Tomorrow, in the province of Ontario, a new cellphone “ban” takes effect. Devices are not allowed in classrooms and schools except for learning purposes. More specifically, the mandate states:

Personal mobile devices can be used during instructional time under the following circumstances:

1. For educational purposes as directed by the educator in the classroom
2. For health and medical purposes ( a physician’s note is not required; a note from a parent will suffice)
3. To support special education learning needs

Parents and naysayers may be saying, Thank goodness the government is tackling the issue of distraction and attention among students!

But guess what? That was already the policy at our school. Teachers will continue to ask kids to put their devices away or use their devices for learning.

TheToronto Star article, Cellphone Ban in Ontario schools, more hype than substance, makes several good points.

Where Doug Ford says, “Technology can be and should be a positive component of learning in the 21st Century…However, if it’s not instruction-based, if it’s not guided by a teacher for academic achievement or scholastic purposes, it shouldn’t be in the class.”

Cathy Abraham, president of Ontario Public School Boards’ Association makes this statement:

“Students need to be discerning digital citizens and opportunities should be provided within the curriculum to allow students to safely explore various uses and risks of technology in an intentionally guided and supportive environment.”

This idea is supported in research. The gradual release of responsibility as well as the theory of situated cognition, and the theory of Observational learning speak to the importance of adult modelling in the context of learning. My own Masters research showed the positive impact of adult mentorship on students using social media in the areas of digital citizenship, digital literacies, and student voice.

I have been sharing the various ways we can use social media and technology for learning and digital leadership for several years. Social LEADia is full of examples of how we can use devices to learn and share learning, to empower and celebrate others, and to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

I will continue to use devices when I co-teach classes at some point every day because we do not have enough devices in our our school for everyone.

I will continue to support kids to self-regulate and be mindful of their device use.

I will continue to ask kids during their spare or work periods if phone are helping them or distracting them and either asking them to put their devices away or hanging on to them if they need help self-regulating.

I will continue to use their tools and experiences in the context of learning and with a focus on media literacy, mental health, and forging global connections.

I will continue to ask students to use Snapchat for a close reading of text in the form of booksnaps, Twitter to participate in the Global Read Aloud, our UN Sustainable Development goals projects, and our Amazing Race projects, and use Instagram for their book reviews and to communicate with students for clubs and events.

I will continue to use this sign to remind students that the devices in their pockets are powerful tools for learning.

So what will be different? Not a whole lot.  For parents, it may be a reminder to not text or call their kids during the day. One school I know of is creating a message which will be texted to parents if students continue to use their cellphones inappropriately, but for the most part, it will be business as usual in our classrooms and schools.

I did create the resource below which I will use that you are welcome to use or share. You will note the GREEN is on top, the YELLOW invites kids to self-regulate, and the RED one explicitly talks about the importance of giving their full attention (lots of research on this). It focuses on the positives rather than the negatives which is what I have commonly seen with a stoplight approach. Here is the Google Draw link. Feel free to modify it to suit your needs.

Teachers and admin teams are busy doing the work of educating students in Ontario to learn about the world into which they will graduate and devices and social media are a part of that world. We will continue to do that important work.

Richard Erdmann’s take is a good one to consider:

The Ontario cell phone begins tomorrow. Here is my viewpoint – If we want our Ss in Ontario to be global digital leaders than how can we ban the use of the tools that they need to get there! Teach, support, guide, mentor… not ban! #OntEd #edleaders #Ontedleaders #istestandards pic.twitter.com/M36EMaZbSo

— Richard Erdmann 🇨🇦 (@rerdmann) November 3, 2019

and would love to hear your comments.