I-Phones in school? Is there a zap for that?

Published in the Toronto Sun on May 25, 2011

My battle against the tsunami of cellphones, iPhones and BlackBerrys in the classroom just became a little more lonely as the Toronto District School Board voted last week to lift its ban on the use of personal electronic devices.

I do not teach with the Toronto board but obviously I am concerned about what can happen when the country’s largest school board appeases students in this way.

I am no technophobe. I have taught computer courses in the past, have contributed to various IT magazines, wrote online courses and continue to make extensive use of the Internet as an instructional tool.

And it is precisely this experience, coupled with a realistic understanding of student psychology and behaviour, that convinces me no ban against student use of personal electronic devices can ever be strict enough.

Allowing the use of personal electronic devices in the classroom is not a question of “keeping up with the times” as some of its proponents have said.

And it is truly naive for any responsible educator to think teens will inherently use devices like iPhones and BlackBerrys to enhance their ability to learn in class.

The simple truth is adolescent students overwhelmingly use personal electronic devices as entertainment and a distraction away from their duty to concentrate and learn in school.

I have never confiscated an iPhone or BlackBerry in the classroom and found the student was taking in a few lines of Chaucer or trying to get the latest news on what is happening in the world.

But I have certainly stumbled on material completely and utterly unrelated to what was going on in class. I have caught students cheating on tests by trying to access classroom notes from their iPhone.

I am also not convinced (though some of my students have tried) that listening to their favourite classic rock or heavy metal band on their mp3 players will actually help an individual concentrate on their school work.

It also seems teachers like me are not the only ones refusing to “keep up with the times.”

Whether it be at the local fast-food restaurant or clothing store, I have never seen any of my students text message, access their iPhone apps, or listen to music on their mp3 player while on duty at their part-time jobs. Could it be the “real world of business” also believes these devices are counterproductive and a distraction.

The Toronto District School Board has stated it will “allow individual teachers to determine the use of personal electronic devices during classroom teaching and learning” acknowledging these devices should only be used for school-related purposes.

But the fact remains that instead of being categorically supported by their executive leadership, the Toronto public school teacher who may, for whatever reason, say no to these devices could potentially be seen as challenging the intentions of their executive leadership.

And just how realistic is it to expect the teacher to teach, deal with classroom management issues, while at the same time continually monitoring the use of say 20-30 personal electronic devices in the classroom ensuring each and every one is being used strictly for educational reasons?

Inevitably the students will win.


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