Mobiles in School

"Children should not have mobile phones, it is unnecessary and ridiculous." One teacher's opinion. Another one agrees that mobile phones can be taken to school, but should only be used outside of school hours. A third teacher uses his smartphone to send homework to his students, and expects the students to collaborate online, and the finished assignments to be sent to his Facebook account.

Most educational institutions do not know how to deal with mobile phones. Many schools adhere to the switch-off-during-school hours-policy, but is this is a sustainable strategy in the ever-increasing mobile future? Dutch research shows that the use of mobiles and smart phones reduces students’ concentration and endangers school safety. Mobile phones, often kitted out with a camera, are sometimes used for harassing pupils and teachers. Nasty videos appear on the web, and people are badmouthed on websites and social networks. Schools are often not aware of the negative, nor of the positive effects of mobile use. This is why each school requires strict and clear rules on the use of mobile phones, and media use in general. The report also urges teachers to look at their own online behaviour, such as on Facebook and Twitter.  More can be found on the Dutch website of the Nationale Academie voor Media en Maatschappij.

What's Your Story? Grand Prize Winner

Cool little video. international video contest that empowers youth to be leaders in educating others about being safe online. As long as half of all parents and teachers are themselves uncomfortable online, who should teach their kids and students about online safety? Gen X and Gen Y should be learning together.