In Ontario, there is a lot of debate about personal devices in the classroom.  The current Ontario government has even gone as far as to attempt to ban these devices in the classroom.  

"Ontario's students need to be able to focus on their learning — not their cellphones," she wrote. "By banning cellphone use that distracts from learning, we are helping students to focus on acquiring the foundational skills they need, like reading, writing and math." - Lisa Thompson Education Minister (Source: "Ontario to ban cellphones in classrooms next school year", By Allison Jones, CBS News, March 12, 2019, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/ontario-school-classroom-cellphone-ban-1.5052564)

 As a person who is quasi involved in the education system and the job search industry, as well as being an entrepreneur, I see examples time and again of people utilizing their devices inappropriately in the workplace. I know what your thinking - that is what the government is saying - get rid of the phones and problem solved.  To me, that solution is short-sighted.  The question I ask myself is how can kids learn the skill of self-discipline when it comes to personal devices when they are never allowed to learn it? 

Some people may say they should learn the skill at home.  As adults, we have been terrible examples of how to appropriately use personal devices.  Just take a look around and see how absorbed we are in our devices. This is where I see the classroom as a good fit for teaching kids the appropriate use of personal devices.  The classroom is a safe, controlled, environment where rules can be established to instill the personal device self-discipline needed to be successful in the workplace.

My colleague Jean Giroux and I travel around for EPC Peterborough presenting our "Creating A Positive Digital Footprint" workshop and have heard dozens of stories about people being fired because of the inability to put their devices away.  They can't stop texting or just checking their devices while on the clock.  I believe you should be able to come to the workplace with that skill already in your quiver.  It shouldn't be up to the employer to teach you that skill.  

Employers shouldn't have to be responsible for appropriate smart device use and in general, we as adults are poor at setting a good example for kids, what solutions are left?  If we follow the government's lead then kids should learn these skills through osmosis.  In my experience, while that may work for some kids, for a lot of kids it can be a struggle. In the classroom, there is an opportunity to teach kids appropriate use of their devices and have appropriate consequences if the rules aren't followed.  In contrast, inappropriate use of a personal device in a workplace can result in termination.   Lastly, the appropriate use of a personal device has the potential to enhance learning experiences.  

Now, I am not advocating for the use of personal devices in every classroom environment.  There are some classrooms where it makes sense and some classrooms where they have no place.  I would leave that up to the school and the individual teacher to decide.  In my experience, over the past couple of years being in schools, both schools and teachers were managing the issue quite well on their own without a government mandate. 

To me, a personal device is a tool, that when used appropriately, can be quite powerful.  When misused that same personal device can be distracting and opportunity limiting. Let's ensure kids get the appropriate skills in a safe, learning environment that will help them be successful in the future workforce.  

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Disclaimer: All the opinions are my own and are not the views of any suppliers or manufacturers.