Frank Gilbert’s Post

South Carolina is banning cell-phones in the classroom... How will it affect educators and students??? This week the South Carolina Board of Education mandated that all school districts ban student cellphone use throughout the school day. The policy aims to enhance academic performance and reduce distractions, with a focus on keeping students in classrooms. Some Key Points: What does the policy require? That phones must be off and stored in backpacks or lockers. Do districts have a say? Districts must meet the letter of the policy, but can enforce stricter rules and decide on disciplinary actions. When does it go into effect?  Policies must be in place by January 2025. Are exceptions allowed?  Yes, there are exceptions for specific educational needs, disabilities, and certain jobs. Are there concerns? It could potentially burden teachers with add'l tasks and have unintended consequences like increased suspensions. Who supports this? It is backed by legislators, teachers’ advocates, and the Governor. You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/g2G9CYGU It's undeniable that cell phone use, and specifically social media use, has affected student learning and classroom behavior. As a former teacher, I applaud this policy and believe the potential burden on educators is overstated. In fact, the statewide policy would empower me as an educator to take clear and unbiased actions around cell-phone usage in the classroom. But what do you think about the news? And what unintended consequences do you believe might result from the new policy? Should we push for a similar policy in Minnesota?

Pennsylvania Senate passes bill encouraging school districts to ban students' phone use during day " in an effort to improve their mental health and academic performance." 1. Schools and the people running them should not be monitoring mental health status of kids. Even if every school had a qualified resource like a child psychologist, clinical psychologist, pediatric psychologist, development psychologist or even a neuropsychologist ... AND had been given informed consent to engage with and assess a child ... and this child was then given multiple sessions over a period of time ... schools shouldn't be collecting this kind of data on kids ... period. 2. I'm looking for empirical data to support the concept of improving academic performance with the removal of phones. If kids aren't paying attention because they are distracted by their phones ... we might need to dig a little deeper to see if it's the phones or our approach to teaching. Tech offers us a way to reach kids where they are ... or we can simply force them to come to us ... Balance. Open minds on all sides One thing is for sure, if students aren't allowed to bring phones to school or have to have them locked up ... all the adults in the school must lead by example and lock up their phones too. #education #leadership #mentalhealth #adolescentdevelopment #bans #oldschool #digitalworld https://lnkd.in/e8pbTgFG

The Association of American Educators (AAE), a national professional association serving educators in all fifty states, today releases survey results revealing overwhelming support by educators for restricting student access to cell phones during the school day, with 70% of survey respondents supporting a ban on cell phone use during the entire school day, and another 26% supporting a ban on cell phone use only during class time (but permitting students to use them during non-instructional time). Less than 2% of respondents supported policies permitting unfettered cell phone use. Furthermore, 70% of respondents ranked cell phones in schools as one of the top five concerns educators face for the school year. From a list of common concerns, cell phone use ranked second behind only student achievement as the greatest concern. Other top concerns selected by respondents include educator burnout and the impact of teacher shortages, both of which ranked well above gun violence and grade inflation. https://lnkd.in/gVXSrcpi

Today the Ontario Minister of Education introduced new rules around cellphones in classrooms and social media in schools. A few weeks ago three Ontario school boards sued a number of social media companies for $4.5 billion dollars. This accountability on social media companies will hopefully create influence in how their apps are made and bring light to the neurological techniques used that are damaging not just to students but to adults. While some will be for these actions and others will be against these actions, I believe they create a massive opportunity for us to collectively build in proactive strategies about digital empowerment. This bold action creates the much needed opportunity to do this. It also will hopefully put a spotlight on a new much needed conversation as it relates to education. The rise of selective and sustained attention based cognitive enhancements. There is growing evidence in the literature that shows we are not paying as much attention to this as we should as it relates to learning, mental wellbeing and enhanced human performance. Another indirect consequence of this is consensus between the boards, the MOE, parents and teachers. While not 100% consensus this much consensus between all these groups has not happened in over a decade. This spark is something to build on. https://lnkd.in/gpauGrcc

We’re all in Back-to-School mode, and as the new school year begins, many schools are implementing stricter measures to limit cell phone use in the classroom. But will these policies be effective? 📚 This article from WBEZ explores the potential benefits and challenges of these new policies. Discover more about how these changes might affect students and teachers: https://lnkd.in/gpjcjMuF? At CEC, we support initiatives that foster focused learning environments and improve educational outcomes. Learn more about how we can help: https://lnkd.in/gqZAPqS8 #BackToSchool #Education #ClassroomManagement #CellPhonePolicy #FocusedLearning #CEC

Interview I did this afternoon with Will Silverstein of Kbak-Tv 29 CBS-News. Gov. Newsom urges school districts to implement phone restrictions BAKERSFIELD, Calif. --- (Kbak-Tv 29 CBS-News /FOX58) California Governor Gavin Newsom is urging school districts to crack down on classroom cell phone use. But it's not clear there is much the Governor can do to stop those texts. On Tuesday morning, Newsom's office released a statement urging school districts to crack down on cell phone use in the classroom. The statement refers to legislation the Governor signed five years ago that allows districts to police student phone usage in their classroom. Newsom suggests districts should regulate usage following successful trials in a couple of Fresno and Santa Barbara school districts. Newsom claims "...the districts that have been cracking down are reporting higher test scores, grades, and student engagement, and less bullying and damage to school facilities." However, Kern Literacy Council Executive Director Ian Anderson said local school districts have enough issues to tackle which makes the time to punish cell phone usage hard to find. "The challenge of the policy is, 'Is it being implemented?'" Anderson said. "And schools have a lot [of other responsibilities]. It is not like this is the only policy of the school year that is new that they have to implement." That is not to say there is not a success story in Kern County. Wasco Union High School District implemented a box collection policy last school year and has brought it back for this school year. The district's superintendent, Kevin Tallon, described his district's policy. "It allows them to collect cell phones and secure them in a box," Tallon said. "[The phones] stay with the teacher until the end of the class period." Tallon believes student performance in the classroom has improved since instituting the phone box. "When you limit distractions and you ask students to focus on the lesson and focus on the learning for the day, they do better," Tallon said. "We strongly encourage them to make sure that their cell phones are collected and really just focus on the content and the lessons being delivered that day."

First, let me say that I completely understand and support the concerns surrounding cell phone usage among students and the negative impact it can have on their academic performance and social-emotional well-being. However, the proposed legislation falls short in addressing the root causes and instead places an undue burden on schools and teachers. Here’s why: 1. It Adds More Financial Burden on Schools 2. It’s Predominantly an Out-of-School Issue 3. Policies Already Exist 4. Teaching Digital Citizenship Is Our Job 5. Exemptions Will Be Impossible to Manage Schools can and should focus on enforcing existing policies, educating students on responsible digital behavior, and working with parents to address issues arising outside of school hours.

Student cellphone use, teacher survey results discussed at Miss. Board of Education meeting Support growing for more restrictions in schools as teachers cite student cellphone use as major distraction in classrooms. https://lnkd.in/gdppwxH6

Parents texting and calling their kids during school hours is becoming increasingly common. Education Week explores how this trend impacts the classroom environment and student learning. What are your thoughts on this issue as educators, parents, or students? Do you believe it’s helpful for students to stay connected with their families throughout the school day, or does it disrupt learning and school culture? Does this prevent students from building meaningful connections with their classmates? Share your experiences or perspectives below! https://lnkd.in/eUw7EMzD

Portland Public Schools advances plan to restrict cell phone use by students "Among 239 survey responses from a group made up mostly of PPS teachers, counselors and support staff, 94% said they would like to see a district-wide policy and 98% said they have concerns about how student cell phone use impacts the students' mental or physical health." Empirical data please. If we are going to experiment on our kids we need a transparent measure of the outcome of our actions. IMO schools need to stop talking about our kids #mental health. Stop asking questions. Stop collecting data. STOP. #security #privacy So let's focus on grades? Are we to expect kids grades to improve by these actions? How much? When? Will more kids graduate? Goals? Measures? Will teachers and school staff follow the same rules? #Lead by example? I support programs that ask students to put their phones away, then teach consequences for choices. Those that simply force kids to put their phones in a bag or box ... teach nothing, except "we don't #trust you" and "you aren't capable of managing yourself". #education #humandevelopment #Cyberpsychology #selfmanagement We want to build independent people, not codependent people. https://lnkd.in/e_Z9WAxG