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help kids or die » Are We Still Talking About the Value of Cell Phones?

Over on the Principal’s Page there’s a well written post on school cell phone policies.

In relation: here’s the letter that my encompassing school district gave to all of the principals to send home to their student’s parents:

Dear Parent,

With the breathtaking pace of technology comes unanticipated consequences that can negatively impact the learning environment. One such example of this is the potential inappropriate use of cell phones. Inappropriate cell phone use impacting instruction may include:

1. Cheating on tests/class work via text messaging and cameras;
2. Circulation of inappropriate photos taken in restrooms and locker rooms;
3. Video game distractions;
4. Ringing/text messaging distractions during instructional time;
5. Signaling for leaving class/ditching;
6. Loss of instructional time to address cell phone interruptions;
7. Time spent investigating thefts of cell phones rather than focusing on student instruction.

Of greater concern is the use of the cell phone to compromise your child’s safety. Nationwide, incidents of this nature include:

1. Setting up fights and fight locations;
2. Electronic threats/harassment;
3. Making drug deals;
4. Impeding emergency efforts through rumors and incorrect information;
5. Overloading phone systems severely limiting emergency communication.

To address these issues, the SCHOOL DISTRICT NAME REMOVED is reminding parents/guardians of the following guidelines:

• Phones must be turned off and remain off during the instructional day and passing periods in compliance with SCHOOL DISTRICT NAME AND POLICY NUMBER REMOVED. Phones left on vibrate/silent modes are subject to seizure.

• Cellular phones may only be used prior to the first bell, after the final bell, or during scheduled nutrition breaks or lunch periods.

• Cellular phones should be stored in a non-visible location (backpacks, purses, pockets).

• Phones confiscated in violation of these guidelines will only be returned to a parent/guardian during non-instructional hours.

• Cellular phones must remain off during a school evacuation, lockdown, or drill. During these situations tell your child NOT to try to contact you by cell phone until given the okay by school staff, thus allowing emergency communication channels to remain open. The Parent Link communication system has the capability of contacting parents/guardians in an emergency.

• As a condition of possessing a device on campus, the student agrees to a search of the device’s content if reasonable suspicion of violating the cell phone use policy exists.

Additionally, parents are asked to silence their cellular phones while at the school. This ensures both compliance with the above guidelines and serves to set a positive example for students.

Communication regarding your child’s safety will in no way be hindered through these guidelines. Please be reminded that each school has intercoms and loudspeakers and the majority of our classrooms have hardwired telephones. Additionally, administrators and safety personnel are prepared with two-way radios and cell phones.

We understand how families have come to rely upon cell phones and other electronic devices to maintain the lines of communication; however, we have an ethical and legal responsibility to ensure that technology is used in a way that won’t be harmful to others or create unsafe conditions in our schools, or undermine our educational purpose. We seek your support and hope that you will speak with your children so they too fully understand the importance of following these guidelines. Thank you.uber-progressive district cell phone policy

Among a million other thoughts that I have (i.e. thank goodness they’re going to get rid of the cell phones. By doing that, in one fell swoop, they are apparently going to do away with cheating, distractions, ditching, drug deals, and overwhelming the the cellular networks for which I’m sure Verizon thanks them) my primary focus is this:

I couldn’t be happier that you have this policy. I am going to do everything in my power to make sure that my charter school has the exact opposite policy because

1. I can’t imagine a single job that I want even one of my students to have where using their cell phone to it’s fullest potential isn’t a requirement, and
2. It will drive students, who realize that they are going to need these skills to survive, to my school.

It wouldn’t be appropriate to have a discussion about cellphones without plugging this video:

Because while SCHOOL DISTRICT NAME REMOVED wasn’t paying attention I was stealing your students. So, thanks. First person to make an lolcatz about this wins a prize.

and

Cell Phones as Classroom Learning Tools

While you’re mulling all of this over go read the best post I’ve read in a long, long, time over at Practical Theory, What I Want to Talk About and let me know if cell phones are a non-issue and that I’m, once again, paying attention to the wrong thing.

Technorati Tags: cell phones in schools, principal’s page, cell phone policy, Darren Draper, Pay Attention, K12 Online Conference, Chris Lehman, Practical Theory, how many tags can you have before it becomes its own blog post?

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This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 at 7:07 pm and is filed under administration, online learning, school 2.0, school reform, teaching, teaching tools. You can follow responses to this entry through the Comments RSS Feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your site.