Phones Away Please

I'm in a lucky spot right now where I am a full-time student myself while also going in and out of a secondary classrooms each week. I get to experience first hand rules that my professors are putting in place and how us college students react to them. Then, I go and observe how current middle schoolers and high schoolers are responding to their teachers' climates.

As of right now, I will not allow cellphones, smart watches, or personal hand-held devices to be 'out and about' in my classroom. I want to specify that I will allow laptops during certain times, but not during lecture time. I've seen and experienced the temptation of having the Internet right in front of you. It's not possible to multitask no matter how much we think we can. I will allow e-readers during silent reading time or when we need our books out for class purposes.

First, I want to speak upon my perspective as a student right now. Overall, I'm a consistently engaged and participatory student in each class, but I have found myself being less so when I'm allowed to have a computer in front of me. I try to stay academic on my laptop thinking that's beneficial for my goals, but I'm not really able to listen or respond when I'm in that mode. I notice that for my peers too. Whereas, when I'm in a class that doesn't allow personal laptop use during lecture then my classmates and I are present, really present.

Second, I want to speak upon my perspective as a pre-service teacher right now. Some mentor teachers use laptops frequently, but aren't well-monitored. That's definitely part of it. Monitoring the technology. The students drift off of what they are supposed to be doing. Also, ear phones are tricky. It's easy for students to say they just have Spotify open. I doubt it. I probably wouldn't. It makes it that much more easier for them to text or Snapchat. That's why I hope to utilize background music (even though it won't be their favorite) during work time.

When I thought about my future classroom, I realized that it just won't be feasible to let students have their phones easily accessible. Does that mean I won't have technology integrated into my content? Absolutely not! Does that mean I won't teach digital citizen skills, even for their personal devices? No! I really do believe in the value of practicing responsible technology use, but their phones and smart watches don't have to be a part of it.

Giving them a personal device free space will allow them to be fully present which will help them absorb content that will benefit their futures, participate more regularly within large group and small group, and en

courage students to 'make do' without their phones in awkward or boring situations. I know it's kind of being the bad guy, but someone who has given up social media because of the way it ate my time and darkened my mood, I think it's the best scenario for their learning environments.

BONUS:

If I were in an interview for a teaching job today, then I would like to ask the panel what the school policy is for personal devices. I might also ask if administrators are open to discussion about technology use in the classroom? What if there is a certain platform for laptops that students could advantage from?