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Mobile Phones in Schools - EdTalk Forum opinions

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  1. #1

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    Mobile Phones in Schools - EdTalk Forum opinions

    Hi Everyone,

    We are obviously interested in discussions taking place about education, and so were surprised to see that the recent EdTalk in the SCMP focused so much on mobiles and students use of them.

    One would assume that students themselves can't afford the 10,000HKD pricetag for an iPhone X, meaning they are being bought for them. Even for lower end models the price is still around 2000HKD or above. The discussion educators are having - as evidenced by the attention it received at the recent EdTalk - seems to just be circling the obvious point that parents are buying these things for their kids, and that educators are then having to mitigate the impact they have on learning.

    If students have laptops and tablets available to them during school time, shouldn't we just ban the use of mobiles on school premises?

    HK_Katherine likes this.

  2. #2

    Huh


  3. #3

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    Was there any scientific basis for actually talking about it .. or was this a he/she said so lets talk about this type seminar?

    My son goes to a fairly decent top tier school and I have not seen ANY evidence of mobile phone usage distracting from education, during school hours - students are told they cannot use them, and they responsibly don't use them. Senior students are given a little bit more lattitude, but for most of the time, there is no evidence that they distract.

    lbear40 likes this.

  4. #4

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    Hi Shri,

    I guess the focus was on social media usage, and 'mobile' is the sort of catch all term used to explore this.

    There is always the temptation to be more 'plugged in' when you have a device on you constantly, and this was something that the discussion sort to bring out.

    You are right, students who are older tend to demonstrate responsibility and restraint with respect to their online activity. So is the discussion really just limited to Primary age students?


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    Again, I'm not sure what the demographics of the SCMP talk was - most international schools that I'm aware of (ESF / CDNIS ....) do not allow phones to be used during school hours.

    (Wait, I've been corrected .. ESF does allow students to carry phones around, not sure about usage policy)


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    Why do they allow laptops? There was an article recently highlighting that taking notes on notepads (writing) actually aids comprehension and memory....

    (Similarly I've never figured out why my staff bring laptops to meetings. I find it downright rude much of the time!)

    https://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/47452...r-laptops-away


  7. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    Why do they allow laptops? There was an article recently highlighting that taking notes on notepads (writing) actually aids comprehension and memory....

    (Similarly I've never figured out why my staff bring laptops to meetings. I find it downright rude much of the time!)

    https://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/47452...r-laptops-away
    true, i prefer writing notes on a notepad. Sometimes when i am in meetings and i need to make notes or schedule an appointment on my phone, i feel like i have to qualify it and say "sorry, just making a note" so they don't think i'm busy messaging on Whatsapp or something
    HK_Katherine and Stu79 like this.

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    If a student suddenly jolts and then asks to go to the toilet, they've 99% definitely got a message and want to check it. This doesn't happen that often, though. Aside from that, I don't see that much of an interference. They can actually be used for good - there is a variety of great interactive apps that I love to use, and getting the kids are whip out their phones is a lot easier than remembering to book ipads etc in advance.


  9. #9

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    Note taking - I tend to agree

    HK_Katherine

    Yes that article identifies some areas that I feel go without saying - like the idea of speed being the enemy of the note taker, preventing us from synthesizing the information ourselves.

    I also like the point about notes taken verbatim being less helpful: if teachers thought it worked we would dish out transcripts of our lessons every time.

    I also think there is a point about distraction that is inherent in a laptop. Look on any students laptop and you'll see 20-30 tabs on browsers and other programs open at the same time, reduced down but still there. This is the principal issue for me, as the cluttering of a screen with different information feeds the likelihood that you are only half listening to whatever you're hearing in a lecture, while note taking the rest of the time.

    But when we talk about Secondary school students I see the value. Most schools now use cloud storage systems and essay/written work submissions, so it does help.

    My issue is with how we can actually start bringing technology into the classroom in a conducive way without circling around the same old worries.


  10. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    Why do they allow laptops? There was an article recently highlighting that taking notes on notepads (writing) actually aids comprehension and memory....

    (Similarly I've never figured out why my staff bring laptops to meetings. I find it downright rude much of the time!)

    https://www.npr.org/2016/04/17/47452...r-laptops-away
    Laptops are an integral part of learning at KGV. Parents pay around 8k for a laptop that a 12 year-old carries around all day for the next 3 years, fortunately the insurance policy has been worth it for once. I have been frustrated that in some subjects nothing is written down, so hard to tell what has been done. Looking through google docs is not as friendly.

    Digital age progression or bad idea?
    shri and z754103 like this.

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