cellphones
I would like to see learning excersizes on there cellphones.
Kari,
I like this idea as it acknowledges the presence of cells & allows them to use them for an educational purpose.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree with this. Whenever I have the opportunity, I ask the students to pull out their cell phone for basic topic searches. They enjoy the challenge and enjoy the race to beat their classmates.
Lan,
I think this is generally a good idea as we know that this generation of students struggles with distractions & we need to help them with this.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree. I take their cell phones off until the end of the clsss. So their will be no distraction.
I don't allow cell phones in class at all. I teach culinary and if the student is on their phone I feel that the food they are producing will suffer. I always will allow a student to leave the classroom to use the phone but I wont allow being on the phone in the classroom.
Kenneth,
this is a good idea & point & definitely one to consider if it fits well with our class & topics.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I agree Nathan. Students spend seemingly a lot of their time in class trying to hide the fact that they want to use their phones in class, so finding a way to incorporate them into lecture by having them look something up may be a way to get them more interactive in class itself.
Stephen,
I agree that if in your field the cell is not of use or is not allowable then it should not be allowed in the classroom. We need to be careful about making absolutes as not all careers fall into the same category.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Whether the student is doing well or not should not be the issue with cell phone use. They need to set them down during class and pay attention to what is being discussed. I teach Culinary and the cell phone is of no use when it comes to cooking. That is something that must be done with your hands and mind. More importantly I have seen where many, and the number is growing, of businesses in the hospitality field that forbid cell phone use during working hours. So much so that it is the first thing listed in employee handbooks. Where my son works they have a no cell phone on your person while on the restaurants property during your shift. Zero tolerance and first offense the individual is fired. Non negotiable. So many are on their phone all the time and cannot live without them that they don't understand it is not acceptable in the work place and are frustrated because of it. The business is in business to make money and they are being paid to do a job and anything that distracts from doing that job is bad for business. Who needs an employee that is bad for business. No one that I know of. This they must learn while in school.
Shannon,
I think this is a good policy as it reflects the type of policies that many will encounter in their work environments.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
This is how I feel too. There are sites like Quizlet where they can quickly and surrepticiously type in quick questions and get a test answer. I tell my students and don't want to even see them in class. If they have an emergency, they have to raise their hand and ask to leave the class to take the call.
We have a big problem with cell phones in class.A student can say anything about what they are looking at and it most likely wont be the truth.It is an uphill battle where we are forced to be the bad guy and not an Instructor.Dont forget those phones have cameras on them and take pictures of tests.
True point. I tell my students on day #1...cell phones are a part of them...and I am aware to this, I'm not that old (ha, ha, ha). But they know that I do NOT want to see the cell phones out. They are forbidden in class...if by chance a student gets carried away & it is out...well, I call them out on it. They quickly put it away. They usually tell me after class...Prof Phillips, you didn't have to call me out in class. My respone...yes I did...due to the fact that I care & I don't want to see you in trouble. They always smile & exit the room. Now I know they are probably talking about me after class but that's OK.
Rita,
I agree that we need to associate some kind of penalty with it. They may be willing to take the hit, but at least we are telling them that we don't approve.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I deal with this issue daily in my class trying to text in class and want me to repeat a question.
I take off points on conduct.
Roxsie,
agreed & this is why I feel it should be carefully evaluated by individual instructors before just deciding to allow them/use them.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
I have mixed feeling about cell phones in class. While I agree they can be used as a tool for accessing information. They can also be easily misused. One minute they are paying attention and really looking up information but the next minute they are on facebook or checking their emails.
Students need a choice, stay and listen to the lecture or waist your time and money sitting outside of class. If you keep on doing what your doing you get what you got! No cell phones on during lecture.
Dr. Randy ,
this is an interesting point & I have a similar approach, although I find it can be distracting to those students who aren't doing as well.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
