After listening to Jesse Miller share his insight on the usage of social media in the classroom, I took some time and wrote down my own thoughts on the matter in my journal and watched a few videos on the benefits/downfalls of social media. The conclusion that I came to is that cellphones really do not belong in the classroom. There are designated breaks throughout the school day where children may access their phone and connect with friends and family. One suggestion that Jesse made which I found very interesting and actually agree with is giving students 5 minutes breaks throughout the day/class in which children can access their phones and fulfill their need for a ‘social media fix’. However, I believe this is not necessary in grades kindergarten to 7, as I strongly believe that cellphones themselves are not necessary before this age and can be harmful to the emotional development of a child.
I would recommend that everyone watches this video with Jordan Peterson discussing exactly how social media affects us.
Another interesting video to watch is this interview of 3 Ontario teachers and their thoughts and methods of dealing with Ontario’s ‘no cellphones in the classroom’ law.
Featured photo by Oussama Zaidi on Unsplash
