No need for phones in school
ONE of the Territory’s top teachers is pushing for smartphones to be banned in all NT schools, saying they’re a “weapon of mass distraction” in classrooms.
In a column for the Sunday Territorian, Michael Kingston says there is little purpose for phones during class time.
“Besides facilitating cyberbullying, unauthorised filming (including of fights, teachers, and peers) and unfettered access to adult content, smartphones are a weapon of mass distraction in our classrooms,” he writes.
“There is a war for young people’s attention and teachers are outgunned by the smartest minds from around the world who are designing apps to capture and monetise teen and pre-teen attention.
“As educators we have a responsibility to make school the safest possible place to facilitate learning. Allowing young people access to smartphones, or turning a blind eye while they do, fails this test.”
Mr Kingston, who was named the 2019 Secondary Teacher of the Year for the Palmerston and Rural Area, is calling for a whole-of-Territory ruling on phones in classrooms.