A typical adult will consult their screen 80 times a day, or 30,000 times a year. Kids will check theirs more frequently.
Fifteen years ago teachers did not have to contend with smart phones in the hands of pupils in classrooms during instruction time. Today some of those teachers are pulling their hair out. Others are finding cell phones a handy tool that enhances learning opportunities.
Candis Houston teaches in Aldine ISD, is a president of the Aldine Federation of Teachers, and is among the latter. “I like cell phones in the classroom for teaching purposes,” she tells KTRH News. “The issue is some teachers still don’t know how to incorporate it with instructions.” She says they can be a great help with shy students afraid to ask a question out loud. “There are some online resources. They can type their question on the screen on their cell phone and you can just answer it in general.”
What’s the best way to handle phones in the classroom? An all-out ban?
Apparently not. While studies continue to show cell phones can pull focus from classroom instruction, the technology also brings a new dimension of learning possibilities to the fingertips of young minds who are going to have to learn how to incorporate their phones into their lives as adults.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the number of high schools nationally that have banned cellphones dropped from 80% to 35% in the past ten years.