In recent years, the presence and use of cell phones in K-12 schools has become an increasingly contentious subject. More and more students have them, at younger and younger ages. Parents may see them as important for students' personal safety. Yet in many schools they are banned because teachers view them as a distraction from academic tasks.
On the other hand, some teachers are glad that students bring their phones in to the classroom, and make use of them in their lesson plans. One thing is for sure -- cell phones mean that educators are dealing with questions and problems that they have never faced in the past. Over the next few years, nearly every teacher is going to have to deal with these questions and problems.
We will be having a live, in-class debate on what the role of cell phones should be in schools. What policies should be in place, and why? Each of you will be randomly assigned a specific role to play: That of a parent, a student, a teacher, or a school administrator. To prepare for the debate, you will all read the same set of materials (linked below), but you will try to read it from the perspective of your particular role. Come to class prepared to take an initial position and justify it, but also change it as you listen to others' perspectives. It is very likely that you will end the debate with different beliefs than you came in with!
READING MATERIAL TO HELP YOU PREPARE YOUR POSITION