To Representative
Sheryl Allen (R-Bountiful) and Dr. Bryan Bowles (Superintendent of
Davis School District):
I have read, with great interest, Jennifer Toomer-Cook's recent article about
banning electronic devices in classrooms. As a public school teacher, I strongly sense the need to inform you that
not all educators think that mobile electronic devices serve merely as an educational deterrent. In actuality, I feel very much to the contrary.
At this point in the history of education (both public and private), we are experiencing a huge shift - not only in the way our country perceives educational need (and
how education should be administered) but also in the techniques we all use to learn. In the past, most learning either took place through reading books or it occurred in the classroom, as the teacher imparted knowledge to the student. In the 21st Century, however, our students - when responsibly connected to their network - will often know more than the teacher, given that our students are actually permitted to come to class with
Google in their pockets. Admittedly, this shift in thinking is huge:
a paradigm, if you will. Do we really want our students to have access to an unlimited supply of information? As educators, are we prepared to admit that we are no longer the end-all/be-all distributors of knowledge that we once were?
In my humble opinion:
- Shift has happened, it's now time for educators to pay attention.
- Our students will stay connected whether we permit it or not - simply because the very tools we are attempting to ban have such tremendous potential for learning.
- We do our students a tremendous disservice in denying them access to the very tools for learning (namely cell phones and an Internet-connected computer) that we, as adults, currently utilize to obtain information. Are we not, as educators, attempting to prepare our students for life as responsible adults?
- Rather than running from the evil cell phones used by our students, why don't we figure out better ways to teach using such technologies?
Therefore, in drafting
legislation and
policies used to control the use of electronic devices in the classroom,
I admonish you to give the teacher final jurisdiction in determining whether or not such devices are disallowed. To universally ban the use of mobile technologies in the classroom will doubtlessly impair the learning process for many teachers and students.
In conclusion, I believe that John Dewey has said it best:
Sincerely,
Darren Draper
P.S. To learn more about cell phones and their highly educational uses in education, it may prove beneficial for you to browse the following websites and articles:
Technorati Tags:
cellphones 21stCenturySkills education technology
