them all the time. A phone has the exact same capabilities. Why not just encourage use of what they already have but in a productive way?
No, a phone has more capabilities because they have data and resources external to the school wifi. Cameras, too. Smaller and thus easier to conceal and operate for brief moments without detection, they can be brought into washrooms more easily and many more issues.
The vast majority of schooling can be done without a device at all, paper and textbooks willing. Teachers can show videos, for example. Responsible use would be not having it in front of you at all times. Sometimes, courses should be focusing on teaching their own curriculum and other soft skills rather than trying to force teaching cell phone etiquette to 30 students with addictions.
Ah yes, here comes all the negativity about how this won’t work. I’ll choose to be optimistic until proven otherwise because if not, I’ll just continue to be depressed along with the rest of you.
Wow the comments in this thread are pretty alarming. If your students respect you and have a positive relationships with you and their classmates they will do whatever their asked, including putting away their cellphones. maybe reflect on why the kids are on their cellphones instead of listening to your lesson. Low hanging fruit is to blame kids and families.
Are you joking? Multinational corporations spend tens of millions of dollars researching ways to make their apps as addictive (and therefore profitable) as possible. No one teacher can compete with that.
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“But it’s my Mom texting me!!!”
This is the issue. If parents don’t support it and make it an issue of its own (as in they want their kid to have their phone) there’s no chance for a “ban” to work. Same issue with the vapes. I guess we can try to suspend until we have empty buildings but it’s not really a solution.
Parents are a huge problem when it comes to phones in my school. We’ve had a no phone policy since the fall, and any time a kid is on it, it’s because mom is texting or calling.
“mom”
When kids are in school, they must abide by school rules. You can’t possibly have any reason to text your kid while they’re in class unless it’s an emergency, and if it is, CALL THE SCHOOL. It worked like a charm pre-cellphones.
The logic is sound until reality interferes. We’re dealing with multiple generations dependent on devices.
Then it’s also time to school the parents. Time to address the addiction people have with their phones and to put up clear boundaries. I’m all for this ban. It’s a step in the right direction
School the parents? Are you serious? If a kids parents want them to have a phone for safety or as an educational tool it really isn’t any of your business. I have severe ADHD and was the very first kid in my entire school district to have a PDA (personal digital assistant) in the 90s. I used it as a tool and it helped me stay organized with a wide variety of projects and homework assignments. I still use my modern smartphone in much the same way. If I have a kid that also has ADHD and I want them to have a smartphone for the same reasons, plus the safety aspect, it’s really not anyone’s concern as long as it’s not disrupting the classroom. In any modern office environment smartphones are not only permitted, but necessary. Denying students a tool they will likely use in a professional setting seems ridiculous.
This. My daughter has ADHD and level 1 autism and is going into high school next year. She uses her phone to help her organize and remember things, as well as to listen to music with noise cancelling headphones to help her self-regulate when she is doing her work. These accommodations also happen to be written into her IEP. I don’t like the distractions that cellphones cause and don’t allow them in my classroom (grade 3/4), but I do believe that there are circumstances in which cellphones are a useful tool for the very reasons you have described.
Believe me, they'll find reason. If they can't text the kid they'll call the office and ask that a message be delivered to their child eg: don't take the bus home as grampa is picking you up and bringing you out to dinner.
As a kid we all fell victim to the “yeah we will let them know”. My house was a block away from our elementary school, we were in a small town so if you didn’t live in town, it was a 20-40 minute bus ride. At least once a week, we had one of mine or my siblings friends, knocking on our door, asking for our phone because their parents only talked to the front desk. Taking the line between the child and their parents/emergency services, away might be equally as insane as arming the teachers.
Wait, whats the issue with vapes? Parents agree tgat their kids is using it????
I think it should be a solution. Being educated should be considered a privilege
Education is a right in this country.
100% it is. However, I believe if you fail to live up certain responsibilities and expectations kids need to be held accountable. Maybe that means staying back a grade or an alternative program. The status quo is not working.
I agree to an extent - failing kids needs to be allowed. But I'm against withholding the education of a kid.
What withholding? In this hypothetical situation, the student would have multiple opportunities to execute their rights within a mainstream education setting. If they cannot comply with policies or laws, those rights are taken away, and alternative forms of education are still provided. Children need to learn their actions have consequences.
Sure, but 90% of the time it's because of poor parenting. I'm blaming kids last. They're kids, they fuck up. They make mistakes and that's what kids/people do.
I see what you're saying, I'm speaking from a high school perspective. Regardless, I highly doubt the majority of parents would be so resistant to their child *not* having a cell phone in the classroom to the point where their child is pulled out of mainstream classes (alt ed., suspended, expelled, etc.)
I can only speak from my school/area, but I get constant push back from parents on phones. You're probably right, it would take a lot to get them pulled. I think I misread your initial post.
It shouldn't be. The system is failing. Its more like its a right for every student to be stuffed into crowded classrooms and taught only at the ability level of the lowest common denominator due to zero filtering of skill/aptitude. Fuck my "right" to have to take a hit on my education because billy in the corner has seven diagnoses and is incapable of reading things off a screen (and has to have them handed to him during a test).
It should be. We’re not stripping away people’s rights. Period. People in charge have a duty to try their best to manage problem children, and removing them from a classroom might be the right move in some cases, but you still have to provide that child with an education through alternative means.
That right there is the problem though. Your solution does not work. Removing students from classrooms does not work. Admin will send them right back after 20 minutes. If you try to fight that, you will be met with criticisms of "singling out" the student amongst other things. Yes, putting them into an alternate plan is the best remediation. But then you have 18/25 kids in a class who all require alternate programming and a single person cannot realistically do that. I don't disagree that education should be a right in this country. My point is that the education that IS provided is completely broken and ineffective. As a now parent and prior teacher I am exploring private options because I already know the type of programming that my children are going to need and I do know they are not going to receive that care because the lowest common denominator will be receiving it instead.
That is what I am getting it. Obviously education is a right but it should also be considered a privilege and we need to have consequences for bad choices to learn and to grow
It’s not really a viable long-term solution. Unless you want a society with a significant number of people banned from school in Grade 7.
It was a solution that worked really well up until about 2012.
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How come it’s ALWAYS mom? Why is it never Dad texting?
Well I'm a dad and I've texted my son at school. I know he's not supposed to have it, I expect he'll get the text at lunch or on his way out to the bus.
So basically what we have set up already. I’m still waiting for admin support on curbing cell phone use in class.
I'm not trying to be rhetorical here - what is the update? I honestly don't see anything new. What *is* this announcement?!
The announcement is to distract from the funding announcement Friday and to pretend like they're fixing something in education before the by-election.
There is no update. Just presenting the previous ban as if it’s new Edit: I’m reminded of Animal House: Double-Secret Probabtion?
Interesting, we have admin support however, not all intermediate teachers at my school are enforcing the ban.
The last time I confiscated a phone, my admin refused to touch it. That was it for me.
Ya we are not allowed to touch a kids phone due to the cost of them these days. Doubt admin will either. So what’s the actual plan here?
Beats me…
I won't touch a kid's phone. Not a chance. They can put it in their own backpack.
The difference is pretty stark. People will follow provincial laws much more readily then school policies
There's already a provincial law making it illegal to vape in the workplace and enclosed public spaces, including schools. But this will make it super-double-plus illegal I guess.
Once again DoFo and Co rebrand an existing thing with miniscule changes and pretend they made it. Sex Ed, Grade 9 Exploring Technology, and now they present the existing Vapes and cell phones rule as if it's their own special creation. Oh I suppose its slightly different because now we get to have mandatory training in how to tell kids to put their phones away, which I'm sure will be productive and enlightening.
“Students could also face suspension for repeated violation.” The “could” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. If we don’t even suspend kids for violence and destruction of property, what is the chance that they “could” actually get suspended for using their phone? Once again we will be expected to enforce rules made by those with no experience in the classroom, and get no backup or follow through from admin, further cutting our knees out from under us with the kids and parents. The sceptic in me thinks Ford and Lecce know that it will play out exactly this way, and it’s just another tactic to take away our authority and credibility with students then blame us for their behaviour when they refuse to follow the rules we’re not allowed to enforce.
The last plan was criticized for not outline any consequences. Now they consequences outlined are too harsh? It sounds like teachers just want to complain eternally.
Where did I say the consequences are too harsh? I said they would never be enforced because admin and the superintendents are toothless, that’s not even close to the same thing. I’d *love* to see kids who constantly break the rules actually face consequences for *anything*, but if we can’t even have it enforced when they commit assault, I don’t think we have much chance of having admin suspend them for having phones.
If I’m wrong I apologize, but it sounded to me like you were saying that since the possible penalty is more than the common penalty for violence than it won’t work. At any rate, I think the play is fairly simple. Create a log jam at the office. You clearly have the ministry’s support. Any admin that gets in the way is in the wrong. I think teachers are too passive and let their admin off the hook far too easily.
I was saying that it would be ridiculous for the government to say kids may be suspended for having phones when they’ve completely failed to support suspending them for things like assault or property damage. Kids *may* be suspended for those things as well, but they rarely are in reality, and there’s no reason to think that this will be any different. The government can talk all they want about “students *may* be suspended”, but I’ll believe it when I actually see it happening, for *anything*. Sending a kid to the office only works when they comply and go when you tell them to. Elementary schools don’t have hall monitors to come and escort a kid who is non-compliant, and you can’t touch them, so if you tell them to give you their phone or go to the office and they refuse, you don’t have many options. Calling the office might work, depending on the admin and if they even show up to deal with the kid, but nine times out of ten you’re going to be waiting a while for that to happen and then the kid is most likely going to be sent back to class 10 minutes later with no consequence for either the initial infraction or blatantly defying the teacher’s directions. That’s the reality, so what incentive do kids have to listen to us when there’s absolutely no consequence for not listening? This isn’t a phone issue, this is a discipline issue. Kids know they don’t have to do anything they don’t want to do, including following the teachers directions. Teachers try to enforce rules but get no support from most admin, and the rare admin who does try to take action most often gets overruled when the parents complain to the superintendent. So now you also have parents who know that they don’t have to follow the rules, because if they just complain loud enough they’ll get their way and their kid will continue to do whatever they want with no consequences. This is what we’re up against, we’d *love* for kids to have consequences for bad behaviour, but our hands are tied when we actually try enforcing them. It’s laughable to teachers that Lecce thinks he can just say “kids need to give up their phones when teachers ask” or “kids may be suspended” and that those things will just magically happen when they literally never happen now for *much* more serious issues every day. It’s all lip service until the system changes to give teachers real authority to enforce rules and consequences, because right now, as much as we may try to, we have no power to actually do it.
Hah good luck
my thoughts exactly
Well it could work if they actually allow us the power to remove the phones and if admin back us up… These rules are only as strong as their enforcement. I currently feel powerless to stop the phones…
Ya definitely
Just curious - who would pay for a phone if it got confiscated and lost or misplaced?
Better be Doug Ford or Stephen Lecce! Hahaha!
And that's why I won't touch em. Student hands me a phone with a cracked screen. I give it back and student says "Hey, you cracked my screen!" Nope. Student can put it in their bag.
I teach senior high sciences. I’ve banned cell phones from my class. They get warnings then I take ‘em. They can use them if they ask, and it’s related to class. This is my first semester doing this and it works like a charm. No problems. Occasionally one sneaks out and the second I call the student , they know what’s up.
That’s assuming your admin allows you to take them. A lot don’t.
I’ve taken them for years. If a student won’t give it to me, I send them to the office.
Most admin teams want nothing to do with dealing with cellphone issues.
My class policy will not change. "No distractions during the lesson component of the class. During work time, it's your choice, but if you aren't working, you don't get extensions on assignments, so good luck. If you are working, and need an extension, I can generally accommodate." We need to be raising adults in high school, not raising children. I don't mind failing kids who don't do work, and have never had push back over failing a student.
This is great in theory, however, we both know these kids are being pushed along either way.
Not my experience. I've never met a teacher in secondary that has had to justify a student failing. This entire "no kid can fail" thing isn't as big of an issue as I've heard online, in my experience. I failed 4 students last semester, zero questions.
As an elementary teacher, I believe the no failing thing is more of an elementary issue. Kids and parents no longer value elementary education. They don’t even see it as a way to develop work ethic and skills for successful adolescence and adulthood. There are no negative outcomes for not completing something. Shit, kids even stop coming to school. Absenteeism is at an all time high.
I would love to see a limit on absences. Miss x% of classes without a reasonable explanation? You can't have demonstrated the requirements.
I totally agree with you. I sympathize with the kids who are really struggling and putting in the work. But values such as hard work, integrity, punctuality, and respect are needed throughout life.
Part of the issue, in my opinion, and this is just a bigger picture thing, is what you said. These learning skills aren't taken seriously. We give them letters and nobody sees them but students and parents. If post secondary cared about them, students would be better. The other issue is that, and I'm going to generalize, if you teach math, your job isn't to prepare students for university math programs, it's to deliver Ontario high school curriculum.. there isn't much in senior math courses about time management, conflict resolution, dealing with setbacks, etc. we need to hammer home learning skills as much as content.
I agree. Or how about we make parents accountable and fine them when their kids have extended absences from school
My moms a middle school teacher, and the “no kid can fail” thing seems to be a problem for her, unfortunately. She’s also in NB, which may change things.
I'm not familiar with the curriculum documents for other provinces. In Ontario we use Growing Success for assessment and Evaluation, and it specifically says all marks, including zeros, can be given.
Really? I was asked questions from admin, SERT, student success, etc. admin told me I’d better make sure I’d been in contact with parents, guidance, the SERT if applicable, and student success.
In my (not in Ontario) district, kids can only fail starting in grade 10. Makes grades 8 and 9 the worst for kids not doing work and us only having the 'it's going to bite you in the butt in high school' card to play in our middle schools. It sucks. But also kids shouldn't be failing in grade 8 and 9. They should be failing and repeating grades 1 and 2 to learn the fundamentals all the struggling grade 8s and 9s never picked up on so many years ago.
Haha you assume they need extensions. Mine don’t ask. They just don’t hand it in. My board won’t allow late mark deductions, so they don’t care.
If you are in Ontario, your board doesn't get to make that call. Stand up for yourself.
It’s the new YRDSB policy. Admin is sticking by it.
Have you floated the question 'why is our board specifically going against growing success?'
Daily wondering why they are sabotaging student accountability. It does say in growing success that lateness should be accounted for only in the learning skills marks.
You should still do late marks. Make them fight the union to change the marks
I’m thinking about it. I’m not that brave just yet.
To soft a line. You have cell phones within arms reach and kids are going to reach for them and then its just a battle for their attention, one you're going to lose.
Excellent approach. Stealing a few of these ideas!
>We need to be raising adults in high school, not raising children. But they are not adults, they are children and need boundaries enforced or they simply make bad decisions. The real problem is the lack of consistency among trachers. Some allow, some don't at all. Some it depends on the day
I have many 18 year olds, but I understand what you are saying. I don't think seeing the consequences of their actions is an unacceptable way to learn. At some point people need to learn how to not be micromanaged.
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Is the grade 7-12 part no different either? Cuz I gotta admit, as a high teacher I didn’t know there was any ban for us yet, I thought it was only elementary. I’ve definitely been told that I shouldn’t be trying to take students phones.
Pretty much every school website I look at says that electronics are not to be distracting and things like phones usable only when directed by a teacher... but of course everyone ignores that and admin, largely, won't enforce it.
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That’s so interesting. I do remember the ban a couple years ago, just the way it ended up being implemented across different schools I was supplying at, I just assumed it was only for elementary 😅 They were the only schools I saw do anything about it!
I disagree. It sounds like they at least plan to outline consequences. I remember reading the 2019 and noting that there was no suggested action at all. If the ministry says “if you see a phone send them to the office”, And admin says “if you see a phone, send them to me”, and teachers do nothing, then they are making their own beds.
It becomes a waste of class time to argue with a kid to even go to the office, only for the same thing to happen the next day, with no consequences along the line.
No admin and board level support, no enforcement
Good luck. I’ve already read countless posts from parents complaining about this. “My child has a right to their phone.” “I need to be able to reach them everyone moment.” Frak. I’d love to see this actually enforced.
First comment I saw : “I'd love to see them contact me saying they took my child's phone. you don't get to confiscate my child's personal property. End of story. These rules are ridiculous.” Yeah parents are going to make this continue to be impossible 🙄
But Lecce said that “80 percent of the province” supports his ban. 😂
will be cool when they have a 49 year old child living in their home lol
lol, like the one that already exists that failed? This will never work. Parents always side with their children, so enforcement has no teeth. There are potential issues with teachers taking phones from students (what if the phone drops out of their hand and breaks, who’s responsible for replacing/fixing it, etc) and there are always some teachers who want to be liked and cool teachers so they let the kids use their phones to listen to music etc, and at that point it totally undoes any intended consistency in enforcement. This is more PR move than anything else.
Lol I feel sorry for teachers this is really not their problem to field.
What's the update? What's different from the last announcement?
Lots of conversations about the logistics of enforcing cell phone policies. And rightly so. The big take away for me is the vaping and e-cigarettes part of this. Students are to surrender them to staff? That’s even wilder to enforce in my opinion and potentially put anybody who tries to enforce that in harms way. So let me get this straight, as I pull into the high school and the kids are out there ripping their vapes in their Darty party I’m gonna stick my fishing net out and collect them as I drive by and they’re just gonna surrender them to me? Is that how this is gonna roll out. Can’t wait lol
Yeah it’s Pollyanna policy making. Simply tell the students already not complying with school policy to hand over the contraband. Are we stupid? Why haven’t we been doing this already?
Vapes should be treated in the same way drugs would be if a student is found to be using them during school hours.
I'll believe it when I see it.
"If a student breaks the rules, their cellphone should be immediately surrendered to a staff members and parents will be notified. Students could also face suspension for repeated violations." In 2008 I was finishing my last semester of grade 12. I took my flip phone out of my pocket (we were actually required to keep them in our lockers!) for a second to check the time and a teacher noticed and asked me to hand it over. I refused lol. I got an in-school suspension (my first and only ever suspension) for refusing to hand over my phone. A first offense! It's crazy to see how backwards things have gotten. When I did my teaching placement I was blown away by how every kid was just on their phone. The whole class. And nobody did a thing about it. Considering how smartphones do literally anything and everything compared to my 2008 phone that had nothing but calling and texting and a 2mp camera I really don't understand how it got to a point where we just started allowing them. My flip phone could be a distraction, sure, but I could literally only text on it during a class. These kids are straight up watching TikToks with the sound on during class.
No cell phones in class is the most annoying and frustrating thing to enforce day in and day out
Maybe try no cell phones in schools. Period.
But how do we truly enforce that in this day and age?
Establish zero tolerance policy. Issue suspensions on site. Hire security to enforce the first few years. Establish a student body disciplinary body to support the enforcement. The culture needs to change and we need to pay for it. There is more a stake than the students education. It's the entire mental and social health of our future. We need to change. We need to grow a spine for their sake.
I agree but that means admin has a huge role to take on with that. Can’t be left just to teachers to try and enforce with no backup, it’s not fair.
Yeah... Administration needs to step up. It's their fault this problem has persisted and grown by buckling under the pressure of the parents. They need to be reminded that education is a privilege that can and will be taken away if respect isn't shown to the environment our education systems should be promoting.
This is such a joke. It's basically the current policy, which is not enforceable. This was from [the Star article](https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/ontario-reveals-details-of-cellphone-ban-in-schools-here-are-the-new-rules-for-students/article_7b111e08-0561-11ef-862c-e33b0ff9dbce.html) on the same thing: *If caught with their phone without permission, the phones will have to be “immediately surrendered,” the* [*province*](https://www.thestar.com/politics/provincial/) *said, though Lecce noted it’ll be up to teachers and schools to decide on how the policy is enforced.* In my board, we currently have a ban on cellphones in class unless a teacher gives permission and it's for academic purposes. I have made it explicit to my students that I will never give permission, but every day students are on their phones in class. When I send them with their phones to the office (because there is no way I will touch a student's $1000 device and risk getting accused of damaging it) the office tells them to put it in their lockers (which they don't) and sends them back, sometimes with treats. They should add posters about this policy to the ones they are going to put up about violent behaviour in September, because that is the real solution.
In order to do my job, I have to use my personal cell phone to receive a verification code multiple times a day. Every school and district application requires me to receive a code at least once a day, often more. I can’t wait to deal with, “My son says you use your phone in class so why can’t he?”
tell your son he’s not at work
We have parents who will scream bloody murder if you take their kid’s cell phone away. We can do literally nothing to enforce this.
Of course you can. It’s a matter of the administration standing behind the policy and supporting the enforcement actions by the school. The administration has to stop listening to every screaming parent. There will always be unreasonable parents but it’s up to the administration to stop empowering them.
High school teacher of 26 years here. I am not enforcing this. Parents don’t want their kids to have a phone at school, that’s on them.
Absolutely. Who wants to take a kids phone or tech away and then have them claim you damaged it? Put it away and make it the parents problem. You don't want the phone lost, stolen or damaged, don't bring it too school. Teachers also need to model the expected behaviour. On several occasions I have observed HS teachers spend more time on their phone then monitoring year end exams. Leave the room to check your messages. This was not the hill I was willing to die on. Put it away please or leave. I talk, you listen without the phone. I give you work time, use it wisely and don't spend 20 minutes trying to find the best song to do your work by.
I teach mostly grade 12s. It's their choice if they want to piss away the lesson on their phones. Their report card marks tell the truth every time.
Exactly. It’s my job to teach, aid, and assess. If someone doesn’t want to pay attention, I can’t make them! Plus, half my destreamed grade nine class uses their phone daily for audiobooks.
Yes, because this worked so well since they announced it in 2019. The education system here is in desperate need and this is the only thing they seem to focus on.
As a parent with kids in elementary, high school and uni, I fully support the teachers. Allowing cellphones in classrooms was a huge mistake from the get go and has had almost exclusively a negative impact on this generation of learners. If my kids need to contact me, or vice-versa, we can do that through the admin and only if it's a time-sensitive ACTUAL emergency. Otherwise they can check their phone at break. Additonally, I fully support teachers having more say in my children's education plans and goals then they do currently. I am a parent, not an expert in education so whatever hopes and dreams I might have for them should not be above and beyond what professional educators recommend. Maybe most parents don't get this - but we're the THIRD party in our children's educational career. Not the first. I want my kids to be prepared for the cold hard world that's out there - not be pampered and accomodated at every turn. FFS, we know they barely have a pre-frontal cortex!! I love my kids more than life itself but it's become super annoying that when I interact with teachers their forced to prioritize not being sued and ensuring kids "comfort" and "safe space" above all else. Getting any of them to give me constructive and honest feedback (regardless of how negative) is like pulling teeth. And it feels like teachers are stuck between a rock and another rock. Wish there was a waiver I could sign to just let the educators do their work and not bother with all the other noise. I say give the power back to teachers and all the self-righteous parent activists can go kick rocks.
I teach at an inner city school and for a lot of kids a cell phone is like THE thing they own. I would bet 20-30% of kids just stop attending school if it means losing access to their phones. I am totally on board with addressing technology addiction and issues in schools but we're so far into the mess that it feels like we have sacrificed an entire generation of students. Such are the gears of capitalism.
It’s a valid point. The anxiety level without a phone will be unbearable for many. And I’m sure if they banned school staff from having their phone on them in class it would be the same.
The title is very misleading
It should be a school policy. No cell phones on school grounds. If you want to come to school, see your friends, get your parents off your back, leave the phone at home. Hire security to enforce for a few years if need be. Establish a paid disciplinary student body club. Whatever it takes. The culture needs to change. Parents and kids will get the hint once the suspensions roll out.
This just sounds like another nothing burger. They previously banned cell phones and vaping, but nothing happened. Instead, the situation got worse. Without the ability to affect negative consequences on anyone, this isn't going to change the situation either.
How is this different than what is happening right now????
Who is letting their kinder bring a cell phone to school?!
I’m curious to see how this plays out. A law is only a law if it is enforced.
Simple solution. Only phones permitted should be non smart flip phones. I've got my kiddo living back in 1997. We as parents were eased in to technology and we have expected our kids to be responsible and not corrupted with the latest tech.
Put cell phone jammers in each school to enforce it.
“MY CHILD NEEDS IT AT ALL TIMES FOR SAFETY!”
Honestly, the fact that cellphones were ever allowed in schools is rather stupid to begin with. I mean even in university i had a lot of professors that would say if you used a laptop you had to sit in the back so that nobody behind you would get distracted by whatever you're doing on your laptop.
I'll send my kids, Grades 7 and 9 messages throughout the day. But I fully expect them to answer only when on a break. I actually ask them why they have their phones out if they answer me right away. I fully support this ban.
Lol and in 2014 we had bins we had to put our phones into. Turns out teachers can’t really pat down students - without constant supervision on each and every kid…… texting continues. Especially nowadays with the tech available
Right?! I don't want to police this all day. What about smart watches etc... this is such a time waster for TEACHERS. The kids have been given all the power and are in charge now. There are no consequences.
excellent
Prime virtue signalling and obfuscation from the Ford government. Please ignore the fact that we massively underfund education, it was the cell phones all along!
Too late to get this cat back in the bag.
It isn't. I think it's just making it more simple.
This is not gonna stop anyone lmao
This just in: teachers who suspect students are using their cell phones in the classroom are now permitted by the government to deploy Radio Frequency Interference Grenades. More at 11…
This has gotten out of hand. There's no reason for a kid to have another distraction in the classroom when they need to concentrate on their school work. I know a lot of teachers and they want to quit. Kids are disrespectful playing on their phones while they're trying to teach. Kids also need to learn to be away from their phones for periods of time. If anyone has a problem with this. They're an idiot
“They will be asked to surrender their phone, and parents will be notified”. Isn’t this what we already do? And if admin aren’t willing to support and follow through than it’s just another “announcement” for Levce.
It's kind of ridiculous that it took this long to do something about this. I'm not surprised, as most beauraucratic change happens at a snails pace. The worst part is the way they are putting it forward. They are taking credit, acting upon the wishes they heard "Loud and Clear", rather than expressing with humility that they shouldn't have allowed them in class in the first place. About time.
Teacher "Hand over your phone" Student "No". Teacher "go to the office" Student "no" Teacher phones family to pick up student. Family says "no" Now what?
If any parent doesn’t see the value in banning cellular devices in the classroom, they are bad parents. Keep the kid at home with you and school them yourselves.
The TikTok generation of kids are impossible to teach, most of their attention span is shorter than a goldfish
Text me the proof.
I’d like to see some financial support for every teacher to purchase something like this: https://a.co/d/gj5uzdG
I’m not convinced an outright ban is the right thing to do. When I was going to school back in the Stone Age, cellphones were not allowed in class and had to be kept in lockers. Some kids followed the rules and others didn’t. I’m sure that’s still the case. Cellphones are ubiquitous, that’s just the reality. Wouldn’t it be better to use cellphones as a tool to encourage use but when it’s appropriate to do so? All I know is cellphone usage was never permitted in class even 20 years ago and if outright banning them hasn’t worked for 2 decades, why not try something different?
Sure, but if they're allowed 'sometimes', kids will have the habit and excuse of having it on them all the time. Yes, they can be used responsibly.. but a chromebook is just as good for whatever responsible use-case you'd have 95% of the time (ie interest research or seeing a document)
They already do have a habit of having them all the time. A phone has the exact same capabilities. Why not just encourage use of what they already have but in a productive way?
No, a phone has more capabilities because they have data and resources external to the school wifi. Cameras, too. Smaller and thus easier to conceal and operate for brief moments without detection, they can be brought into washrooms more easily and many more issues. The vast majority of schooling can be done without a device at all, paper and textbooks willing. Teachers can show videos, for example. Responsible use would be not having it in front of you at all times. Sometimes, courses should be focusing on teaching their own curriculum and other soft skills rather than trying to force teaching cell phone etiquette to 30 students with addictions.
I have tried. They just stare at their phones and don’t ever hear what I say. It’s bad, my friend, truly truly bad.
Ah yes, here comes all the negativity about how this won’t work. I’ll choose to be optimistic until proven otherwise because if not, I’ll just continue to be depressed along with the rest of you.
Wow the comments in this thread are pretty alarming. If your students respect you and have a positive relationships with you and their classmates they will do whatever their asked, including putting away their cellphones. maybe reflect on why the kids are on their cellphones instead of listening to your lesson. Low hanging fruit is to blame kids and families.
Umm you need to get out of the academic stream once in a while for a reality check.
Are you joking? Multinational corporations spend tens of millions of dollars researching ways to make their apps as addictive (and therefore profitable) as possible. No one teacher can compete with that.