France to impose total ban on mobile phones in schools!

[the game]

Stupid idea. What in case of an emergency? Like being trapped somewhere due to a shooter or a fire.

supposedly France has excellent gun control laws so there shouldn't be any shootings.

[Aggrophobic]

In class? Oh, for sure.
Outside class during breaks? I don't see the point at all.

[Deleted]

I typically didn't have homework. If I did, I did it at home because it's better to practice the material hours after learning it to better retain information rather than immediately after class. I don't enjoy reading books. We weren't allowed to "run around and throw a ball".

Why should I be limited to reading a book? How is that any different than reading information on the internet through my phone?

Well you said without a phone there's nothing to do. That's just untrue. If you can't think of anything else then that's a serious issue with yourself... Besides in my school our breaks were 15min, Dinner/Lunch 45min

[AeneasBK]

Didn't get the sarcasm, sorry

I agree with introducing kids to tech. I don't know that showing them how to operate their phones is necessary. The UI changes every few years anyway, and any kid that has a phone is going to rapidly figure out anything they need from it.

I don't know I agree, I mean, I've had a smartphone for about 18 months now and I barely use it for a tiny fraction of it's potential, mostly because I'm not that fussed about even owning a phone that isn't a landline; but eitherways, I would imagine there's enough "under the hood" stuff to learn about that could allow kids to actually get EVERYTHING out of their phones, and not just using it as an alarm-clock Mp3player. Maybe I'm just assuming this (as I have, admittedly, never really investigated it's potential) but learning the "how" it does what it does, may not be the more glamorous side of the phone but neither was learning to write emails :P

[Deleted]

I'm not sure what "break time" you're talking about where you had time to do any of that. I'm talking about the 5-7 minutes you have in between classes.

I'm also not sure why doing any of those is better than being on your phone. I can read a book on my phone if I choose to.

Your bored easy then

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supposedly France has excellent gun control laws so there shouldn't be any shootings.

Considering France has virtually no school shootings

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Nothing I wanted to do. I don't see the negative of being your phone. You're arbitrarily removing a choice I could have because there are other choices. That's not a good argument.

Well they are negatives otherwise France wouldn't ban

[AeneasBK]

I typically didn't have homework. If I did, I did it at home because it's better to practice the material hours after learning it to better retain information rather than immediately after class. I don't enjoy reading books. We weren't allowed to "run around and throw a ball".

Why should I be limited to reading a book? How is that any different than reading information on the internet through my phone?

Gives your eyes a rest from staring at a screen? I dunno I wasn't trying to be sarcastic (particularly) I just feel really out of touch sometimes so wantedto frame the suggestion with acceptance that it might be waaay dated. I just thought you were suggesting that without a smartphone the only recourse is to be bored doing nothing. I wasn't trying to suggest anyone should be limited to "just reading"; and I totally agree that "home" is a preferred place to do "home"work, given a decent studying environment at home, for the same reason you stated.

BTW as a teacher you may be able to answer this: IS it typical to not give homework anymore? You said you rarely had it, and I'm assuming you're a few years out of school by now at least, and I can imagine parents moaning about it until schools just can't be bothered with issuing it anymore, just wondering what the status quo is?

[yinyatto]

You do know how the comparison is stupid

I like to highly exaggerate obviously a phone is far less important than having a house, its just i find it very silly to forbid them, the distraction just highlights how boring school is to most kids with the phones gone they will simply find something else to distract them selves with.

i mean the alternative could be instead of personal phones. schools can adapt to using standard issue phones that stay in the school instead of having multiple computer rooms needed, only having ones for IT classes and for other classes simply using a school issue phone for research on the internet. much more cost effective than multiple computer rooms and much easier to setup. perhaps?

[the game]

Considering France has virtually no school shootings

[

Then students shouldn't need their phones during school hours then.

[Acidbaron]

If it's too much to you for a parent to be able to know where their child is, then you must have encountered some pretty awful parents.

So you jumped from me being against constant access to where a kid is through spyware to parents being completely unaware where their kids are. Interesting, do you wish to put more words in my mouth? Since i fail to remember where i said any of that.

I do remember saying that a good relationship of trust between child and parent is important and that said spyware gets in the way of that. I do recall saying that. If you wish to advocate that that is a good thing be my guest, as i said i don't subscribe to such paranoid reasoning.

[Deleted]

Then students shouldn't need their phones during school hours then.

Which is what we're saying (and France)

[the game]

Which is what we're saying (and France)

I was quoting Elba. not you. He said they need their phones in case of a shooting.

[Jester Joe]

So you jumped from me being against constant access to where a kid is through spyware to parents being completely unaware where their kids are. Interesting, do you wish to put more words in my mouth? Since i fail to remember where i said any of that.

I do remember saying that a good relationship of trust between child and parent is important and that said spyware gets in the way of that. I do recall saying that. If you wish to advocate that that is a good thing be my guest, as i said i don't subscribe to such paranoid reasoning.

I never said that, I just said if you think it's too much for a parent to have, then I would wonder what kind of parents you've met to think they'd all exploit it rather than use it in cases where they don't know.

And it's not even "spyware", phones have built in trackers.

[cparle87]

Good. The attention spans of some of these kids are horrendous as it is. More countries should follow suit and take note. Back in my day we never had the privilege of smart-phones (just flip phones!).

My grandma, who I lived with, didn't get me a flip phone until I started driving. And she made it clear it was to kept in the car and only used to keep her informed of where I was.

[Deleted]

Sure, negatives to having the phone during class. In between classes? I doubt it. I don't bore easily. Most other people are just boring so socializing isn't the most ideal form of entertainment. Especially in high school when most people were idiots and I was forced to be around them.

Again that's a 'you' issue. Most teenagers will manage

[Stormwolf64]

phones aren't the only things kids bury their face in to avoid socializing... reading books, drawing, really focusing on eating lunch. better ban all things that might prevent kids from talking to other kids about how bored they are every day

If you don't have a proper argument, please just dont say anything. This is just silly. There will always be unsocial people, phones just make a lot more of them. Just look past what i think is personal bias and im sure you'l agree.

[Acidbaron]

I never said that, I just said if you think it's too much for a parent to have, then I would wonder what kind of parents you've met to think they'd all exploit it rather than use it in cases where they don't know.

And it's not even "spyware", phones have built in trackers.

Parents that aren't subjecting their kids to their own paranoid fears. Let's be honest here you are already coming up with far fetched scenarios to remotely justify the use of such tools, while we both know parents that use that won't wait to utilize this for such scenario's and will use it frequently, why even bother to install it to begin with otherwise?

And no to make use of such software you need to install such spyware to make use of the tracking possibilities.

[DSRilk]

I am literally a teacher. It is that simple. You don't have to wander around checking on what every student is doing. It's blatantly obvious when someone is on their phone.

There is on confrontation between the parents and teachers. If they don't like having to go to school to get their child's phone then they talk to their kid about it, not me. I've never had a parent once complain about me taking their kid's phone.

On one hand, I like giving people the benefit of the doubt. On the other hand, I've never heard of a teacher that hasn't had run-ins with parents over stuff that was literally the fault solely of their child.

I'm not talking about noticing that they're on their phone. Are the students allowed to use their phones for music? Are they allowed to use them to look up information? If so, then it's much harder to notice. There are also kids who simply refuse to give up their phones when asked to hand them over. Teachers I've spoken to have also given that as a reason why they don't like to confiscate phones - basically, fear of what might happen. If you're a teacher, you either haven't been one for very long, or you've been exceptionally lucky in the students, staff, and parents you've dealt with. Either way, I suspect we're just going to have to agree to disagree here in terms of the benefits of allowing phones during the school day (none, in my book) vs the downsides and complications.

[Krigaren]

I still don't see the negatives of having phones during class as another option to kill time. It just seems arbitrary to ban their use during those times.

And therein lies your problem. Kids aren't attending school to "kill time", they're there to learn. Somehow kids managed to "kill time" at school for hundreds of years without needing to check Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. If a kid has free time in school, they should be studying or doing homework, period.

If you are indeed a teacher, then this is also a reflection on you. If your kids have so much free time that they need to kill it playing Gardenscapes rather than learning, then you need to step up your teaching game.

[DrStiglit]

Because sitting on Instagram and playing Candy Crush looks good on your CV ?

Not candy crush but having a strong understanding of the social media environment, knowing and following trends and keeping up with the Kardashians are all pivotal to running a successful social media marketing campaign.

[Laerrus]

What's your view on this? My dad is a teacher and often tells how no one focusses on anything in anymore, but on their smartphone.
So might be for the better?

You bet! They need to ban them from K-12 over here in the US too. Kids are missing out on A LOT of interpersonal development and fine tuning of those social skills by being glued to those damn phones. There's nothing wrong with having a smartphone, I have a Galaxy 7, but there is something wrong when you are not yet mature enough to use it in moderation.

At breaks and lunch also why? I found bans on phones really stupid.

Kids need to get physical activity, as in actually playing outside and on the playground a couple times a day. The physical exertion helps to get rid of excess energy and keep them better focused in class.