Understand the discussions about the device in class. Learn more.
The controversy surrounding the use of cell phones in the classroom continues to grow. The latest update is a study that claims that notifications received or the proximity of a cell phone can distract students from the task assigned by the teacher.
According to the study, using smartphones in the classroom encourages students to engage in non-school activities that affect memory and comprehension. Read on for the latest on the subject.
UNESCO Report
UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoul stressed that while the pandemic has created a trend towards seeing technological solutions as universal tools suitable for all circumstances, the challenges and risks must also be kept in mind.
Collecting research from around the world, the document reveals the benefits of technology in education, but also criticizes its disorderly use by educators and students. This is the first time that technology has been discussed in the UNESCO Annual Report.
Use in Brazil
There is no law in Brazil that prohibits the use of cell phones. Private schools have their own rules to allow or not, depending on the use and the age of the student. There is a 2015 bill, still under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies, that would prohibit “the use of portable electronic devices, such as cell phones and tablets, in elementary and higher education classrooms throughout the country.”
The project was authored by Congressman Alceu Moreira (PMDB-RS), who predicted that the device would only be permitted if it integrated didactic-pedagogical activities and was approved by the teacher in the classroom.
Education Minister Camilo Santana said that inequality in access to connectivity in Brazilian schools must be addressed and that the government should launch a broadband program for all public schools. There are also “major concerns” about the control of digital platforms, the minister said.
Some representatives of the education market have recently expressed the idea that technological artifacts will save education. Transforming classrooms into environments for digital experimentation amplifies and accelerates this discourse. One example was when emergency remote education became necessary during the pandemic.
In some pedagogical discussions in Brazil, the results presented show a convincing scenario for the use of cell phones. In this sense, schools must enter and lead the era of the digital revolution. There are large screens in the classroom, cables and plugs that climb up the desks like bionic vines. Students connected to all the information on the network create an almost utopian scenario in relation to technology.
Other countries
It turns out that first world countries have already woken up from this marketing dream. Canada, Finland, Scotland, Sweden, the Netherlands, the United States, Spain and Portugal are just a few examples of countries that are examining educational policies related to the inclusion of technology in the classroom. More strictly, prohibiting or creating strict policies that regulate cell phone use in the classroom. This would be an effective example of how to resume quality learning.
With all the arguments for and against the use of smartphones in education, it is clear that the discussion is far from over.
