Delighted to see these new guidelines about restricting smart phones and smart watches use in secondary schools in Singapore. This is a positive step to reduce the amount of tech that our young people interact with on a daily basis.
My thoughts:
✅The revised guidelines are a good starting point, given the extreme dependence (in many cases, akin to addiction) on tech – much more than is considered necessary or beneficial to young minds and bodies.
✅In terms of implementation, phones can be stored in designated storage areas under a teacher’s supervision. Let’s face it – our kids don’t really need to be on their phones during school hours. And if a parent needs to reach them or vice-versa, there are old-school (pun intended) tech that have worked well since pre-digital times.
✅There’s also the issue of what students can access on their laptops/tablets. They are adept at bypassing firewalls, so school leadership needs to keep an eye on that. Plus, there should be designated no-tech times during lunch breaks and recesses – balance is key when using tech in the classroom.
✅Education efforts with parents and teachers have to be powered up. Good digital citizenship and cyber habits begin at home. And parents need support in being better role models and implement good cyber-parenting habits and rules at home.
Comments are closed