Students and Social Media
Is Social Media a distraction for students?
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Meritza Mayorquin decides to be on her phone instead of doing her work. When asked what made her go on her phone she said, “It’s easy for me to get on social media and forget about all the other things I have to do.”
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Music teacher, Talley Morrow, puts up a sign outside her classroom saying, “No Phones.” When asked why she decided to put this sign up, she said, “I put it up at the beginning of the year because students are easily distracted. It bugs me when people are looking at their phone and not at me. I don’t enforce it because it’s a fight either way.”
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Middle school English teacher, Traci Price, has addressed this issue by having students put their phones in a cubby until the end of class. When asked if she has seen a change in behavior she said, “Yes, the middle school not being able to use their phones has just opened up the face to face interactions and took pressure off of them and there is no sneaking of technology like hiding phones in their pockets or books.”
There is no doubt that social media has impacted our youth. But is it more of distraction then a positive influence? Schools are now taking action in an attempt to limit students' use of their phone while in class. Many teachers believe that social media is a huge distraction for students. Talley Morrow is the music teacher at St. Francis Jr./Sr. Community High School. She has started a phone policy for her students and has a sign on her classroom door instructing students to put their phones away. “I put it up at the beginning of the year because students are easily distracted and it bugs me when people are looking at their phone and not me," said Morrow.
Are relaxed cell phone policies the reason for students' decreased academic performance or do students simply not care about their grades? Matilynn Smull is a sophomore at St. Francis Jr./Sr. Community High School. When asked what her opinion was on the implementation of the new classroom phone policies, she said, “I think these policies are a good idea, our generation definitely struggles to be away from our phones and focus on schoolwork."
Talley Morrow isn't the only teacher who has enforced phone policies. Both Traci Price and Sydney Busse have a no cell phone zone in their classes. “I chose to implement the phone policy because of the improvement in my students' focus and productivity I've observed when they don't have their phones available as potential distractions. The policy has also allowed them to better connect and communicate with each other,” said Sydney Busse.
Are these classroom policies enough to keep students on track or will a school-wide policy be necessary? Time will tell!
