Policy Brief : Mobile Phone Ban Policy in Schools

Recommendations to Eradicate Mobile Phone Ban Policy in Schools for Wider Learning.

By: Santosh Kumar Biswa, DCS, Tsirang (2022).

This policy brief serves the following purposes:

·         Provide guiding principles for academic policymakers on the usage of mobiles by 21st-century students to help them perceive however vital would be a mobile phone to spice up {the learning/ the training/ the academic} talents of the pupil and to strengthen data and analysis on educational ways for action.

·         Call for any academic researchers, policy developers, and therefore the nation as a full to ensure that mobile phones change the 21st-century learners to expertise sound and meaningful learning and wholesome development throughout the method.

·         Inform the tutorial policymakers, stakeholders, and oldsters to support the shreds of evidence of the rising principles.

·         Address the complicated challenges that implementers within the field face.

This transient addresses the strain of today’s learners within the school and discusses why psychological analysis distributed for back doesn’t war the requirements of today’s learners. Moreover, it'll discuss how smartphones serve as a helpful academic tool for any learners. The principles advanced during this transition on the usage of smartphones by the learners can change all the educational policy manufacturers, stakeholders, and parents. It possesses wider information regarding its benefits than disadvantages and facilitates them to resolve the old ideas to return up with a lot of knowledgeable call regarding the usage of smartphones within the school. They take a lively role in fostering their needs to prepare them as well knowledgeable citizenry once they complete their high school. They can associate their degree understanding regarding the vitality of the internet software, digital games, chat, and alternative tools to surpass in learning as they'd be radio-controlled right from the start within the school.

 

Summary of the Issue

The role of the mobile during this digital age has created a learning landscape for the learners due to the accessibility of the latest technologies to satisfy their needed mental functions. Simply, several people argue regarding the role of the mobile within the school upon learners as a harmful device. John Baker, in his findings, mentioned Dr. Sahlberg’s concern regarding the difficulties in dominant students carrying mobile within the school premises. He stated, “A complete ban at the high school level was tough. As a result, students did not grasp the globe without technology” (Baker, 2018). Despite numerous policies being issued concerning the ban of mobile within the school and therefore the many warnings, students of this age unerringly take mobile within the school. Why? Much confusion is being created between oldsters and therefore the stakeholders. But, the praxis of taking mobiles within the school premises stays as similar despite strict rules are obligatory by the varsity.

In contrast, the policymakers and stakeholders are depriving learners of getting intact with the accessible resources to heighten their intellectual abilities and match their desire to exist simply at the side of the most recent trends in this universe. In line with the past analysis findings, they remained rigid with the ban of mobile within the school, expressing that prohibition of mobile phones enabled students to extend their score by 6.4% of the quality deviation (Murphy & Beland, 2015). Mobile became a chunk of everyone’s life that supplement multiple mental desires of an individual (Wilmer, Sherman & Chein, n.d). Students are dis-invested in learning through YouTube, the internet, Wikipedia, etc. Will it imply that students will surpass solely from the vertex of the script? The present position of the world demand exposure and therefore the books limit it. The learners of today are remarked at the side of totally different gadgets right from their early years. And, their interest is defeated at the value of their surveys.

Policy Options

The lifting of the usage of mobile phones ought to be thought of the positive slant as the rising priority for any learners for additional serious interactions and collaboration, rather than compromising it with different images. Merely, the policymakers are with the opposite choices who are sated with its potential drawbacks and therefore the negative impacts on the pupils will ultimately bring poor outcomes. Sure, ban policies at the state level were drawn and therefore strict rules are applied to deprive students of employing it within the school. Some studies vividly reported that it associates adverse implications of those who use mobiles within the school (Dorji, 2018). In contrast, the founding father of The Centre for Intercultural New Media Research declared that “Mobile devices will considerably enrich learning, consistent with myriad studies, as long as instructors rigorously integrate them into their teaching and judiciously monitor their use” (Himmelsbach, 2018).

Over negative implications, mobile usage within the school provides students with the broader world for wider data so that they can keep intact with the present affairs of the planet and stay enlightened of their mental and intellectual growth through social media. Their academic background would undergo modification upon lifting the employment of mobile, which will ultimately inspire students for inquiry learning and will bring positive modification within the system and career pursuits. Moreover, “Access to dozens of various apps facilitate learners with their teaching that features spellings, grammar, arithmetic and different subjects that assist them to browse throughout school times” (Walker, 2019). Consistent with Van Himmelsbach, in his study, it was found that ninety-four percent of students wish to use cellular telephones at school for tutorial functions and seventy-fifth percentage of students feel that digital devices facilitate them more effectively. Moreover, he acknowledged by expressing that “Rather than battling over smartphones within the classroom, teachers and schools ought to convert their negative digital mindsets and embrace mobile devices as powerful educational tools, with the potential to revolutionize teaching and learning” (Himmelsbach, 2018). Therefore, the demand for a brand-new policy on the role of mobile phones within the college is important.

Recommendations for Change

The usage of mobile can be used as a puppet to attain instructional goals of any country for the exceptional outcome, and it will happen if the academic researchers, policy developers, and therefore the state as a whole work hand in hand, watching out the variety of processes that they necessitate checking for success. To require the opportunities afforded by mobile technology, the subsequent actions are to be taken into consideration:

The policy developers ought to return to this ban policy, examining all the advantages and academic potentials offered by mobile technologies to satisfy the requirements of the ascertain of the digital age, then implement it within the education policies (UNESCO, 2013).

The notice program among the stakeholders and the syllabus implementers for steering through prioritizing coaching programs ought to be taken into thought so that they can share some of the effective group action technology within the geographic point to spice up their education practices. Simultaneously, the regime ought to concentrate additionally on providing skills to teachers than financing an honest deal on the technology itself. Coaching on mobile technologies ought to transcend to all teachers as professional development programs thus to amend the manner they are doing the work, and therefore it'll be passed on to students consequently (UNESCO, 2013):

• ·         The policy developer ought to incorporate a module in the teacher training institutes as a separate curriculum so that the beginner teacher within the school is well-informed regarding the policies.
• ·         The academic content ought to be optimized by offering and developing a textbook-less syllabus, creating it accessible through mobile or tabs, and inspiring schools to use the mobile devices for learning. (UNESCO, 2013).
• ·         The development of a software package by the department for teachers for the craft of the mobile content to be enforced adequately. Moreover, the curricula ought to specialize in analysis-based learning to a larger extent (U.S. DoE, 2015).
• ·         Develop a safety policy on the employment of mobile phones in schools and guarantee regarding the employment of mobile phones for rising communication and the management of education (UNESCO, 2013).
• ·         Develop a transparent vision, mission, goals, and techniques on the employment of mobiles in schools to spice up the educational goals (UNESCO, 2013).
• ·         Develop policies on the roles of the teachers and students on how students should use the available technologies each within and outsides the school (Watkins, Engel, & Hastedt, 2015).

 

References

 

1.      U.S. Department of Education. (2015). Policy Brief on Early Learning and Use of 

                 Technology. Retrieved: March 24, 2020 from https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/  2016/11/Early-Learning- Tech-Policy-Brief.pdf.

 

2.      Barker, J. (2018). Schools need to react quickly': Education expert urges smartphone ban.

         Retrieved: March 24, 2020 from https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/schools-need- to-react-quickly-education-expert-urges-smartphone-ban-20180525-p4zhm4.html.

 

3.      Himmelsbach, V. (2018). Should Cellphones Be Allowed in School? Only with a Plan.

         Retrieved: March 24, 2020 from https://tophat.com/blog/should-cellphones-be-allowed-in-school/

 

4.      Walker, R. (2019). Why mobile phones should be allowed in schools. Retrieved: March 25, 

         2020 from https://21stcenturyrepairs.co.uk/2019/10/why-mobile-phones-should-be-allowed-in-schools/.

 

5.      Watkins, R., Engel, L.C, & Hastedt, D. (2015). Is the “Net Generation” Ready for Digital 

         Citizenship? Perspectives from the IEA International Computer and Information Literacy Study 2013. IEA’s Policy Brief Series, No. 6, Amsterdam, IEA, http://www.iea.nl/policy_briefs.html.

 

6.      UNESCO. (2013). Policy guidelines for mobile learning. United Nations Educational, 

         Scientific and Cultural Organization, France

 

7.      Allen, K (n.d.). Mobile phones in the classroom: A helpful or harmful hindrance: Retrieved:

         March 24, 2020 from https://psychlopaedia.org/learning-and-development/mobile-phones-in-the-classroom-a-helpful-or-harmful-hindrance/.

 

8.      Murphy, R. & Beland, L. (2015). How smart is it to allow students to use mobile phones at

         school: Retrieved: March 23, 2020 from https://theconversation.com/how-smart-is-it-to-allow-students-to-use-mobile-phones-at-school-40621.

 

9.      Tshering, G. (2018). iSherig and ban on students’ use of ICT-enabled mobile devices in

         schools. Retrieved: March 23, 2020 from https://kuenselonline.com/isherig-and-ban-on- 

         students-use-of-ict-enabled-mobile-devices-in-schools/.

 

10.  ProCon. (2018). Should Tablets Replace Textbooks in K-12. Retrieved: March 23, 2020 from

         https://tablets-textbooks.procon.org/.