In recent months, school districts across the U.S. have begun implementing cellphone bans to reduce distractions and improve student engagement. However, this move introduces complex challenges and opportunities, as students may seek alternative ways to communicate and share information.
As classrooms shift toward these new policies, ensuring the security of school-provided devices becomes paramount, making effective classroom management tools like GoGuardian Teacher and Admin more critical than ever.
Discover how GoGuardian can enhance your classroom management strategy today.
The shift from phones to other technologies
Teddy Hartman, GoGuardian’s Senior Director of Privacy and Trust, emphasizes that when schools restrict cell phone usage, students often turn to alternative digital platforms for communication, including devices owned by the schools. This shift in student behavior raises important considerations for school technology leaders and highlights the need to frame the problem appropriately.
"Digital natives are quite resourceful; if they can’t use their phones, they’ll find other ways to connect," he notes. For example, students use cloud-based shared documents and slide decks to communicate during school, sometimes leading to inappropriate content sharing on school technologies.
As students adapt to the new rules, schools may find themselves grappling with the same issues — distraction and cyberbullying — only on different platforms. It underscores the importance of observing broader digital activity and applying comprehensive filtering tools across all platforms, whether students are on their own devices or school-managed ones.
Balancing student and tech safety
One of the most significant concerns driving cellphone bans is school safety. In light of shootings and other emergencies, many parents want their children to have immediate access to phones to contact them directly. They feel relying on schools to communicate during a crisis doesn’t provide the same level of assurance as a direct line to their child. This creates a tension between safety and distraction: While phones can facilitate crucial communication in an emergency, they also serve as significant distractions during the school day.
This contradiction complicates policy decisions around banning phones. Schools aim to reduce distractions and manage online behavior, yet many parents view phones as vital safety tools. However, this is where the potential of other technologies comes into play. Schools can leverage classroom management tools like GoGuardian Admin and GoGuardian Teacher to enhance safety while minimizing the risks associated with distractions. These tools can provide timely oversight of student activity, instant alerts for potential threats, and the ability to block distracting websites during instructional time.
In fact, a 2023 third-party analysis of GoGuardian Suite users in a South Carolina school district shows 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed they knew when students were off-task while using school-issued devices. While not a replacement for emergency communication systems, such tools clearly contribute to a safer and more focused digital Learning environment.
Learn how GoGuardian can help you ensure safety and minimize distractions in your classroom.
Enforcement challenges
Enforcing cellphone bans presents yet another hurdle for schools. It can be impractical for teachers to keep an eye on students' belongings in large educational settings. As Hartman explains, "Kids quickly learn they can circumvent the rules if enforcement is inconsistent." This situation mirrors the challenges faced with dress codes; once students understand where the boundaries lie, maintaining the rules becomes a struggle.
Additionally, the financial burden of enforcing these bans can be significant. With tight budgets, schools may struggle to fund necessary solutions, such as lockers specifically for phones, which can be a costly investment. However, technology like GoGuardian can manage classroom distractions without relying solely on physical enforcement.
By utilizing GoGuardian's capabilities, educators can keep an eye on students' online activity, ensuring they remain engaged with the lesson at hand. This not only helps minimize distractions but also fosters a focused Learning environment. While enforcing cellphone bans can be challenging, integrating effective tech solutions can help schools maintain order and promote student success.
The role of technology
As cellphone bans become more prevalent, the role of technology in classrooms must evolve. "If schools are going to ban cellphones, they need to prepare for traffic to shift to other platforms," Hartman suggests. To address these challenges, schools should consider tools like GoGuardian that enable them to observe and filter digital interactions effectively.
In a 2021 customer-wide survey, 88.98% of IT Administrators who use GoGuardian believe our products improve student focus and attention. This aligns with the trend of schools recognizing the need for effective solutions.
“We see more school districts trying to adapt and transition, with a major pain point of schools seeing students move their activity from cell phones to school-issued devices. Our products support schools and educators by removing the distractions that led to this cell phone ban in the first place. However, now that students are using school-managed devices, our products also help schools manage the risks associated with student use,” Jake Smith, GoGuardian account executive, said.
In a 2023 third-party analysis of GoGuardian Suite users in a South Carolina school district, 86% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed their school could better review content, policies, and communications with students using school-issued devices when using GoGuardian Suite products. This statistic highlights the value effective management tools provide in ensuring a safe and productive Learning environment.
GoGuardian’s advanced DNS filters can detect inappropriate activity even when students use their own devices, ensuring content filtering remains robust in a BYOD environment. For school-managed devices, GoGuardian Admin and Teacher provide educators with tools to detect and address inappropriate behavior seamlessly.
To further enhance digital safety, schools should ensure all student traffic is routed through reviewed networks using GoGuardian Admin. Staff can leverage GoGuardian Teacher to actively assess student activity and block inappropriate content on alternative platforms. Additionally, integrating GoGuardian Beacon and Gmail can help detect potential risks, reinforcing a safe and productive technological ecosystem for students.
Preparing for the future
The conversation around mobile phone bans also brings to light the broader implications for classroom technology use. As schools face pressures to manage screen time, especially after the pandemic, there's a growing awareness that it's not just about the quantity of screen time, but the quality. Hartman acknowledges this shift, noting educational leaders must proactively address these concerns.
The potential for increased reliance on classroom management tools aligns well with schools’ needs for flexibility and adaptability. As educators implement these bans, they must invest in solutions that allow them to customize their approach based on their unique circumstances.
Technologies like GoGuardian Admin and Teacher can be invaluable in this regard. GoGuardian Admin allows schools to watch over usage during and after hours, set and enforce device restrictions, and track student activity across all school devices. Meanwhile, GoGuardian Teacher provides educators with timely classroom visibility, transparency to off-task behavior, and the power to block distracting websites during instructional time.
By leveraging these tools, schools can more effectively manage digital distractions, create a safer online environment, and ensure a productive and engaging Learning experience for all students.
Ready to transform your classroom management? Explore GoGuardian's comprehensive tools for a safer, more productive Learning environment.
