Technology is a double-edged sword in the classroom: it can be used positively to enhance student engagement, but also negatively as a source of distraction, particularly in the form of media. As with a distraction, the possibilities are endless, as the entirety of the internet is in the students' palms. There has to be a delicate balance between technology use in the classroom, and I align more with controlled technology use and the prohibition of media in class. In my high school days (Class of 2022), I personally saw my classmates use wireless AirPods, concealing them with long hair.
One concern I hear from parents is that they want to be able to contact their children in an emergency. I understand their concern, and a compromise is for the students to ask professionally to have their devices checked. I mean this by a quick glance, or in the event of a phone call from Mom, allow them to step out and answer that call. If they do step out, I want to create a form that they check in and out of for accountability in content missed in class.
On the positive side of technology, I have seen great implementation in classrooms with its easy accessibility. Students can quickly gather sources to support their assignments, or, in one personal example, use media as an example of bad sources.
I definitely have to address my stance on technology. It has taken a wild swing towards the bad direction, with the ease and comfort of use in classrooms or other professional settings. When I am at the gym, I sometimes fall into a hole on social media and forget to keep working out. Social media does not have a place in classrooms, but technology does. Finding that balance is ultimately the more complicated problem for educators and school administrators.

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