James M. Lang, “The Distracted Classroom,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 13, 2017, http://www.chronicle.com/article/The-Distracted-Classroom/239446
“The more powerful the goals we establish for ourselves, and the more we feel ownership over those goals, the more we are able to pursue them in the face of both internal and external distractions.”
This article talks about cellphones and other distractions within the classroom creating conflict in our minds. It makes it hard for us to create our plans as well as follow them through. However, while it is true that cellphones do technically allow for everyone to get distracted the article also talks about how older adults actually have a harder time at keeping focused. This shows us that there is a large capability for high school students (and college) to be able to keep focused on goals. If we make our goals for each lesson or day big enough then our students will feel proud to complete those goals so they will more likely be able to push through distractions and will be allowed to keep their phones. By keeping their phones students minds will also be more focused on their learning and less on when they’ll get their phone back.
Rob Sterner, “4 Things You’ll Miss by Banning Cellphones in Your Classroom,” @ CTQ – Teachingquality.org (February 24, 2015). https://www.teachingquality.org/4-things-youll-miss-by-banning-cellphones-in-your-classroom
“By having a classroom policy that permits students to have and use their cellphones in a responsible manner with consequences for breaking my rules, I’m teaching more than just English. I’m teaching responsibility.”
As teachers we have the responsibility to teach our students content but we also want to “push” them to be better functioning humans over all. Technology usage is not always acceptable to be used at all times especially in certain jobs. Sterner talks about one way to do that is to use technology to start a conversation about how you leave a digital footprint forever and if you use it wrong it could cause problems with jobs in the future. This shows our students to not engage in bad risky behavior. We also teach them to have more willpower and to stay off their phones when they need to which will prepare them for higher education or jobs in the future. Lastly, by allowing our students to keep their phones but also teach them how and when to use them properly we prepare them for the future.
