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[HN] Unesco calls for global ban on smartphones in schools
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2023
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And what it is gonna do? Phones are already banned in classrooms here.
You know what students do? They use it hidden, they go against the rule even when found out.
We recently have implemented learning via tablets, and I think its the best decision ever. What they will do is just limit safety and access to quick information.
No, getting rid of smartphones in classrooms is the only way to actually teach critical thinking. Using devices in classrooms teaches kids that all the answers are on Google and that they don't need to think, only search.
Google/wikipedia is an incredibly useful tool, but before you learn to use them you first need to be taught basics. The scientific method is the first things kids need to learn: how to observe the world around them, form ideas of how it works, test those ideas, change them based on further observation. This kind of reasoning is sabotages when the kid learns that if they just use Google they can get the answer without learning how to do the work.
Takes like yours generally come from a place of well-meaning but are far removed from the actual reality of the classroom. Kids need to learn first how to figure out information in the real world hands-on before they are introduced to the abstract digital world.
You actually can successfully ban devices in the classroom through a variety of methods.
Not when the devices ARE the books. The tablets are used to hold the digital versions of the books and its whats used to do teaching. It is also to do some homework, while most written is still on paper. Online research is used as an addendum only, and even rarely.
This is just using a digital solution to an analog problem for no real gain in efficiency. In theoryland sure, you can replace books with ereaders and possibly save money. And at certain levels of education this works out, middle/high school. In earlier levels, there are two issues. One, kids break things. Cheaper to replace a book than an ereader. Two, kids associate the tablet form factor with entertainment. Kids rely a lot on symbols for interpreting the world. It's hard to get them into education mode when the symbol on front of them puts them into entertainment mode. Books signify learning, it helps the kids get into the right headspace.