electronics in school

The school that I teach at does not allow electronic devices. (disk men, Ipods, mp3 players) Cell phones are allowed as long as they are turned off. We, that is the teachers, are permitted to take these things away if the are present during teaching hours. DO u think this is fair? Should we have electronic devices in our schools? What are ways we can prevent "accidents" with these electronics.

I am asking these questions because they appeared in our school news letter, and i was the teacher selected to be the voice of the others (the other teachers) i also wanted to include other teachers as well please any advise will help and opinions!

thanks a bunch

As a former core teacher and now tech teacher, I think electronic devices are wonderful, but they do have a place. The classroom is not the place for these devices during instruction time. They are distracting for students that do not have them, and interfer with teacher instruction for those that do have them. There are enough distractions for students. Cell phones enable students to keep in touch with family and friends, but while in school, this does not need to happen. When I send my kids to school, that is a safe institution, probably the last safe institution that many have.

If you are looking for support of allowing these things in the classroom and turned on, you will not get it from me.

[keysnan2]

I am a teacher and a mom of a high school student. I did not believe students needed to bring in and cell phones to school until my son's school had a lot of bomb scares. He was evacuated from his school so many times to so many locations , I did not know where he was. His teachers let my son use his own cell phone to call me at my school one time. The rest of the time I was in the dark if it was really a bomb or just another prank. His school also had many deaths in one year at a few of the schools in his district. We as a family were very scared. ( I teach in another district)
After that horrible year, we decided that my son needed a cell phone. He does not use it unless it is very important . He text messages me if his plans change after school....like if he needs to stay after school for some reason.
We have children in my Elementary school who now have small cell phones in their backpacks. THey told me that they have it in case they needed to call their parents to say that they are ok.......we had a few lockdowns at our schools....parents were not told why....kids text messaged their parents to tell them that they were fine and not to be worried.
This " day in age" we need to know that our children are safe. I even take my cell phone out to recess. If I need someone quickly , I have a phone to get help.
Nan

Originally Posted by lil_smiley_teacher

The school that I teach at does not allow electronic devices. (disk men, Ipods, mp3 players) Cell phones are allowed as long as they are turned off. We, that is the teachers, are permitted to take these things away if the are present during teaching hours. DO u think this is fair? Should we have electronic devices in our schools? What are ways we can prevent "accidents" with these electronics.

I am asking these questions because they appeared in our school news letter, and i was the teacher selected to be the voice of the others (the other teachers) i also wanted to include other teachers as well please any advise will help and opinions!

thanks a bunch

I personaly think we should give our students one day of the week or month
where they can bring electronics(game boys,\CD players,I pods).I mean it's only fair!!

HI1 I too also agree that the students do not need to have these devices at school. However, do not disregard that sometimes things such as cell phones have a medical reason for being there. I have a 5 year old daughter who is a diabetic. She will be entering grade 1 in Sept. We are equipping her with a cell phone so she (or the teacher) can call us in a split second if there is any problem. I also need to have my cell phone on 24/7 when I am away from her. I know that this is the acception rather than the rule but just wanted to remind you to think of all possibilities. Thanks.

I despise cell phones in the classroom. And when you have to try to take one away from a student, it becomes combative -- literally. I've had students running from me, yelling, pushing....all for a cell phone. I had to tell one student EVERY DAY not to use her cell phone. She got caught by the school VP and fought with her. They make me crazy.

As for CDs, in that I teach special education, some of my students need them to keep focused. I give in occasionally and most of the students know it's a privilege and do not abuse that. Students are addicted to technology and no matter what we think of that, it's a fact. We all need to be more interesting teachers to today's student, which means getting a handle on technology. I book the computer lab two days a weeks now for English instruction. I get more and better work from my students and they are not a restless the rest of the week.

Dori Rhodes

In our district, these devices are allowed before the entry bell and after the dismissal bell. They are to be in students' lockers otherwise. Personally, I teach English, and many of my students focus better with music; however, playing a radio is unfair to the students who need quiet. In this case, I allow CD players or mp3s. As for cell phones, no matter how often we tell students not to let others know their locker combinations, they share, and hey--things come up missing. Due to this, I allow students to have their phones in class, but they must be turned off and out of my sight. Students receive one warning, then I follow district policy and take them up. Since I do provide a warning first, I don't have any problems if I have take them.

What grade level(s) are you talking about?

If it is high school, then I think that the students should be allowed to have cell phones only as long as they are turned off. If a teacher sees it or it becomes a problem in class, he/she should confiscate it and then call the parents about the situation. High schoolers should have cell phones for contacting parents for emergencies or for calling to pick them up from sporting events.

Middle school and younger should NOT have any cell phones, period.

As for the other electronics, I think that they should be allowed to some extent. If they become a problem in class, then take away the electronics. I work in an after school program for elementary, and many kids bring gameboys and cd players to play with and listen to during recess and the bus ride home. These kids know that if they bring out the toys and electronics, then they will get taken away.

Although technology is a wonderful teaching tool, in the hands of students it can often backfire. I am currently working towards my bachelors in elementary education, and I work at a community college during the evenings. I monitor classes that are televised to our site, and students use pagers and cell phones to cheat on exams! They text message during class. We have unfortunately caught several doing this. Also ipods and other devices tend to be distracting rather than helpful during class instructional time. These technological devices could be extrinsic motivators for a class for use when they finish their work or as a reward for perfect attendance or whatever you choose.

What a time we live in! Who could have thought there would ever be a need to inform parents of dangerous events at school until the Columbine tradgedy? After 9/11 all our thoughts turned to how safe are our families and children. In light of these unfortunate realities, it is important to remind our families and children just how precious and important life is, but we cannot allow a "What if" to control our entire lives. Cell phones are ubiquitous these days, and should be treated just like any other item that would interfere with class. The same is true of all the other electronic gadgets out there.

My school district has the policy that allows teachers and administrators to confiscate these items if and when they become an intrusion on our educational purpose. Making that clear to students and parents has helped our cause greatly. If we take them up, they can be returned to parents who have to come retrieve them from school. That having been said, I choose to remind students of my options rather than have to collect the item, because I do not want the hassle of safe-guarding the item(s) until the parent can come get them. I guess you could say I prefer to fight this battle only when it cannot be avoided.