Photo used under CC-BY SA 2.0 from Flickr user Bryan McDonald
As of September of this year, elementary and middle school children in France are no longer allowed to carry their smartphones while in school. As a part of Emmanuel Macron’s presidential campaign, the controversial ban details that children up to the age of 15 must either leave their phones at home or give them to an instructor without return until the end of the day. The ban, which was initially announced in December of 2017, raised many concerns from students and faculty surrounding the logistics of enforcement. They complained no concrete details have been provided, such as whether or not schools would implement lockers or signal blockers. As well, parents have expressed concern about reaching children in case of emergency, as access to phones is now prohibited during breaks and lunch. [1].
The smartphone ban was proposed in an effort to curb screen addiction in children, encourage socialization, improve focus, and discourage cyber bullying [2]. While the provisions for this ban are only mandatory for elementary and middle schools, high schools across France are encouraged to comply. Meanwhile, in Canada, schools have experimented with rules surrounding phone and tablet use, from successfully banning to mindfully incorporating them into the classroom. Regardless, acknowledgement of the presence of technology in the classroom, and critical consideration on how devices can best be used, are productive to creating better and more effective modern learning environments.
What are your thoughts on technology in the classroom?
Should governments enforce provisions for personal devices in publicly funded institutions?
Or, should students maintain the rights to their devices, especially if they are for educational use?
Be sure to leave a comment in the discussion box below.
For more information, check out these articles:
French school mobile phone ban comes into force | Independent
France’s ban on kids phones in schools sounds like a great idea | TheNextWeb
France to ban mobile phones in school from September | The Guardian
More Canadian schools move to incorporate, not ban, cellphones | CityNews
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