Liz Kolb speaks with Michigan Radio about research on the use of cell phones in classrooms
Michigan lawmakers plan to revisit legislation that would limit students’ use of cell phones in school.
After proposed laws that aimed to limit students’ use of cell phones in classrooms stalled in the Michigan state House of Representatives’ education committee last fall, lawmakers plan to reintroduce the legislation, reports Michigan Public.
Liz Kolb, clinical professor of teacher education and learning technologies, says screens cause distractions in the classroom no matter the learning environment.
“We know from research that even having a device right in front of the student or near the student — even if you're not using it — can be distracting enough that they're not retaining and recalling as much information from the class lecture or the class activities as they would without the screens,” Kolb tells Michigan Public.
“For some students also, a cell phone or a smartphone is the only screen technology that they do have access to inside and outside of school, meaning that they're probably going to be doing homework on their cell phone, potentially typing papers on their cell phone, recording activities for school on their cell phone,” Kolb says. “So, if they have it in school, there's more opportunities for the teacher to show them how to use it productively….”
