So here's the situation:
Every student in my class has an i phone, cell phone, or mp3 player in their pocket. Period.
No students are allowed to have them on their person.Period.
We are a "Technology" District.
There are some valid applications of I phones and cell phones in an art class. For instance, to teach a unit on the elements of design, students could use their phones to capture photos which demonstrate form, texture, color, line, etc., and save them or send them to me as a digital art journal. Or they could use downloaded drawing apps to create exciting art works. They could text responses to art history questions.
In addition, allowing students to listen to their own music would intensify concentration on projects, creating better work ( hopefully), and would cut down on classroom management issues.
To date, I have enforced the school policy on electronic devices in the classroom, which is to collect the device, and write students up if they object. I trully understand the reasoning behind the ban; students do make bad choices through social texting, cyberbullying, playing video games, and looking at inappropraite material.
But here's the problem; one by one, teachers and administrators are relaxing the policy. So when students come to my class, they whine and moan about how cruel I am in comparison with their other teachers. Hey, I like having a job! I follow the rules! There are even parents who've complained about me because they can't get in touch by text with their children during my class!
Yet I am accountable for following the district policy, and I'm the one who would be punished if I flout the rules!
There needs to be a serious discussion in my district regarding this policy, because we teachers are floundering in a gray area again, left in the middle between administrators, parents, and students.
I f we go ahead and allow these devices in class, wonderful! If we are not going to allow them, support us in enforcing the policy.
