Cell Phone Use in FDA Classrooms

Gregg Rappaport

Frederick Douglass Academy

grappaport@schools.nyc.gov

Figure 1 - Students using cell phones in classrooms

INTRODUCTION

You’re the Principal of FDA. Many of the teachers at FDA have approached you and your Assistant Principals and complained that many of the students in school are using their cell phones during instruction and class activities. As the principal of the school, it is your job to help the teachers to solve this problem. Learning must come first when students are in school.

TASK

Your task is, as an administrative team, to create a relevant approximately five to seven-minute Public Service Announcement podcast with each member of the administrative team discussing a portion of the problem and proposing a solution that all FDA staff and students can listen to, understand the problem and implement the solution. The script for the podcast will be submitted in a Google Docs document along with the podcast.

Figure 2 - It's no joke!

PROCESS

1. You will work in groups of two or three as school administrators. Each member of the group is equally responsible for the group’s performance.

2. Complete each of the Public Policy Analyst (PPA) worksheets #1-6.

a. Define the Problem: Worksheet #1

b. Gather Evidence of the Problem: Worksheet # 2

c. Identify Causes of the Problem: Worksheet # 3

d. Evaluate a Policy: Worksheet # 4

e. Develop Your Own Solutions: Worksheet # 5

f. Select the Best Solution: Worksheet # 6 (Feasibility vs. Effectiveness)

3. Following your research, each administrator will create a two-page typewritten Google Doc summarizing your findings. You should use the PPA format to structure your report.

4. Use the information and ideas in each of your reports to collaborate on the writing of a script that will be read in the creation of a 5 to 7-minute podcast. The podcast should be informative of the problem and should outline the steps needed to address a possible solution addressing cell phone use in the high school classroom.

RESOURCES

Use these articles to help you start your research into solving the problem. You can also use other resources from the internet. However, be careful to evaluate the credibility of your selected reference.

CELL PHONES IN THE CLASSROOM: LEARNING TOOL OR DISTRACTION

Schools Say No to Cellphones in Class. But Is It a Smart Move?

Using Smartphones in the Classroom

How to Deal with Cell Phones in School

Cell Phones in Class Driving You Nuts? Try One of These Clever Ideas

EVALUATION

Your final work will be evaluated a per the rubric below. You are also responsible for turning in the documents that you used in preparation of your completed podcast.

Deliverables due:

1. Completed PPA worksheets #1-6.

2. Two-page summary of findings.

3. A script of your podcast showing each student’s segment.

4. Podcast recording (shared on Google Drive).

CONCLUSION

Having now completed this Public Policy Analyst activity, you will hopefully be more personally aware of the challenges of unauthorized use of cell phones in the classroom. Hopefully, through your understanding, you will be more part of an overall solution and facilitate learning in the absence of distractions caused by unauthorized use of technology in your classrooms.

STANDARDS

WHST2a: Introduce a topic and organize ideas, concepts, and information to make important connections and distinctions.

WHST2b: Develop the topic with well-chosen, relevant, and sufficient facts, data, extended definitions, concrete details, citations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic