Smartphone has become an integral part of our daily lives. But should mobile phones used in classrooms?
It is not the first time the debate around smart phones in schools has made its presence known, and it certainly will not be the last. Despite teachers’ concerns and strong policies of schools, the number of Smartphone users has risen to 71 billion in 2019 on the global level; it is expected that this figure will surpass in 2020.
Today, smart phones are everywhere. As per the Pew Research Centre, 95% of teens in the US have access to smart phones, and half of them say they are online all the time. Teens spend more than nine hours every day consuming media through mobile devices according to the estimation of the Center for Media and Child Health at Harvard Medical School.
No doubt, smart phones have transformed the way we communicate, but there is a question they can be a major headache for teachers as well as administration. This is the reason why several schools have put in place restrictions or bans on students’ use of cell phones in school.
Researchers believe that children’s rapidly growing use of smart phones may contribute to declining mental health and the inability to learn well in school.
This change shows a pivot away from the more open student cell phone policies that districts instituted in preview years. But many people think that this restriction is not the right decision. Reason being, the recent changes are fuelled by educators, who worry that by allowing students to spend their time on their devices, they are raising an addiction and stunting students’ development of face-to-face communication skills.
In this world, children are born with a life where digital gadgets are a normal part of life. From an educational perspective, banning smart phones in schools may be an easy solution but not necessarily the smartest one.
Many experts believe that it is better to keep mobiles in schools and help train students on how to use them responsibly instead of just banning their use.
They say devices can be a great teaching tool. And, ban it just hiding from reality; it is just common, everyday practice these days. And, we can teach kids to live safe, responsible and healthful lives with and without their mobiles and other devices.
Education is the perfect medium to teach children to practice self-control and to live a better life. But schools cannot do this alone; parents must support schools in that.
Parents should give some time to their kids. Stat with sleep; a teen needs nine to 11 hours of sleep but because they sleep with their smart phones, it steals their sleeping times. Keep your eyes on your kids and make sure they sleep on time.
Always motivate your children to play outside. Physical activities are important for healthy growth and kids playing are the way. Today, children are spending much more time daily with digital devices than before, stop it. Make it a tool, not a treat. Motivate your kids to read more books. So these are the techniques, parents can adopt to decrease the use of Smartphone without banning it.