“They are just not focused.” Benefits and challenges of cell phone use in the classroom

BY PAUL JUNOR

There is no doubt that using cellphones and other personal mobile devices remains one of the most challenging things that classroom teachers have to deal with daily. An article in The Globe and Mail written by Naomi Buck on September 1^st, 2023, titled, “Hold the phone,” highlighted the impact of cellphones on children’s: mental, emotional and physical health. The fact that cellphones have become a permanent feature in kid’s lives means that educators have to think of creative ways to accommodate them in schools.

The article noted that about twenty-five percent of countries have adopted policies that will restrict the use of cellphones in schools.

It was in 2019 that the Ontario government released the results of provincial consultation on education reform, which was conducted in Fall 2018. It showed that 97% of parents, students and educators told us that there should be restrictions on the use of cellphones at school. As a result of this consultation, the Ministry of Education updated its personal code of conduct to:

• Restrict the use of cellphones and other personal mobile devices during instructional time
• Help students focus on learning

As a result of this: school boards, school authorities, provincial and demonstration schools instituted codes of conduct that were in alignment with the provincial code of conduct. It defined a personal mobile device as any personal electronic device that can be used to communicate, or access the internet, such as a cell phone or tablet.

The intended purpose of the personal code of conduct was to ensure that the use of any personal mobile devices in elementary and secondary school classrooms is restricted during instructional time to:

• Prevent distractions
• Maximize learning time

It allows for using mobile devices when the student is on recess or lunch. There are exceptions when it can be used in the classrooms such as for:

• Educational purposes, such as conducting research, or access educational websites, as directed by the educator in the classroom
• Health and medical purposes
• Support special educational needs, including students with mental health needs

The issue of the banning of technology has received international attention as a result of a UNESCO Global Education Monitoring report released in Summer 2023. The report recommended that technology should only be utilized in classrooms under conditions when it supports learning outcomes, and this includes the use of smartphones. Dr. Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO states, “The digital revolution holds immeasurable potential just as warnings have been voiced for how it should be regulated in society, similar attention must be paid to the way it is used in the classrooms.”

The report notes that the utilization of smartphones can be a potential source of disruption in classrooms. It mentioned a study about students in pre-primary to higher education in 14 countries who have experienced distractions from learning because of using smartphones. The presence of a mobile phone with notifications coming through is enough to cause students to lose their focus and become distracted from on-task work.

It takes students about 20 minutes to regain their focus according to one study that was referenced in the UNESCO’s report.

Steve Brown, CEO of Nelson, Canada’s leading educational publisher and developer of Edwin, the digital learning ecosystem has creatively addressed cell phones in classrooms. He supports a 21^st century learning methodology that supports educators and students through a dynamic, engaging and productive interactive approach. He believes in a learner-centric approach that puts the learner at the center of the teaching-learning cycle. This makes for an: exciting, interesting and innovative strategy that puts students’ interests, pursuits and needs at the core to facilitate learning.