For years, I've used the school board wifi for recreational use, whether it be watching movies on Netflix or scrolling through my Instagram timeline. I've used it mostly during my free time, very rarely during classes. I saw it as a type of reward for the hard work I've put for several straight hours. Understandably, this type of freedom can be the root cause of procrastinating for many students. Should something be done about it? Definitely, but the many different factors should be weighed in before making a final decision. Everyone in school should be granted access to sites that are non-educational. It is up to the student and their mindset to control their use of these sites. When students use most of their time using these apps in school, it is most likely that their grades will suffer. No one but them is to blame. I believe that this is an important lesson to learn not only in school but also for the remainder of everyone's life. When facing the real world, only you are there to take care of yourself. Your actions will be the reason whether you are happy and successful or doing poorly.
If the TCDSB does ban the access to these sites completely, I truly believe that this will create more of a distraction to students. Students will not stop because they are told so. Most teens will only learn when they see its consequences. Students will try to overcome these barriers through some other way, including the use of site-unblockers and alternative apps.
Looking at the article's comments, it seems as if everyone commenting are traditionalists. They all believe in the strict classroom environment, which to me takes the positive vibes away from the school. Students are expected to learn and pay full attention in class, but expecting kids to do work for 6 straight hours is unreasonable. Having these sites accessible to students transforms the students into hardworking people that take breaks from time to time instead of a robots designed to process information and leave the building on a daily basis.
I feel the same way.
ReplyDeleteThat is certainly an interesting view to take of the situation. You're right in that it is a complex issue to think about and you're right that students will probably not have the same regulation in their life after school. I think that some teens will try to bypass the bans, but others will just go with it. I have a few friends who kind of just don't bother to Snapchat because it's banned. I appreciate that you treat students as *people* rather than robotic working machines, though good focus is important.
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