The teacher is at the board giving it his/her all and a couple of students are slouched at their desks staring at their iPad, iPhone, or technology of choice. The teacher asks the class a discussion-provoking question that relates directly to the material and… radio silence. This is the suggested recipe to create one technology hating faculty member.
The problem grows in complexity when the school makes the decision that the use of technology will benefit the students and mandates “all classes must integrate technology”. So now this poor teacher, who hates technology because of its hypnotic power over students, is pushed further into an uncomfortable situation. Why is this uncomfortable? Because teachers feel that to introduce a learning tool in class they must first become experts, and they feel there is no way to become a technology expert over a “digital native”. If this is you or someone you love…
Students can be distracted by anything and everything. Maybe you can remember staring out the window, twirling your pen, or passing notes. Why did you do that stuff? It was their best option to distract yourself. Today, the preferred method of distraction is technology. When we think about this problem we must eliminate the what and get to the why. The problem isn’t what are they distracted by, it’s why are they so distracted? The technology is part of the reason, but not the whole reason.
My mother’s philosophy on bad decision-making was simple. “It is my job as your parent is to make it as hard as possible to make bad decisions” – Mom ’94-‘00
Likewise, it is our job as educators to make it as difficult as possible for students to be distracted in our classes. Here are 6 strategies that may help limit distraction and incorporate technology.
Establish clear technology boundaries the students need to know the rules. When is technology permissible, when is it not? How do they plan to use technology? All are important questions to consider when creating your boundaries. This could easily become a class activity by creating values contract around technology.
Out of sight policy if a student is accessing technology during an inappropriate time, have them place the device in a basket in front of the room. Like timeout for your kids. Eventually they will figure it out.
iPad on desk when using an iPad or other tablet require the student to have the device on the desk so you can easily see the screen. Set yourself up to manage the classroom easier.
Have students access technology in specific ways by generating class content that requires the use of technology they will be unable to use their device for distraction (Despite what people say true multitasking is not a reality for the human brain).
Build a technology safe-house some students will not be able to resist using the technological powers for evil. Acknowledge that and help them by having a basket/bin near the door so students can elect to put distracting devises in before they sit down. This can help them learn to manage themselves. At the end of class, students can retrieve their device consequence free.
Airplane mode having students put their device in “airplane mode” eliminates the devise’s ability to access the Internet. Make it a group activity by having students hold up the confirmation screen. You can quickly scan the room and know where they are in less than 2 minutes.
At the end of the day – The teacher controls the use of technology in class. Therefore the teacher doesn’t need to have a full understanding of how each piece of technology works. Using technology to teach in your classroom requires two things 1) the willingness to learn 2) find a classroom situation where using technology is beneficial. The rest will come as long as you take control and manage your classroom.
Sullivan Leadership 
Classrooms would benefit from signal blocking/jamming technology. At a push of a button, you would be able to block inbound and outbound network/cellular/Bluetooth traffic. Unfortunately, the FAA bans these device for use in the US.
Other solutions I’ve seen schools use for the school-issued devices in deploying “managed services” which gives administrators the ability to control content centrally. Managed services for mobile devices like ClearPass.
Interesting. I’ve definitely fantasized about the idea of being able to disconnect students with some kind of jamming tech gear, but the teacher in me feels that there is an opportunity here. Why can’t we use the classroom to teach students about when it is appropriate to use technology and give them methods to resist the temptation?