Recently, Los Angeles moved to ban smartphone use in school.
Is this going to improve the mental health of the school-going children?
Read more at: https://education.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/los-angeles-moves-to-ban-smartphone-use-in-school/111113287?utm_source=Mailer&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=eteducation_news_2024-06-20&dt=2024-06-20&em=cmVhY2guZHNza0BnbWFpbC5jb20=
I believe that a complete ban on smartphone usage in schools might be too restrictive. While it's essential to minimize distractions and create a conducive learning environment, smartphones can also serve as valuable educational tools and safety devices. A balanced approach, where smartphone usage is regulated and integrated into the curriculum responsibly, could harness their benefits while mitigating potential downsides. Encouraging responsible usage and digital literacy among students might be more effective than an outright ban.
Its a good start.
Use of computers and internet for learning purposes need not depend on the student's smartphone. Alternatives can be thought of.
Students can have access to their phones during breaktime..or after class hours.
Gaurav H Tandon Suresh Thontadarya Terri Purvis
Thank you for sharing your insights.
Yes, banning smartphones in schools significantly improves the mental health issues of children attending school. It is known from a number of scientific research results that unregulated, uncontrolled, unrestricted use of smartphones by children in schools causes a decrease in students' concentration in lessons, a decrease in students' interest in the topic of the lesson, a decrease in academic performance, deterioration of children's mental health, deterioration of social relations in the peer group, etc. How serious problems in these issues can occur on a larger scale is demonstrated by the lockdowns and national quarantines put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, in some situations, a teacher may allow students to search for the data and information necessary to analyze specific issues related to the lesson topic. In addition, there should be special educational classes, where students should be made aware of how to use smartphones correctly, so as not to spend too much time in online social media, not to fall prey to the actions of cyber criminals, to behave appropriately in situations of diagnosing the practice of hegemony, to use the Internet safely, certain Internet applications that are useful in certain information situations, and so on. However, in addition to such educational lessons, children should have their smartphones turned off and hidden in their backpacks. On the other hand, in the current era of the fourth technological revolution, the development of Industry 4.0/5.0 technologies, including generative artificial intelligence technology, technology used for computer games, Internet applications, the creation of Internet intelligent chatbots, etc., it is not feasible or advisable to completely block children's access to new technologies, the Internet, smartphone, etc. However, the issue of children's use of new ICT, Internet, Industry 4.0/5.0 should be under the control of parents, guardians and teachers. Children should be taught to use these technologies safely and moderately. Therefore, during the aforementioned special educational lessons, children and adolescents, by way of exception, have the opportunity to use a smartphone, but to search the Internet for specific data and information related to the topic of the lesson and for the purpose of solving a specific task assigned by the teacher, to solve a specific problem, to propose a solution within the framework of a project of individual work of a student or the work of a team of a group of students, to develop teamwork in solving tasks, to learn to support each other in a specific peer community, to develop projects, to carry out student research projects, pro-social work, and to find and propose the most innovative ways to solve specific problems. This kind of pro-social and at the same time pro-development, educational, etc. project can be the use of social media to promote a pro-ecological, pro-climate, pro-environmental project carried out by a group of cooperating students in the implementation of team project work.
I would like to invite you to join me in scientific cooperation on this issue,
Best regards,
Dariusz Prokopowicz
The above text is entirely my own work written by me on the basis of my research.
In writing this text I did not use other sources or automatic text generation systems.
Copyright by Dariusz Prokopowicz
Dariusz Prokopowicz Thank you for your valuable insights.
I agree with the RG members who advocate for the use of phones at breaks and after school.
I remember when I was a teenager at boarding school how we used to save the appropriate small change to use public telephones in 'call boxes' after school and at the weekend, when we had 'reported out' to a matron or teacher to leave the school building for a walk. Very exciting to speak to a friend or relative on the telephone, and when you had to put in more money, the phone would 'beep'! If we were to use the school telephone for a more important conversation with a relative, for example, we had to 'reverse the charges'. All these phrases are not really used, now, so I have put them in 'inverted commas'. I never would have thought in those days (mid to late 1960s) that there would ever be mobile phones! We would have LOVED that!
Interesting question and replies.
It is certainly a complicated issue. It has to do with teaching students to use it carefully and prudently, which is not simple but necessary.
Smartphones are a reality and if used appropriately, they can assist in education.
Banning them, even with penatly, simply is not guaranteed to work. Are we sure that learners will comply with banning? To be honest though, I am not completely sure, such problems are only recent. Before, smartphones, there were stories about children who bring tape-recorders in schools and record what happens in the class.... or so I have heard!
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