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Archive through September 06, 2010

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: September 2010 ~ December 2010: Free Expression: The return of The Return of the Gripe Thread: Archive through September 06, 2010 users admin

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Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-31-2000

Sunday, September 05, 2010 - 2:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Yes, Teach it is. And that's why Colorado would never outlaw kids being able to carry their cell phones around with them. Columbine still weighs heavy on our hearts, and we needed those kids to be able to phone home and 911.

Not as grim, but during a severe blizzard, when the school board was too stupid to call school off, they ended up having to send the kids home early. However our entire school phone system was out, so there was no way to notify parents at work. Again, it was a good thing those kids had their cell phones, so we knew to go get them before the roads were completely closed (as they were by end of that day).

There are good and bad uses for everything. I can't say that my DS has been 100% responsible with his phone, but on balance, I'm glad he has it in his pocket.

Hukdonreality
Member

09-29-2003

Sunday, September 05, 2010 - 3:47 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hukdonreality a private message Print Post    
Funny how when I went to school in the dinosaur days, we survived just fine without cell phones. I hate them and don't believe they have any place in school at all. My friend says that things are "different" now, so if for example her son has to stay after school for some reason, he can contact her. HELLO, we would go to the school office and they would make calls for us or allow us to use the phone if there was an emergency.

I know for a fact that her perfect son uses his cell during school, texting his friends in other classes. He told me that everybody does it. Before she got unlimited text, he had a month where he used over 10,000 texts. That's 300 in one day. I told her that from when he got out of school at 4, and before he went to bed around 10, that would be 50 texts per hour, or nearly 1 every minute. What a ridiculous waste of time for someone who should have been doing homework or helping out around the house.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-31-2000

Sunday, September 05, 2010 - 5:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Well, that's fine until the school phone system goes down in a snowstorm. :-)

Look, we didn't have school shooters in our day either. Things HAVE changed.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 05, 2010 - 5:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
Well we survived without the Internet as well but it doesn't mean we don't enjoy and make use of it like right now. :-)

Hukdonreality
Member

09-29-2003

Sunday, September 05, 2010 - 8:01 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hukdonreality a private message Print Post    
I understand that newer technology comes with the times. What I can't understand is why is becomes acceptable behavior to disrespect teachers and others because you HAVE technology. Just as I've said in previous threads, cell phone use in public (like holding up grocery store lines, etc) has created a society of rude people. Why let it start in school?

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 05, 2010 - 8:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
No one is suggesting that. What I am saying is they need to carry their phones, not use them. And they need to be taught to be respectful.

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Sunday, September 05, 2010 - 8:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
The technology is not creating the rudeness. It is people using it the wrong way that is creating the rudeness. I'm fairly certain they would be equally rude in other ways without it. Kids need to be taught the proper and polite way to use this sort of technology. And it should start in school.

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Sunday, September 05, 2010 - 8:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
I'm very libertine in my teaching, but I have a few general rules my summer session students understand because I make them read from a pedagogical theorist who talks about education occurring in dialogue, blah blah blah. And the basis of any dialogue is respect: if you are doing something other than what we are doing in class, that is disrespectful to your classmates primarily and me secondarily; likewise, if you are texting, you are disrespectful to your classmates and, as far as I'm concerned, education cannot happen in that kind of environment, so, if your phone rings in class or if you are texting, I ask you to leave the class. It's that simple.

Teachmichigan
Member

07-22-2001

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 8:48 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Teachmichigan a private message Print Post    
Tish, do you have an electronic copy of that article? It sounds like it would work extremely well w/my seniors. I tend to be the tech "geek" who is a non-IT teacher, and I love to incorporate technology as much as possible b/c the kids relate to it better (they grew up with it - so ditching it at the school door is pretty unrealistic).

Karuuna, I totally agree - they need to be taught the proper way to use the technology. That's why I have this gripe:

Facebook and Youtube are completely, totally blocked for ALL student and ALL staff at school. There are sooooo many ways I can use both mediums in an educational setting it is unreal! I've asked if staff could have different "rights" than kids so we could access it, present it using our projectors, and kids could get it at home - but so far, nothing. (drives me a bit nuts that as a teacher with a Master's Degree I have the same "rights" a freshman in high school)

GRRRR... Facebook & texting are the two most common methods of communicating w/both teens and parents, and although I'm not going to pay another $20 to text from my phone, I use FB daily and even set up a site for my students. We just won't be able to get to it from school (actually - we CAN get to it, but it's breaking the rules/hacking in, and I refuse to do that in front of an entire class!)

Tishala
Member

08-01-2000

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 9:10 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tishala a private message Print Post    
here you go teach: http://www.thinkingtogether.org/rcream/archive/old/F2004/Comp/freire.pdf

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-30-2000

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 9:25 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Tish, I absolutely agree that no one should be texting when they should be conversing or listening.

My only issue is the schools that are saying you cannot bring your cell phone, or if you do, you must leave it in your locker.

I want mine ON my son's person. I want him to text me when they are on lockdown, as they have been twice in the last two years. I want him to text me when there is a tornado and they are all herded into central classrooms without windows. I want him to text me or call me in ANY emergency. And he can't do that if his phone is in his locker.

The kids and teachers that had cell phones during Columbine got rescued earlier. They police knew where they were, and they knew where the shooters were because of the calls. I think that's a good thing, and an unfortunately necessary thing in this day and age.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 12:35 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
I take the opposite stand. I don't think kids (or anyone really) need to have a cell phone 24/7. Now Columbine is a very rare occurrence and call me naive, but I don't think it is a necessary thing in this day and age.

Cell phone should stay in lockers. I know they are a convenience, but I do not need to hear from my son during his school hours. He needs to learn to pay attention to class and pay attention socializing with his peers, not texting me or anyone else.

My dh recently took my son and a few of his friends to a minor league baseball game. He was so sad that 3 of the 4 boys were texting as much or more than they were talking with each other or watching the game...

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 1:16 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
People need to learn how to use technology in a responsible way. That includes being able to carry a cell phone in your pocket that should only be used at certain times during the day, in a polite considerate way and in certain circumstances.

There are lots of things that advances in technology have given us that we could get along without (TV, cars, the Internet, indoor plumbing, electricity, landline phones, etc.). People managed without this stuff for thousands of years. However, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't use this stuff now that it is available. I don't want to live in a cave.

Texannie
Member

07-15-2001

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 1:32 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texannie a private message Print Post    
I have always told my kids their having a cell phone is for their dad and my convenience and that reason only. a perk to having their phone is communicating with their friends. my son didn't have a cell phone till he was a freshman in high school and my daughter in 7th when each started being more mobile and out among friends more.
i think it does change when the kids get older are far as needing to reach them during the day or at least at the end of of the day.
our district is actually looking into allowing cellphones to be on during breaks in the day.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-30-2000

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 1:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Now Columbine is a very rare occurrence and call me naive, but I don't think it is a necessary thing in this day and age.

Maybe you missed the part where our school was in lockdown twice in the last two years? Rare? No. Not today, sadly.

That doesn't include the natural disasters like the blizzard or the tornado.

Yes, we need to teach them to be responsible. Yes, in order to have them for *emergencies* they need to have them on their little persons. :-)

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 1:57 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
Our schools don't have lockers except for PE lockers. The high school kids are not allowed to use them at all on campus during school hours and they have to be off. The kids do use them sometimes though, the yard duty staff usually just tells them to turn them off and put them away. The teachers deal with it at their discretion. I am not sure what the official rule is.

Recently, the faculty voted (at the high school) on whether to allow the kids to use them at lunch and break. It was 50/50 so they kept the rules the same as in the past - no cell phones being used at lunch and break.

At the middle school my kids attended, if they were caught using a cell phone during school hours, it went to the office for a parent to pick up. I think that was maybe on the 2nd or 3rd offense, but I can't remember.

Yes, it is an inconvenience for parents to have to do this. I don't know what else can be done though. It is an inconvenience (at least) to parents when their kids break the law. Parents are responsible for their kids. Hopefully there is less cell phone rule breaking when the parents are forced to deal with their kids who choose to break the rules.

If there were to be inappropriate pictures taken on a cell during school, that is a much more serious violation.

Rissa
Member

03-19-2006

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 2:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rissa a private message Print Post    
Perhaps if more parents did a better job instilling common sense manners and respect in their children and didn't send them off to school leaving that job for the teachers then this wouldn't even be an issue schools would have to deal with.

Prisonerno6
Member

08-31-2002

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 2:40 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Prisonerno6 a private message Print Post    
Yes, we need to teach them to be responsible.

Then stop texting your son during school hours.

I'm sorry, but school is for school. I can understand wanting your child to have a phone for emergencies, but that doesn't include texting back and forth with you when he's allegedly done with his classwork. He can read a book, get started on homework, or ask the teacher if there is something else for him to do. But it is extremely rude to put the teacher in the position of having to ask him to put his phone away, should he or she not want him to be texting during class. The default should be the phone is put away and off during school hours. Period.

Tishala approaches it from a point of discourse; I approach it from a point of attention. We are bombarded by information from so many sources these days that we end up not attending to what is important. Multitaskers may think they are accomplishing more, but research shows they are in reality, doing a poorer job. People are losing the ability to sift through irrelevant data in their urge to reply immediately to what is coming in at their fingertips...like a text from Mom during "downtime" in math class.

Here is an article from the New York Times on this. Oddly enough, when I was in grad school in the early 90's, the affect of technology on cognition was my focus. Just 15 years ago we were beginning to see the changes researchers are reporting now.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/technology/07brain.html

Jimmer
Moderator

08-30-2000

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 3:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jimmer a private message Print Post    
I don't think anyone here is advocating texting their kids while they are in class. That comes under the "used at certain times during the day, in a polite considerate way and in certain circumstances" criteria.

Dipo
Member

04-23-2002

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 4:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dipo a private message Print Post    
But you know, I ask this all the time, what is so important that you absolutely have to text your child or husband/wife, for that matter, that can't wait until the child is out of school?

An emergency I understand, but most of the things I am reading here sound like they could wait until the end of the day. JMO

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 7:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
My opinion is that kids don't need to text in school. They need to write notes and socialize with humans, not with cell phones. Any emergency can be handled via the school office.

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-30-2000

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 7:37 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Well I may be crazy, but I don't think lockdowns, tornadoes and blizzards should wait till they get home.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 7:44 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Then why not have kids wear bulletproof vests to school? Or keep them home during winter? I am not being serious, but at what point does being cautious turn into overkill?? I just think the majority of the time, there are not tornadoes or shooters, so we should not encourage kids to text so very often.

Julieboo
Member

02-05-2002

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 7:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Julieboo a private message Print Post    
Then you have a huge possibility of cheating too, with cell phones... And I know there are many kids who are responsible, but unfortunately there are some who are sneaky and cheat. (Similar to going thru all the hassle of getting into an airport. Most people don't carry guns or bombs, but you need to set limits for everyone.)

Karuuna
Board Administrator

08-30-2000

Monday, September 06, 2010 - 7:49 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Karuuna a private message Print Post    
Three times last year. One tornado, one blizzard where they were closing the school several hours early and the school phone system went down, and a lockdown. I'm sorry that my neighborhood is not so perfect as where you are
but this is our reality. My straight A student son is doing just fine with his phone in his pocket.