Phone Ban in Schools

[Catsumi]

Interesting OT. Never saw that before

[Kodidad]

Here's what they need in schools.
https://www.podareducation.org/blog-6-a ... lculations.

Anybody remember these?

[Tero]

This is big talk, but upper management and trustees want phones in school.

Why?

Because then they don't need to pay for devices for kids to use, and a HUGE amount of school now depends on technology for teaching. Kids use their cell phones all the time as a way to look things up (who needs libraries?) and as a replacement for textbooks. Computers are not being replaced as quickly as they are becoming obsolete and student's personal devices are being used to replace them... at no cost to the employer.

Ask your kids how many computer labs are left in their schools? How many computer carts need to be shared amongst the entire student body?

[Babba_not_Gump]

Quebec has stepped up, will BC follow?

https://torontosun.com/news/national/qu ... rMiddaySun
Quebec to ban cellphones in elementary and high school classrooms

[Catsumi]

Slightly beside the main topic but here goes

Several of us are sitting in a waiting room every Tuesday morning waiting for our therapists . During first few weeks, all have heads buried in devices except the Skunk who’d rather chat instead. It took awhile, but now we all greet each other, talk about upcoming trips, wedding attendances, etc simply because one wouldn’t allow electronics take over what was once a chance to visit with other humans.

Now we are a cohesive group, cellphones and ipads stay in purses while we enjoy each other’s company, just like before the Kovid hysteria. Remember those days?

My point is that it is not just school kids affected negatively by social media devices, but the adults too.

If we are ever to find our way back to normal social converse, we must do it ourselves, one step at a time. The person sitting next to you is not the enemy as Kovid has trained us to believe, but a real, feeling, normal human being that also appreciates being seen as such

[bidwell2]

My step-daughter and her daughter come for a visit and are looking at their phones as they walk through the door. People I never thought would sit there staring at a phone now do it, swiping through the most banal rubbish because 1 in 100 items might be mildly amusing. I am hoping this is some kind of phase the world is going through. Elon Musk (most dangerous human alive) , X, Meta, AI, cell phones, overdose, pandemic, 'gender stereotyping' - I don't know if this is how my parents felt, I think so but probably less alarmed. The silliness going on today is beyond alarming.

[puterbrother]

This is big talk, but upper management and trustees want phones in school.

Why?

Because then they don't need to pay for devices for kids to use, and a HUGE amount of school now depends on technology for teaching. Kids use their cell phones all the time as a way to look things up (who needs libraries?) and as a replacement for textbooks. Computers are not being replaced as quickly as they are becoming obsolete and student's personal devices are being used to replace them... at no cost to the employer.

Ask your kids how many computer labs are left in their schools? How many computer carts need to be shared amongst the entire student body?

Besides,the powers that be want low educated people with just enough brains to do those endless minimum wage jobs.They don't want an educated population that realizes how badly they are getting f***ed by the system.So let them have their hand held computers and don't complain when you see Canada slip further down the scholastic scale on the world stage.

[DebSS]

Love this new ban on phones. I bet not one of those kids knows how to look up something in an old encyclopedia either. Remember seeing a video of two teens trying to figure out how to use an old dial phone. I too come from the time of slide rules. And the first calculator was the old Texas with red lettering. We had more fun making words out of the numbers when you turned it upside down. Nothing was allowed in exams except your ruler, pencil, and eraser in those days. I too had a math teacher named Mr. Ryan with pop bottle thick glasses, and another one named Carrol, both so smart they could hardly explain the math to you. Found out years later the Mr. Carrol never had a teaching degree, back then you didn't need the formal schooling like a degree. That was in the 70's. Taking away phones is good, it makes them listen and not pressing buttons. As one parent said on the news, if a parent needs a kid, phone the office - simple.

[Jlabute]

Ban phones in school. I agree. Parents can phone the office if necessary. Is there any question about this?
Kids should also learn reverse polish notation on calculators. lol. The 15C is back, bigger and badder.

https://hpcalcs.com/product/hp-15c-collectors-edition/

[Fancy]

I for one am glad to see the end of the big ungainly encyclopedias. However a child is at school to learn and not be toying with their phones.

[Silverstarqueen]

Hewlett-Packard 35 came out in 1972.

UBC in 1972. Basic calculator was over $100. Top of the line slide rule was $35. Starving student.
Although I never had one, an HP sounds about right.
BTW 7.6 Tonga today

Same here, only the rich kids had calculators.

[65deluxe]

Calculators were the first step in dumbing down society. Cell phones are next level. They have contributed greatly to killing critical thinking and the ability to problem solve by using one's own brain.

[Jlabute]

If phones were only phones there wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately smart devices allow access to too much garbage, too many selfies, too much content sharing.

As for calculators, no one in grade 8 and lower should ever need one. Once a student is smart enough to cover complex maths, then hopefully the simple aspects of math are already well learned and are too time consuming to be done by hand. The super experts use MathCAD and other various tools. As you work your way up, your tools become more powerful. Tools are unavoidable since things of greater complexity are being done more quickly.

[Urban Cowboy]

If phones were only phones there wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately smart devices allow access to too much garbage, too many selfies, too much content sharing.

As for calculators, no one in grade 8 and lower should ever need one. Once a student is smart enough to cover complex maths, then hopefully the simple aspects of math are already well learned and are too time consuming to be done by hand. The super experts use MathCAD and other various tools. As you work your way up, your tools become more powerful. Tools are unavoidable since things of greater complexity are being done more quickly.

Hmmmmm that could be a good feature idea for some savvy phone designer.

They have an airplane mode already, so how about a school mode, that somehow disables all but what's needed for school, and ideally could be enabled/disabled by the teacher.

I can feel the hate welling up already.

[Beerhunter341]

On the surface, it seems like a good idea but there is much, much more to this. Where is the talk about banning laptops and tablets? What about smart watches? We didn't have smart devices when I was in school but we still found a way to waste time. Wasting time is a classroom management problem not a technical one.
What about embracing it and teaching proper etiquette instead?
What about all the educational apps that are available?
What about students with disabilities?
What about emergency communication?
I'm sure many of you that are taking offence to cellphones in the classroom are reeling at the thought of AI in the classroom.