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When school went virtual in March and physical contact with the outside world was forbidden, it didn’t take long for students to turn to their phones for easy, quick entertainment. These habits, while acceptable for the loose, easygoing format of the end of last year, are more destructive during full, seven-hour school days. Both teachers and students have reported that phone use in class has proven to be a problem, as the distraction pulls them away from instruction, making it almost impossible for teachers to teach.
Of the 44 students surveyed, when asked if online school has increased their phone use, two responses were in contention for the most common: Yes with a capital Y, and yes with a lowercase one. Forty-three of these 44 students answered that their screen time has increased, with daily averages around five or six hours, but numbers as high as ten or eleven not being uncommon. Students admitted that much of this time comes during school hours, and this phone checking during instruction often hinders the ability to pay attention for the rest of the class.
Many students say that online school has been unmotivating, which makes them turn to their phones. One student, when asked what drew them to their smartphone, responded: “My motivation is nonexistent. There’s no break from school into homework, and all of it’s awful.” Many responded similarly, pointing to the unmotivating nature of online school as the reason for distraction with smartphones.
The other prevalent response was that phones are the only way for kids to connect with their friends in a socially distant way. This is true; it is almost impossible to stay in contact with friends without a phone, especially when the common meeting place of school isn’t available. Students say that they use group chats to talk during school for social interaction. Others point out that without in-person contact, they use social media to stay updated with what’s going on in their friend’s lives.
Most surveyed students said phone use affects their participation and engagement in class, and this can put teachers in a tough position. Masterman English teacher Ms. Marranzini says that her students often have their cameras off in the first place. “I wouldn’t even know if they had their phones out, because most of my kids have their cameras off. I don’t think that it’s my place to tell them to turn cameras on, so I spend most of my day teaching to blank squares on a screen.” History teacher Ms. Taylor can also rarely tell when students are on their phones. “I can’t always tell when my students are on their phones, and I don’t think it matters, really,” Ms. Taylor said. “Students are always going to be on their phones.” Spanish teacher Ms. Diffenderfer, while she says she is sometimes able to tell when students are checking their phones, also thinks that there is little that she can do about it.
These teachers are distracted by their mobile devices as well, if not to the same degree as their students. Ms. Zini says that while she has been good about monitoring her phone use, she often uses it when students are doing quick-write assignments, and they aren’t required to actively participate. Ms. Diffenderfer offers another reason why this happens: “Especially lately, [since the Capitol storming] I’ve found it a lot easier to be distracted by the news. I want to stay updated, but it can come at a cost.” Some students echoed this as well, providing just another reason for the phone use and overuse that has been happening.
What can be done about this? Some say more asynchronous assignments, but many others cited this as a time that they just use to go on their phones. Supervision at home is sometimes impossible, and software that limits phone use is not always effective. All we can hope for is to be safe and back with the high expectations of teachers again. Kai Rosser (10-2) put it best: when I’m in school, I’m on my phone less, and get more work done.”
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