One of the things many people hear about devices in the classroom, is how easily they can become a distraction.
Does this exist? Absolutely.
But this is not just for students, but also teachers. If teachers are bored in their professional learning opportunities, do they refrain from doing other things on their phone? Some do, but many do not. If I am not engaged or empowered, there are so many other things I can be doing.
What if we thought about this differently though?
What if I was talking about something in the classroom, a student was excited about it, and then googled more information to learn about the topic, and I ask them to put their phone away and listen to me, what is the distraction from learning? It’s not the device, it’s me. Is this what kills a kid’s love of learning?
Should “school” ever distract kids from learning? I hope not but this is something we really need to think about moving forward.