Tag Archives: cell phones

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CVU Community, Vermont, Volume '22, Issue 1, Wellness

Reintroduction to the CVU Phone Policy

BY Filip Popa

HINESBURG, VT–CVU’s new phone policy has gotten students startled. “I feel like I’m not able to text my parents if I have a family emergency,” said a CVU Junior who wishes to keep their name anonymous. With the start of the new school year of 2022, CVU started re-inforcing a school policy that requires students to either put their phones in their bags or in a designated “pocket” in the classroom. This rule has been off the grid since 2019’s COVID-19 when students were encouraged to go on their phones to keep avoid speaking and potentially spreading the virus.

The idea behind this policy is that students are better off focusing without their devices on their bodies. The majority of the classrooms have a poster with a quote that CVU uses as a motive for their policy. The quote reads, “A world full of attention-deprived citizens… will be a world of cascading crises where we can’t get a handle on any of them.” – Johann Hari. CVU is enforcing these policies backed up by scientific research saying student learning will increase if phones aren’t present during class in the learning environment. However, the policy allows students to access their phones after class and during passing periods.

Arthur Chiaravalli, the Fairbanks house administrator, agreed with the change, “I feel like I’m getting to know my advisory a lot better, I’m connecting with them, there’s not that distraction of “I’m just gonna zone out.”

On the other hand, a senior at CVU who did not want to have their name included, answered that they think, “No, I don’t think it’s helping me, it actually makes me feel more conscious about my phone,”

So overall, the responses coming from the CVU faculty and the students vary and opinions are mixed. Many of the students “don’t care” as Chiaravalli pointed out, while others claim against it and say it’s not helping.

McKinley Martin, Junior, said, “I realized that not having the access to check in with my family and people that I need to be able to talk to has induced more stress on me than actually helping my learning.” On the other hand, Aidan Militello, Junior, felt that “the phone policy allows me to honestly stay focused and not worry about any notifications that might interrupt me.”

With this policy being reinforced freshly this year after many years of no enforcement, there isn’t enough data to prove if this policy has been making a positive impact or not on the school. What do you think? Fill out this google form and tell us what you think in regards to the effectiveness of this policy, you can do so by clicking here. The answers to the survey will be used to create an updated piece in the near future. If you’d like to be interviewed, leave your name in the survey.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeaWZSiGjoBsNKrgjxE9SJWxDuQKv0_2es8h2vWe-OycxWGPg/viewform

Opinion & Review, Volume 4, Issue 1

Opinion: No Cell Phone Blockage, Please

Ms. Olivia Fields

When you were a kid, did you ever have to call your mother, but your teacher wouldn’t allow you to? Kids today still have to call their mothers, but their teachers won’t let them! That’s why it would be a great thing if CVU would let us have cell phones in school.  

Schools have become much more strict about phone use at school, even when it’s an emergency.Teachers have take it so far as to confiscate cell phones and make sure all devices are turned off and stored away.  Tamie Jo-Dickinson, a business teacher at CVU does not confiscate phones, but she does not allow students to use their devices in class.  ” I do ban cell phone use, unless it is for calculator use, listening to music when having quiet work time, or contacting community internships, etc.”  She went on to say, however, that  “As a regular out and about device, I ask them to be put away. ” 

Don't let this happen to you. Photo by Eli Hark
Don’t let this happen to you. Photo by Eli Hark

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Opinion & Review, Uncategorized, Volume 3, Issue 2

Cell Phones in School, a Mixed Bag

Mr. Dylan Rocheleau 

Imagine sitting in class, focused on a math problem. You’re on the verge of figuring out a solution to this complex problem. Just as you formulate your solution, the kid behind you gets a call and the sound of his obnoxious ringtone echoes through the whole room. The teacher roars at the student to go to the office, and just like every other kid in the class, you instinctively turn your head to watch the commotion unravel.

Now, imagine this second scenario: You forgot your textbook, you don’t have any reference to any work the teacher is going over today. Maybe it was a mistake or maybe you just couldn’t fit the textbook into your bag along with your other books. Fortunately enough, you have your phone to find and reference the online textbook.

Whether you are a student in high school, college, or even middle school, you can probably relate to these situations. Nowadays, cell phone use is highly noticeable in student classrooms. As the new multitasking machine makes its way into kids’ hands, teachers have to either cope with these devices or permit them.  A new study focused on the pros of cellphone use is now backing up students and teachers who see smartphones as a benefit to student learning.

A recently released study conducted by Tru supports mobile technology and its positive influence on student learning. The research showed that more than 1 out of 3 middle school students report they are using smartphones to do homework, and more than 1 in 4 students are using smartphones for their homework weekly. The study revealed that regardless of the school’s limitations on the technology, students would go ahead and use the devices for homework anyway. This seems to be a common trend. Although some schools forbid cell phones in school, there is strong evidence suggesting students disregard these regulations.

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