Cell Phones in the Classroom

Cell phones, specifically smart phones have become a permanent appendage to students hands. This issue has gone through stages that many people in my age group have experienced. At first cell phones had basic features, and weren't a major problem in class, considering many students even up to grade 9 did not have them. Then we saw them explode in high school. Classes were riddled with disruptions and unengaged students on their phones. We are now moving into a time where classrooms are starting to embrace technology. We have everything we could possibly need to know at the tips of our fingers with a smart phone, and if used appropriately it can help transform our lessons.

Ben Johnson, a long time teacher wrote a blog on edutopia about how he manages cell phones in the classroom. When he asked students why they insisted on having their cellphones with them at all times, and they cant just disconnect for class, the invariable answer he got was something along the line of "it's my life". Some of the major issuse he addresses is the disengagement in class material because of the full engagement in whatever is on their phones, the texting language creeping into school work, and the inability for students to have downtime without going straight to their phones. You can read more about Ben Johnson's experience here http://www.edutopia.org/blog/how-manage-cell-phones-classroom-ben-johnson

I personally feel like this is the age of technology and fighting against it in classroom has and will prove futile. The "you take it out, I take it" approach hasn't really gotten us anywhere because student will be right back on their phones when they get them back, and this really hasn't motivated them to engage in material, it's instead causing them anxiety about who could be texting them or a number of other things. The curriculum in place as of 2007 addresses media within language arts, and this is a step in the right direction towards a technologically engage classroom. If we could include a lesson on how to use technology appropriately in a classroom setting, apply strict ground rules, and supervision the possibilities of taking our curriculum far beyond pen and paper are endless. 

However, like with any new system, there will be some foreseeable issues. 

What subjects can we allow technology in?

What if a student does not have or cannot afford the technology their peers have?
How will the teacher monitor up to 35 devices to make sure the students are being appropriate and productive.

There is not easy answer for any of these questions, but they are something we can work on to work towards a technological inclusive classroom, and yes, that means BYOSM (Bring Your Own Smart Phone)

Drake S. M., Reid, J. L., & Kolohon, W. (2014). Interweaving curriculum and classroom assessment: Engaging the 21st century learner. 

          
Don Mills, ON: Oxford University Press.

Hodas, Steven. 1993. “Technology Refusal and the Organizational Culture of Schools.” Educational Policy Analysis Archives:1(10).

Teaching with Current Events

What student has time to read the paper? Really, what student has time to go looking for current news? One of the most valuable pieces of advice I have received from a Prof came from an off the record comment telling us to make our internet browser's home page a news site. I personally have CTV News as the site that comes up every time I open my browser.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/

We tend not to think about the connection the News has to our life, to our education, but everything that happens in the world creates a chain of events. Education as a whole is a part of a dynamic social and political system that is changing every day, so why wouldn't it be important for us to keep up to date on our world? This issue was brought to my attention when following a blog found through one of the sakai  links. It was a New York Times article 50 Best ways to Teach with Current Events . 

The first idea I want to talk about is "News you can Use". Ask any 3rd grader, the news is boring, it's a man or woman on the TV talking about something they don't understand or don't care about. This right there is the fundamental thing we can change. Start by having students list some of their interests, then the fun part comes. In a controlled internet environment we can let their tech savvy little brains find a piece of news that speaks to one of those interests. This is where media and current event literacy comes in. Much of our "current news" comes from a twitter or facebook news feed. While this is great for social upkeep, we can help student learn early where they can find information about current events that are outside of their direct environment. 

There are endless ways we can use current events. Writing activities like critically analyzing the story being presented, identifying the POV or comparing and contrasting the same or similar stories from different News outlets. It doesn't just stop at writing, there is the potential for lively debates to enhance critical thinking and public speaking skills. You could do a scavenger hunt, teaching them to navigate all the different news outlets from internet to newspaper to the evening news. The possibilities and modes of delivery in the classroom really are endless. 

 Burns, M. (2013, May 17). Free iPad Apps to Teach Current Events. Retrieved October 5, 2015. 

Gonchar, M. (2014, October 7) 50 Ways to Teach With Current Events. Retrieved October 7, 2015. 

Hopkins, G. (2013, October 3). Twenty-Five Great Ideas for Teaching Current Events. Retrieved October 5, 2015. 

The "Be" Controversy

To make meaning of Canadian curricular outcomes, we use the "Know", "Do", "Be" framework, or KDB. Let's break this down, the "Know" and the "Do" are more objective concepts, easily testable, objective, and can be turned into something tangible. We all like tangible things. We feel at ease with tangible things. It's when we get into the disputed, subjective, "Be" part of the frame work, thats when we start to see people struggle.

The story goes that there was a boy who preformed up to standard academically, achieving the "Know" and the "Do", but failing to hit par on the "Be". The school felt the boy did not reflect good values or character, and therefore failed to pass him. Now, you can imagine how angry his parents would be, suing the school claiming the wrongful failure of their son on the grounds of the values the school came up with.

The "Be" is a value base concept that exists not only in school but in all aspects of society. To fulfill and exceed the "Be" we are supposed to meet the values set out for us, by showing good character, having good work ethic, and overall being a pleasant, societally accepted person. In schools, these values are implicitly interwoven in the curriculum. They have their shining moments in character awards and social justice education, but who decides what values are important, and how they are assessed? This is where the problem comes in. There is no standardized test for being a good classmate, yet teachers feel increasingly like character in the classroom matters. The school boards addressed the issue of assessment of the "Be" by reflecting them in the learning skill and work habits portion of the report card. However, the problem here, is there is very limited space for explanation and we'd be lying to ourselves if we thought this assessment wasn't entirely subjective.

So I'll just leave these questions here...
Does it really matter if you're character is on point if your are excelling in academia?
Is the "Be" really necessary in the framework? and if it's not, what can we expect from society in the future as we move towards a more competitive nature, leaving character and values in the background.