Hellobee Boards

Absolutely during class hours. If the parent needs to reach the kid all they have to do is call the school. I understand wanting your kid to have a phone if they stay for after school activities... But there is no reason they need to access it during classes.

Smartphones are a fabulous learning tool. Yes, they can be a distraction in the classroom if they're not properly managed, but there are so many ways to use them as an instructional device that it's a shame to ban them outright. Every kid with an iPhone has a computer in their back pocket that includes Internet, a multi-media production studio, reference books like dictionaries and atlases, and study tools like flashcards. The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) model has a lot of merit in classrooms, especially when the school can't afford to provide this kind of technology to every student. As a junior high school librarian, I can't say enough about the potential. Obviously, I have colleagues that would disagree, but I find more and more teachers moving towards this mindset.

I had a cell phone junior and senior year of high school, and it wasn't much of a distraction for me. Of course this was before people had smart phones, and texting wasn't very popular. I only used it after school ended to call my dad to pick me up or inform him that I had to stay late.

High school and technology is very different now. I would vote to ban phones from school. Cell phones didn't always exist, and people survived. They do need to bring back pay phones in order to give students a way to communicate with parents when needed. I don't even know if students now know what a pay phone is... oye.

I don't know if it should be banned.

I do think maybe punishment of some sort so kids learn to put them on vibrate or turn them off. I think they need consequences for the disruption to the class. Maybe a warning and then detention if it happens often. (Is that harsh?) I think they should be able to use it during free time like lunch and study hall. I think promoting the responsibility of owning a cell phone is better than banning.

I know with iphones you can put it on vibrate but alarms will still go off. So what about asking for kids to show you that it is turned off and maybe collect them at the front of the desk for safe keeping. Or asking them to put their phone in their locker.

I am against outright "banning" on more "petty" issues such as phones (banning guns, I understand - phones?? well...).

I feel that when a ban is put on things, it causes kids (even some adults) to rebel, break the rules or have even worse attitudes than they may have before. I feel like too many rules is the breeding ground of rebellion. Obviously there should be a strict no cell phone use during class rule enforced, but I know it's hard than it sounds.

I don't have an answer, but I don't think a ban will fix the problem.

@artbee: that is so sad and awful! I can't believe they wouldn't let you call your mom.

@artbee: Seriously. What harm is there in calling a parent?! What did they think you were gonna do!

@Coco Bee: They thought I was faking it and just wanted to skip school. If I wanted to skip school, I'd either walk home from school or not go in the first place.

I agree with @Mrs. Tricycle. We have BYOD where I work and although it's never going to be perfect, we have to teach the kids to learn in the real world. Like I heard someone say... for some kids school is like getting on a plane! Turn off and stow your electronic devices for the remainder of the day. This is not helping them.... You just have to try and teach kids to use the technology responsibly.