Hull shows why Gove's Govt can't ban mobile phones in schools

Michael Gove has unearthed an unpopular policy from 2007 with his plans to ban mobile phones in the classroom from this summer. It's a daft policy, reflecting a small (minority) group's gut feel and no research or reflection, and below is a classroom example showing - simply - why he's wrong to consider it.

We'll no doubt see forthcoming policies banning the use pencils (you can flick 'em across the desk and poke kids in the ribs with them, you know) and we'll stop teaching children how to read the poetry of Wilfred Owen, lest they get upset at the gore of war, despite the fact they see it every night on the television. The rationale for all such anti-mobile, anti-internet, anti-anything policy is "safety", but its implementation creates a false sense of security in school, further growing the bubble in which schooling lives while the real world races by youngsters unprepared to deal with it.

The Scottish Conservatives have this week also revealed where Tory policies actually originate from: circa 1948, I believe (and so do the press). They'd have disengaged youngsters leaving school at 14 years old to learn a trade, despite the fact that in Scottish schools there are already ample opportunities for youngsters to focus on vocational skills, and 25,000 new apprenticeships were announced just before the closing of this Parliament.

A simple classroom example: students know how to harness mobile for learning

Politics over, though (and I've got some inherent biases, like everyone), there's a more serious point here about how wonderful mobile phones are becoming for learning, and how we're merely scratching the computer power they offer. That computing power is often superior to that provided by billions of pounds worth of Dell, RM or other well-known brands of black boxes thrown into schools each year. But the high-computing potential of mobile phones may be lost on Gove and his Ministers, so I'm going to pick a much simpler example.

I've been thrilled with some work I'm doing in Hull this past week, and have seen some stunning enquiry-based learning in the secondary school where I'm working on technology integration.

But it was in a science classroom, with students needing to keep time in a heatloss experiment, where they came into their own. Schools, when I was a pupil in one, invested a relatively high sum in 'scientific' stop clocks - these single-purpose devices come in at about £10/$20. But students have no interest in using these when they have a more accurate stopclock, and a host of other tools, sitting in their pockets. Having cleared it with the teacher, students unearthed a wide array of wonderfully accurate kit: iPod touches, shuffles, iPhones and, in huge numbers, Blackberries (above).

12 minutes to Google, or 40 seconds?

In another area, a student conducted a quick Google search to seek out the image she wanted to work from in a design and technology class. Students in other classes, using laptops provided by the school, took about 12 minutes to get them out, get logged in and get searching. Students on their cell phones took about 40 seconds.

Write to Mr Gove - and your government, too

Doug Belshaw and others have launched an open letter to Mr Gove - and other Education Ministeries, too - to explain why mobile phone technology, far from being banned in schools, must be embraced, and teachers and parents equipped with the intellectual, pedagogical and societal skills to harness their potential with youngsters. I encourage you to add to it.

Comments

[Lewis Miller]

"That computing power is often superior to that provided by billions of pounds worth of Dell, RM or other well-known brands of black boxes thrown into schools each year."

How many kids have a mobile phone with 1Ghz + of processor power, 1Gb + of memory (ram), or a screen capable of 800 x 600 screen resolution.

[David]

I've been limited by the school policy that mobile phones should not be seen. As a new ICT teacher I'd love to encourage the use of them.

However I'd also love to hear ideas on how we can harness the good and stop the use of phones for the not so good. Arranging toilet meetings, Facebook comments about other pupils, texting parents & older siblings to get them out of school, texting aggressive parents because they've been pulled up on behavior (who then show up at the front door), sharing video and pictures that are inappropriate for school etc. All of these have happened and do happen in our school which while in difficult area is not one with bad discipline?

Any ideas?

[Ewan McIntosh]

@Lewis - true, but how many expensive laptops are used just for Googling stuff. The (sad) fact is: most of them, most of the time.

I want to see desktops and laptops freed up for those who do need the super power you're talking about, for creating digital media products, crafting designs and creating longer written reflections.

Fact is, some great potential is lost because the 30 laptops are next door with Mr Smith so his class can search for stuff they could be getting through their 2"x3" screen.

[Ellen]

In my experience a lot of getting the pupils to respond appropriately with technology is about building respectful, trusting relationships and allowing them to feel ownership over what is happening in the classroom. I know this is sometimes easier said than done and may sound simplistic but what is the alternative?

[Michael Pickett]

Mobile technology - the Smart Phone - has truly arrived. It's been flirting with us for a number of years now, promising sweet access to the regular tasks that we traditionally and reluctantly dragged a charged laptop, or netbook, around with us to do.

I was recently forced into testing the validity of this claim after moving house... No Internet access for about a month. Instead, my iPhone. I was easily able to manage Email, Facebook, my Wordpress blog (http://www.f2mke.co.uk), Twitter, modest editing and uploading of graphics for my blog, Googling, YouTubing, etc., etc. Pretty much everything I do on a typical day with my netbook - and my full blown PC - was achievable in a friendly and properly mobile way.

The e-safe use in the classroom question is an interesting one... We clearly can't go whacking web filtering or monitoring tools on what are most likely privately owned devices; and that's if such software exists. David's stories of "arranging toilet meetings, Facebook comments about other pupils, texting parents & older siblings to get them out of school, texting aggressive parents because they've been pulled up on behavior (who then show up at the front door), sharing video and pictures that are inappropriate for school etc.", are certainly familiar. Is there a balance to be had where good mobile device behaviour equals access to the device in the classroom? Or maybe a lesson is so engaging together with the use of mobile devices that rubbish behaviour isn't even considered? Interested to hear what ideas others have.

I've written a little on the subject at http://goo.gl/aakSb and http://goo.gl/O223Y - but really could do with writing more ;-)

[Alistair Fitchett]

far be it from me to say anything positive about Michael Gove, but can someone, ANYone point me to where he has actually stated that he will make it a policy that says schools MUST ban mobile phones? All I can find is where he has said that teachers should have a power to be able to look at the content on confiscated phones (dubious in itself), but only the News of The World seems to be interpreting this as "mobile phones will be banned in the classroom". And since when did any sane, intelligent person use the NOTW as a credible source of truth and reality?

As I see it there is absolutely no reason why schools should not continue to allow and indeed encourage the use of student-owned mobile devices for learning. Indeed, the encouragement of positive use ought to counter the need for confiscation... School's need to have clearly stated policies on this, with an emphasis on the positive but an acknowledgement of the risks.

[John]

Some students acknowledge the damage done by some with inappropriate use of a cell phone. However, they contend that the majority of students use the cell phone constructively while obeying all school rules.

[Tim Meek]

I have just read your blog post and wanted to drop you a line. I read your post with two interests:

1. I'm from Beverley (near to Hull) so the mention of Hull caught my eye :o)

2. (the important one) I am returning to primary teaching after a 9 year break in Educational Publishing - designing digital content for schools. More on this second point below...

I have been gearing up towards a return to the classroom for a while now, volunteer teaching in my local school.

Over the last few months (since the iTouch Gen 4 release) I've been taking a mini lab of iTouches and iPads into school to work on trying to engage reluctant writers etc As your blog post mentions, there are lots of positives associated with 'instant-on' handhelds, as well as the empowerment and resultant engagement and motivation in the pupils. And with this comes something that I think is the key to unlocking potential... and this is that the pupils start to care. Whilst this level of care can't really be measured as such, I believe it manifests itself in the form of better engagement and interest, improved work ethic, better quality work, and with this, improved self perception. A positive upward spiral.

Related to this is how such Handhelds (and I'm not pro Apple by any means so it could be Android etc) are great for creative project work (video, animation, podcasting etc around a project) that taps into the higher order skills such as appraisal, evaluation etc etc For me, the impact that I've seen on the children I work with has been very encouraging.

One final thing to mention from my perspective - that relates to your blog post - is that the iTouch is a viable device because it doesn't have the mobile phone element to it - which will always (well, maybe not always) be an issue for Primary schools. Of course, the instant on access to the Web etc that you mention as strengths of phones is still a dimension to the iTouch via the schools wireless network. I just wouldn't have got through the school door if I'd been trying to take in mobile phones, yet I am welcomed when I take in the iTouch (and I still able exploit the affordances a web connected device). I know you were writing about a Secondary context. I just wanted to add a Primary dimension.

I know I am not doing anything original (although some of my projects are quite creative in the contextualisation of the technology) and I know this will all be stuff you know already. But, I just wanted to say I enjoyed your blog post and agree with your thoughts.

If any of this is of interest, you can see some snippets of some projects I have run, here:

http://www.dotrythisathome.com/animation-competition/

http://sites.google.com/site/koduxperts/home

[levis duży i wysoki]

that relates to your blog post - is that the iTouch is a viable device because it doesn't have the mobile phone element to it - which will always (well, maybe not always) be an issue for Primary schools.