Many schools are moving towards allowing technology (cell phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) to be used in our student's daily education. Our high school here in NJ worked very hard to give each student a laptop for daily use in class. They also are allowed to have a cell phone in class for grades 7-12. There are some great apps out there that allow each student to respond on their cell phone, to a question sent by the instructor (25 instant responses replaces 1-2 hands raised). Others allow students to respond to a query posted in a closed online forum, enhancing typing and writing skills. Of course it does not replace instruction, but technology communication is the future and most careers require this knowledge, so we are planning for their future at the same time as enhancing instruction.
That being said, any experienced teacher also employs a shelf in the classroom as the cell phone/device parking lot. During tests or other designated tech down times, students must park their phone for the duration of the class. Its easy to spot perpetual texting and that often earns a time out in the cell phone parking lot also. Its all a matter of balance. It is the future and one of the reasons my daughter earned her engineering job above hundreds of applicants is due to the fact that she is tech savvy and can even write code! Google first year employees earn $70,000- $100,000. We cannot leave this important part of career readiness out of education. Rules, boundaries, limitations....good teachers just set the parameters for their use. 33 years in the classroom here.
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