The Future is Calling (01-15-07)

Ring! Bbrrring!

This week I found myself reminding students about our policy concerning cell phones in the classroom.

Last year, cell phones were allowed as long as, “the phones did not become a problem.” Yeah, right. A cell phone, in a classroom, not becoming a problem? Needless to say, I was told that these little communication devices had become a big distraction.

So we decided (the staff and I) that we would not allow cell phones in the classrooms. We told the students to keep them in their lockers during school hours.

I thought it was a reasonable compromise. Sure, we could have just banned the phones from school grounds, but most of these kids have a legitimate reason to carry a cell before and after school. Personally, I am comforted knowing that almost every student who drives has a way to call for help should the unspeakable happen.

And for the most part, our policy has worked. Of course there were isolated incidents. Students could be seen pulling them from lockers during passing periods to check for messages. Occasionally, during lunch, a student would pull a phone from a pocket a make a call. For the most part, cell phone use was under control.

However, at a staff meeting this week, the staff expressed concerns at the number of students dialing out. I discovered that many were unclear about the policy. Human nature I suppose. Tell someone something in August, and by January, it becomes a bit fuzzy.

So I went from class to class and reminded the students of the policy. I explained that we have phones in every room and that we have always been able to relay messages and get the students connected to important calls. I explained that if we let them carry their cells, inevitably one would go off in class and become the source of distraction we are trying to avoid.

To me, this issue is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Students today are bringing to school a staggering array of technology. MP3 players (for my older readers, that’s like a portable tape player, except it can hold hundreds of songs and is the size of a pack of chewing gum), portable DVD players, digital cameras, laptop computers, and cell phones are everywhere. It is not an uncommon site to see two students walking down a hallway sharing a set of earbud head phones, or to see a student watching a movie while riding the bus.

Every year, the gadgets get smaller and more complex. Even our custodian can be spotted with a Bluetooth in his ear. Again, for the older crowd, a Bluetooth (which is neither blue nor a tooth) is an ear piece (similar to a hearing aid) that wirelessly connects to your cell phone. When you get a call, you touch your ear and just start talking. If you ever see someone apparently holding a conversation with themselves, chances are they are talking on a Bluetooth.

And not only are the gizmos becoming more like something from Star Trek, the Internet has put information retrieval on warp speed. This Christmas, I tried explain Santa Claus to my seven year old son. “He’s magic,” I said. “That’s how he can deliver all the toys all over the world.”

“No dad!” he explained. “He can stop time! It’s all on Northpole.com. Geez dad, don’t you know anything!”

The point of all this is that the world is changing awfully fast and it is an incredible challenge to keep up. I am an advocate of technology, and I believe that, in the right context, it belongs in the classroom as much as possible. Therefore, I did not demand that cell phones be left at home. In fact, I did not make any demands. I simply asked the students to work with the staff to help keep cell phones (and all other forms of personal tech) from becoming a problem. They have been meeting us halfway all year, and I have no doubt that they will meet the challenge of placating all us old timers.

I understand that the future is calling…all I ask is that when it calls during school hours, it calls on a school phone. We’ll make sure the students get the message.