In California, a high school teacher complains that students watch Netflix on their phones during class. In Maryland, a chemistry teacher says students use gambling apps to place bets during the school day.
Around the country, educators say students routinely send Snapchat messages in class, listen to music and shop online, among countless other examples of how smartphones distract from teaching and learning.
The hold that phones have on adolescents in America today is well-documented, but teachers say parents are often not aware to what extent students use them inside the classroom. And increasingly, educators and experts are speaking with one voice on the question of how to handle it: Ban phones during classes.
“There have always been distractions in the classroom and unless we are talking about a diagnosis of addiction, smartphone uses shouldn’t be treated differently.”
If that’s what it comes down to then, fine. Maybe some serious research should be done in the subject.
But, until then why allow something in classrooms that isn’t just a simple distraction. It’s a tool with lots of uses that should never be allowed in school (and I’m not just talking about cheating).
It’s also an easy method of bullying that can be very difficult to stay ahead of.