A social media and digital literacy expert warns against a B.C.-wide approach on the non-instructional use of cellphones because most B.C. schools already have policies in place that work for them.
Instead of imposing a blanket ban, Darren Laur, co-founder and instructor at The White Hatter, argues for what he calls an “educational approach”, pointing to the policies of Belmont Secondary School in Greater Victoria as a positive example.
“The issue of cellphones in classrooms is far from black-and-white,” he said in an article published on the company’s website. “It’s crucial to recognize that mobile devices are neither a plague nor a panacea for student learning. While they can be distracting and potentially harmful, they also offer opportunities for engagement and learning.”
Laur said in an interview he understands why the question of banning cellphones has popped up again after Quebec gave school districts until Dec. 31 to implement a new directive banning use of cellphones at public elementary and secondary schools except for specific educational purposes. Quebec becomes the second province after Ontario to issue a provincial mandate around cellphone use in classrooms.
But Laur said that a lot of the headlines surrounding developments in Quebec and Ontario are “not necessarily the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”
Quebec still allows cellphone use in schools but “only at the discretion of the teacher and for…educational purposes.”
Laur said he “totally agrees” with that position and most but not all schools in B.C. already have similar policies.
“So why push that as province when most schools are already doing that?” he said. “Do I think that the (province) should be adopting a policy to put in place at the provincial level? No, I don’t! I think that should be left up to the school districts and schools to make that decision based upon their needs.”
So why is this question generating so much attention?
“I think there is a political angle to this,” he said. “I think there are some parents, who are pushing for this and some of the parents, who are pushing may not understand the good academic, peer-reviewed research associated with what is going on.”
While Laur acknowledged the inappropriate use of cellphones by some students that can be “somewhat distracting to learning,” a complete ban would actually be counter-productive, given the all-present nature of technology and need to navigate, especially in the professional world.
RELATED: Sweeping cellphone ban not incoming for B.C. classrooms
“If the goal is to teach kids how to mediate their use of technology in a positive way, what better place to do it than in a school? And allowing schools the ability to do that themselves rather than pushing it a provincial level is important. Why? Because…schools will differ from province to province, from district to district, from school to school.”
In other words, local knows best.
“Does the province have a part of play? Sure they can,” he added. “The province can shepherd the issue, but I think setting the policy should be left more to the schools and the school districts.”
With this position, Laur is essentially arguing for the status quo, and a statement from the Ministry of Education and Child Care suggests that won’t change anytime soon.
The statement points to instances “where having access to technology is used as a learning tool and for some students, it is important for accessibility.” It states that, overall, the ministry will continue “(its) work to monitor and evaluate the issue, as student health and well-being is of the utmost importance to support their continued success.”
Not all voices are content with the status quo. BC United has promised that it would enforce a K-12 classroom ban on non-instructional smartphone use to enhance student engagement as part of larger reforms.
The party would include the re-instatement of letter grades, stronger measures to protect youth against vaping and an “on-time and within-budget school construction program.”
@wolfgangdepner
wolfgang.depner@blackpress.ca
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