TECHNOLOGY IN SCHOOLS: TO TEXT OR NOT TO TEXT

By Donna Tate

For INST 6130

STUDENT CELL PHONE USAGE

The majority of high school students, and increasing number of junior high school students have cell phones &/or electronic music devices such as I-Pods or MP3 players.

Many of these student cell phones have internet access that is outside a public school’s filtered and monitored internet service

STUDENT CELL PHONE POLICY

The majority of school districts have prohibitive policy regarding student cell phone use during the school day.

All school districts have students and parents sign an Internet Usage Policy of some sort—which may be limited to the district’s own internet service and not applicable to student’s cell phone internet.

WHERE THERE IS A WILL THERE IS A WAY

Anecdotal evidence suggests that students find ways around prohibitive cell phone policies Girls sit at desks

with their purses in their laps to have their phones at their fingertips

Boys put the phone in a pants pocket for quick texting.

LEGITIMATE CELL PHONE USE IN CLASS

Some teachers keep a web page that includes online homework which students can complete using their cell phones. Students finish class work can use their cell

phone to complete an homework assignment! Some teachers allow students to do quick

internet research on their cell phone needed to answer questions or complete classwork.Teachers report that this increases student

engagement and responsibility for learning!

LEGITIMATE CELL PHONE USE IN CLASS

One Biology teacher used a texting lesson to model DNA translation and transcription. Students texted a DNA set to each other Errors were discussed from the perspective of

genetic mutations The technology was not the lesson, simply a tool

of the lesson. Students were observed to be on task and highly

engaged in the lesson.

LEAD YOUR SCHOOL (LYS) Lead Your School (LYS)

is an educational consulting organization that is a proponent of bootleg technology in the classroom.

Their website can be found at: http://www.leadyourschool.com/

Their blog can be found at: http://leadyourschool.blogspot.com/

SCHOOLS BRAVE ENOUGH TO TRY

A few pioneer schools allow students to use cell phones during passing periods and lunches, such as Lewiston High School in Lewiston, Maine (LeBlanc, 2010). Anecdotal results indicate student discipline violations for electronic devices in classrooms have fallen now that students have a time of the school day where electronic devices are allowed (LeBlanc, 2010).

LeBlanc, C. (2010, October 10). School climate, technology, and discipline. Sun Journal. Retrieved from http://www.sunjournal.com/family-2010/story/918258

STUDENTS CAMPAIGN FOR CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS

Increasing student organization, student newspapers are trying to raise the awareness level of adults in schools (teachers, administrators, etc.) in order to have student cell phone policies revised.

http://lahstalon.org/Archived_Issues/10_11/Issue5.pdf

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

Check your school’s cell phone usage policy Speak to administrators at both the campus

and district levels with the goal of raising awareness at the futility of a prohibitive policy

Be sure to stress that using a cell phone for cheating or plagiarism is never an authorized or educational use of a student cell phone—meet them where their first concern is.

Be persistent! It may take a while for a change to happen, but it really is only a matter of time as schools must compete with virtual schools!