11/14/2025

This was our second week with Rich McCue talking about media making. In the week prior, he walked us through different resources for image editing, video editing, and podcasting. We had a hands-on lesson with him where we were able to experiment with the different resources and follow along with him as he showed us how to use them.

This week, we separated into different groups to discuss chosen education-related topics. These topics included AI in the classroom, outdoor learning, tech resources, cellphone bans, and tech accessibility. I chose to join the group discussion on cellphone bans in the classroom, and whether they were realistic or effective. With my other group members, we shared our own experiences with cellphone usage in the classroom both as students and as observers. While we didn’t come to a set decision on how to manage cellphones across all classrooms, we had several discussions on the harm and benefits that cellphones can have. 

One of the biggest benefits and drawbacks of students being able to use their cellphones in class is communication. Students being able to contact their parents and vice versa can be an excellent use of cellphones, but students being able to use social media to contact their peers can be harmful. In some of the schools we have attended and observed in, the school’s WIFI systems have been utilized to block social media platforms from being used in the building. While there are ways that students can work around this, we all liked the idea of something limiting social media use in the school. 

Cellphone bans may seem like an obvious choice to prevent inappropriate cellphone usage in the classroom, but taking away a child’s ability to contact their parents is not the answer. Instead of sweeping with a wide brush for all classrooms, we decided that there are several factors that need to be considered. Medical needs of students, for one, as well as different struggles such as anxiety where a phone can feel like a safety net. Age is also to be considered. While it may be appropriate to give high school students more freedom, as they are at an age where they are able to take more responsibility for their learning, elementary and middle school aged students require more structure. 

With the rise of personal technology, many questions and concerns about how the classroom atmosphere has changed are on the rise as well. It is important that educators and future-educators continue to have these discussions and think critically about how to manage and work with the changing times, instead of avoiding them.