User:Groupnophones/sandbox

II. Ethics

Ethical Integration:

While integrating technology into classrooms seems like a flawless plan, it has been met with an accusation of ageism of the older teachers in the field. Incorporation cell phones into lesson plans or allowing students to have them during class time can have detrimental effects on seasoned teachers, or those that feel that students can outsmart them with the newest technology. These teachers believe that forcing or requiring teachers to integrate new technologies:

isolates them from the younger educators makes them seem less desirable in the field they’ve been in for decades and forces them to do more preparatory training, meaning that they are doing more work for the same amount of money as the younger teachers. This brings about the discussion of ethical integration. For some seasoned teachers, seeing the requirements for multi-modal technological uses in the classrooms is a turn-off from applying to certain positions. These systems and the students using them, when met with someone unfamiliar with the technology or having low technological literacy, can take advantage of an instructor’s ignorance and cause disruptions in class—without the instructor being aware of it at all. Some schools have even banned cell phones to the lockers as more and more students and apps cause inconspicuous distractions in the classroom.

While many schools offer a reciprocal mentoring model (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.—where younger or more experienced teachers mentor seasoned educators on new technologies and media—there is still some hesitation as to whether the field should keep up with its newest participants or cater more to those that have been in the field for longer.

With recent studies showing the negative effects of technology in the classroom, some seasoned educators use this as an excuse to ban new media and technology from their own classrooms. While it is important to ensure that every child is proficient enough to navigate new media, some argue that it does not necessarily have to be integrated into every single classroom. When speaking of cell phones directly, experienced teachers have been moving toward absolute removal of them from public classrooms, due to distractions, bullying, and cheating—all in ways that could be completely unnoticeable to educators that are unfamiliar with the technology.

Citations:

Aydin, Belgin, et al. “Is Learning Technology a Turn-off for Older Teachers?” Resources for English Language Learners and Teachers | Pearson English, 11 Nov. 2016, www.english.com/blog/technology-and-older-teachers/.

Berdik, Chris. “To Ban or Not to Ban: Teachers Grapple with Forcing Students to Disconnect from Technology.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 22 Jan. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2018/01/22/to-ban-or-not-to-ban-teachers-cope-with-students-driven-to-distraction-by-technology/?utm_term=.1f5f6a8a4a54.

Lee, Chin Chin et al. “Training Older Workers for Technology-Based Employment” Educational gerontology vol. 35,1 (2009): 15-31.

Quintela, Ashley. “Teachers Limit Cell Phone Use.” Omaha.com, Omaha World-Herald, 17 Oct. 2018, www.omaha.com/sarpy/ralston/teachers-limit-cell-phone-use/article_a531122c-ecca-5f8b-a8c7-866a98e06750.html.

IV. Mental Health

Cells Phones and Mental Health

When placing the stresses that come with cell phones into the already high-stress situation of a classroom, students are often times not mature enough to cope with the demands of each in conjunction with the other.

Many studies have linked depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts with overuse of smartphones and new technology. According to these studies, teenagers and young adults are simply experiencing too much mental stimulation at once—making class and course work seem even more overwhelming. Likewise, students who have more exposure to their cell phones more often are 14% more likely to have stress- and depression-induced addiction than those who spend a healthy amount of time on their cell phones.

While schools have their students 5-8 hours per day, that is 40% or more of student’s day where schools could have a great impact on student health—by banning the use of cell phones. Phone and social media addiction are prominent factors in depression and suicidal thoughts, as well as in cyber-bullying and adolescent porn addictions. If educators were to limit the use of cell phones—or eradicate it entirely—students would be forced to focus on school work, and could also help them outside of the classroom, as well.

As students become more and more prone to addiction and mental illness through the use of their phones, schools are beginning to take notice and limit and/or ban the use of cell phones on school premises (and that includes teachers and faculty, as well). This has been the response to increase test scores, limit teacher stress factors, and fight cyberbullying, as well. Many schools have claimed it to be very effective, as students have no choice but to focus on the curriculum in front of them and the environment around them.

Teachers have noticed that when cell phones are banned from school premises, test scores increase and in-class distractions, detentions, and conflict decrease. As the point of school is to learn, not to placate the demands of the students, teachers are finding solace in the fact that banning does more good than evil.

Citations:

Babadi-Akashe, Zahra et al. “The Relationship between Mental Health and Addiction to Mobile Phones among University Students of Shahrekord, Iran”Addiction & health vol. 6,3-4 (2014): 93-9.

Dohms, Elizabeth. “Banning Cellphones In Classrooms Is Helping Students Be Less Distracted, Staff Say.” Wisconsin Public Radio, 10 Sept. 2018, www.wpr.org/banning-cellphones-classrooms-helping-students-be-less-distracted-staff-say.

Matar Boumosleh, Jocelyne and Doris Jaalouk. “Depression, anxiety, and smartphone addiction in university students- A cross sectional study” PloS onevol. 12,8 e0182239. 4 Aug. 2017, doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0182239

Riley, Naomi Schaefer. “To Fight Cyberbullying, Ban Cellphones from School.” New York Post, New York Post, 7 Feb. 2017, nypost.com/2017/02/06/to-fight-cyberbullying-ban-cellphones-from-school/.

Walton, Alice G. “Phone Addiction Is Real -- And So Are Its Mental Health Risks.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 27 Jan. 2018, www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2017/12/11/phone-addiction-is-real-and-so-are-its-mental-health-risks/#6faa3cdc13df.