This week in EDCI 336, we learned more about social media, social networking and their roles inside and outside the classroom. We worked in groups to explore different concepts discussed in class, and participated in a “cell phone jail” activity which prompted productive discussion.

woman reading book

I thought this lesson was really interesting, and I’ve decided to expand on it with my thoughts on cell phone jails. I personally don’t think cell phone jails are necessary beyond the ninth grade. At this point, I think students are old enough to be responsible for their own learning and can decide what is an appropriate use of technology. The only problem is if they are distracting other students in the class. In this scenario, I would ask the student to remove themselves from the classroom until they are ready to focus. This is what my high school teachers did, and I found it useful. Before grade 9, I think students are too young to be responsible for their own learning, and their maturity level will likely draw them to their phone (if they have one). Personally, I haven’t noticed any students with personal devices in my link2practice elementary school. I think if students have a phone at that age, I would encourage them to leave the devices in their backpack. If I saw them on their phones in class, I would give them two chances. One chance as a warning, and a second chance incase the first chance was to send a message to a guardian and they are checking the response. I think two short opportunities to check their phones is plenty of time, considering they also have time in between instruction to do so. For example, lunch break or during transitional times.

Overall, this week gave me a lot to think about. I never thought about what I would do in the situation of repeated cell phone use and distraction. I’m glad we have this class and these lessons, so I can be prepared and not have to come up with a plan on the spot. This way, I have more time to think about the things I say and how they could potentially be damaging.

Special thanks for the photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash