Annotations for Research
Healthy Relationships with Electronic Devices
Annotation #1
Magnusson, A. G., Ott, T., Hård af Segerstad, Y., & Hashemi, S. S. (2023). Complexities of managing a mobile phone ban in the digitalized schools’ classroom. Computers in the Schools, 40(3), 303–323. https://doi-org.dominican.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/07380569.2023.2211062
This peer review article is a study that follows a teacher team of upper secondary school students from 16-19 yrs old in Sweden. This study is the teacher teams reflections/insights on a cell phone ban at their school. Managing a cell phone ban is complex and has many layers. When the teachers decided to create a cell phone ban students first needed to know why, “teachers as a team were convinced that a ban would contribute to a positive learning environment” (p. 10). The teacher team expressed their need to be consistent across all classes within the school. Within the study they expressed their failure in staying consistent and allowing students to use cell phones at times. In conclusion this study failed. The complexity with managing the cell phone ban was more problematic than the actual cell phones. Because teachers were not consistent in enforcing the policy, collecting phones became cumbersome, and the ban ultimately undermined the ability to teach efficiently. The teacher team decided to not ban cell phones the following school year.
This article makes me question my topic conclusion. When I decided to research the effectiveness of a cell phone ban in the classroom I thought there would be more agreeable papers. I am surprised to see there are not as many. Making a connection with this study to also our class text The Dreamkeepers where both report negative impacts of a cell phone ban. I have recently listened to a podcast about a school district instituting a district wide ban on cell phones which led me to this research topic. I will have to dig deeper into this topic to decide my own opinion of the matter. I found this quote to be very interesting, “This finding confirms that in a connected classroom of a digitalized school, access to the internet is a superior issue compared to which device is used “ (pg. 17). The study goes on to conclude, “To implement a blanket ban does not diminish perceived negative effects of mobile phones, but rather brings new organizational, pedagogical, and relational challenges that are neither easy to foresee, nor for the individual teacher to handle inside in the classroom.” (pg. 18)
I would like to find why schools/districts institute a ban on cell phones. I know there are some that have so I will need to see why they thought it was appropriate to institute the policy.
Annotation #2
King, D. L., Radunz, M., Galanis, C. R., Quinney, B., & Wade, T. (2024). “Phones off while school's on”: Evaluating problematic phone use and the social, wellbeing, and academic effects of banning phones in schools. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 13(4), 913-922. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2024.00058
This peer reviewed article is a quantitative study done in Australia to examine the effects on students’ problematic phone use, academic engagement, school belonging, and bullying. The study's main question was, “Does the mobile phone ban have a positive effect on students’ problematic use of mobile phones, academic engagement, school belonging, and bullying?” This study follows 1,256 students divided into ban and no ban groups. The study also examines students' compliance to a cell phone ban. The study was done by looking at specific criteria like academic engagement and school belonging via a detailed and analyzed survey. The study concluded that a cell phone ban did not have a significant impact in terms of problematic use of mobile phones, academic engagement, school belonging, and bullying. Studies like these are important to best examine the usefulness of a policy or projected policy. “Little is known about the educational, mental health, and social effects of restricting phones for students. The literature is also limited in terms of whether individual characteristics (e.g., socio-economic status) influence the effect of bans.”
I am very surprised and interested by the results in this study. I think it was expected that the ban on cell phones would have a substantial effect. I am most surprised by the result that the cell phone ban did not show a positive increase in students being less distracted in class. This article made me reconsider my own standing in my subject. My standings have been to recommend a school wide cell phone ban. I need more additional information to make an educated decision.
For my next step I need to find an article about the original study on why schools decided to institute a ban. So far I have read two about the aftermath of a ban but I want to read about why they made the decision to ban. I would expect the decision would be made after a study. I am also looking for articles in the United States.
Annotation #3
Böttger, T., & Zierer, K. (2024). To ban or not to ban? A rapid review on the impact of smartphone bans in schools on social well-being and academic performance. Education Sciences, 14(8), 906. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci14080906
This peer reviewed article is considered a “rapid review”, “A rapid review is a form of knowledge synthesis in which the methodological steps of a traditional review are deliberately simplified or omitted”. This article focuses on cognitive performance, social and emotional well-being as well as academic performance. The main goal of the article is to answer the question of what specific effects smart phone bans have on students. This article has two hypotheses; (1) A smartphone ban leads to an improvement in students’ academic performance. (2) A smartphone ban leads to an improvement in the social climate among students. This article is a mix between quantitative and qualitative from other peer review articles. In the findings, hypotheses one was rejected. This study found no direct link to smartphone bans improving academic performance. This article did however find a positive correlation between cell phone bans and the social climate of students. It is stated that the writer assumes there would be a connection between having a more positive social climate due to a cell phone to eventually increase academic performance. More time and data would be needed to finalize that hypothesis. At the end of this article it highlights the importance of digital literacy and places more emphasis on that than having a ban.
This article was a little easier to digest than the others. The findings are explained well. These findings are helpful because I have not considered the mid way point of not having a complete ban but instead incorporating conscious use of cell phones with digital literacy. This is something I will need to follow up on. The author's emphasis on the social impact and how the long term effects are unknown is something I need to process more.
My next step is still the same. I want to find articles in the US as this one is from Canada. I would also like to think about the idea of digital literacy.
Annotation #4
Thompson, W. (2024). Be“Yondr” the schoolhouse gate: Law and policy for student cell phone restriction in public high schools. Suffolk Journal of Trial and Appellate Advocacy, 29(1), Article 8. https://dc.suffolk.edu/jtaa-suffolk/vol29/iss1/8
This article was very interesting and helpful to my research. This article is about “Yondr” bags; which are thin fabric pouches big enough to hold only a cell phone. The top of the Yondr pouch has a magnetic closure that once a student puts their phone inside it will lock and only be able to unlock by a specific magnet. These pouches were introduced to prevent students from using phones in school but still be able to keep possession of their phone. This article mainly takes place in New York schools where they have started to implement Yondr pouches. This article brought up three important legal standpoints. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School Dist, Tinker is the most important student freedom of speech case in the Supreme Court’s history. The case gives more than epigrammatic language; it provides the foundational test for whether student speech in public schools may be restricted. Bethel Sch. Dist. No. 403 v. Fraser court referenced the effects and reactions of the speech on students and teachers coming down hard on vulgar language. Hazelwood Sch. Dist. v. Kuhlmeier the court elucidated another circumstance where schools could limit or restrict student speech outside of the Tinker test criteria. This article is heavily against the restriction of cell phones stating, “While the ill-effects of classroom distraction should not be disregarded, neither should restrictions of expression, parental rights to communicate with their children, or the exceedingly strong policy considerations opposing the Yondr measures.”
These cases will be important to note in my research as well as my group project. I need to know more about the legislation passed for cell phone restrictions as well as freedom of speech as they are connected. I want to read more from schools using this Yondr product. It is a very interesting product that was founded in San Francisco. I wonder if any schools in the area use them.
My next articles need to focus on the legislation. I think I have a good start and I need to see how these rulings affect cell phone bans and how school districts implement them.
Annotation #5
Tandon PS, Zhou C, Hogan CM, Christakis DA. (2020). Cell phone use policies in US middle and high schools. JAMA Netw Open, 3(5). https://doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.5183.
This article is a quantitative study aiming to describe cell phone policies in middle schools and high schools across the U.S. Data was collected via survey from principals or their representatives by email or phone. For this article 210 schools were contacted. This is data that I am interested in because it gives a good snapshot of how many schools have a cell phone policy. From the data collected I can see more middle schools have policies than high schools. I can also deduct that even though a school has a policy 42% of middle schools know their students are using their cell phones while in class. The most used consequence for using a cell phone when not prohibited was it being taken away. One very interesting data point they collected was that 47% of schools had a cell phone policy for staff members. Among the 210 schools over 90% of principals believed there should be a cell policy. “Just as schools are now considered critical to helping children meet guidelines for optimal physical activity and nutrition, they should support recommendations on screen time and media use.” I found this quote to be very interesting as it's directly stating the school needs to limit screen time to assist with student health, something a parent should be responsible for. Another interesting part of the article was that 28-31% of schools use cell phones for curricular activities. This is interesting because many articles, as well as Gloria Ladson-Billings, advocate for not having a cell phone ban by saying cell phones were a useful tool in the classroom.
This was a great article for data to see how prevalent cell phone policies are. Now I want to see what those policies are and how they are implemented. In a previous article it said that consistency was the most important factor of making a successful policy so I would like to see how well policies are enacted.
My next step is to find schools in the bay area with cell phone policies. I might try finding news articles with the first POV of students or parents with schools that have strict cell phone policies.
Annotation #6
Rose, S. E., Gears, A., & Taylor, J. (2022). What are parents’ and children’s co‐constructed views on mobile phone use and policies in school? Children & Society, 36(6), 1418–1433. https://doi-org.dominican.idm.oclc.org/10.1111/chso.12583
This article is a qualitative study focusing on 18 participants (9 parent/child sets) and conducted via an interview survey. This took place in the UK. The results of this study had two themes: 1. the importance of having cell phones in school and 2. balancing risks and setting boundaries. The first theme of the importance of having a cell phone consisted of concerns of getting a child to and from school and keeping in contact. The second theme of balancing risks and setting boundaries consisted of the knowledge of the risk of having a cell phone and the importance of balancing boundaries and usage. In the interviews parents and children agreed the reason for a cell phone was so parents could feel less worried about their child once they start to gain more independence with age. Walking home or waiting for a ride was the reason why a child would need a phone but it was noted the parents said they disagreed with the child needing a phone turned on during the school day stating if there was an emergency the school would call. The risks the survey brought up was the risk about potential sexual harassment while on social media platforms. Balancing cell phone use and having a boundary was a consistent agreement with parents and children. They spoke of having limits and the consequences of inappropriate use and the importance of schools setting boundaries. The main concerns parents and children had of school policies were that they were too varied. “Punishments such as isolation or exclusion seemed too harsh but allowing them to have phones throughout the whole day meant possible access to inappropriate content. Policies of banning them completely went against parents' views on the benefits for safety and keeping in contact with their children, which could cause conflict with the school when deciding on the most appropriate policy.” (Rose & Taylor, 2022).
This article was interesting because it was the first point of view of parents and students in an interview style. Even though this was from the UK I still think it is relevant for me. One aspect that I did not like was that it was only 18 participants and not varied among different demographics and socioeconomic backgrounds.
For my next article I will look for one focusing on policies. I think I will start looking for policies regarding technology and see if they include cell phones. I think the better angle is to not focus on banning but to focus on school policies as I have noticed how broad the spectrum can be. I also want to read about the digital divide because it has been mentioned a few times and I am unfamiliar with the term.
Annotation #7
Rideout, V., & Robb, M. B. (2019). The common sense census: Media use by tweens and teens, 51-53. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/2019-census-8-to-18-full-report-updated.pdf
This is a report from Common Sense Media the results of a nationally representative survey of more than 1,600 U.S. 8- to 18-year-olds, about their use of and relationship with media. The part of the report I am specifically looking at is about the digital divide. “The purpose of this survey is to present a big-picture look at the large trends and patterns of media usage among young people in the U.S.” (Rideout & Rob). The digital divide is the inequalities of technologies across income levels. From the report children in lower income households are less likely to have their own desktop or laptop. It is reported that lower income households are more likely to have smartphones than individual laptops or desktop computers. From the report ownership of a desktop or laptop is growing from 25% to 36% from 2015 to 2019 among lower income families. Looking at smartphones in particular, children in lower income households are less likely to have their own cell phones at 74% compared to 89% of higher income households.
I wanted to read this article because of one of the previous articles I read about students using their smartphones for school curriculum. From this report I can see that children in lower income households more than likely have to use a cell phone to complete school work because they are less likely to have a laptop or desktop computer of their own. “Teens from higher-income homes spend more time using computers for homework, while those from lower-income homes spend more time doing homework on a smartphone.” This is important information to use in my research because if cell phones are banned in schools I would want to ensure students still have access to electronic devices for school work. I think this report has important data points I can use in my presentation.
My next article will look at cell phone policies within the US. I want to see what kind of policies are in different districts.
Annotation #8
Ahn, J., Bivona, L.K. and DiScala, J. (2011), Social media access in K-12 schools: Intractable policy controversies in an evolving world. Proc. Am. Soc. Info. Sci. Tech., 48: 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/meet.2011.14504801044
This is a mixed technique study utilizing both quantitative and qualitative sources for information. This paper discusses several key policy controversies and offers suggestions for ways that K-12 institutions can set policy to facilitate technology in schools. This paper was focused on technology policies in schools and not specifically for cell phones. This paper focuses on three major points. Firstly it highlights the dilemmas of having different technology “frames” or personal opinions in schools. Each school or district have their own frames for allowing or not allowing access to technology. This is a dilemma because a site would have a different frame from others and the consistency will be lost. “This study shows how individual school districts frame technology use for students and how those motivations suggest different philosophies for educational technology in an era of social media.” Secondly, this paper discusses ways in which technology is used within the classroom, “Youths utilize Facebook for information sharing, access YouTube videos to learn new concepts for school, and participate in online communities that further their interests.” Finally this paper gives suggestions on how to set a policy to facilitate technology in the classroom. The paper suggests teachers should, “assist their students in developing the skills to ascertain the truthfulness of information, distinguish fact from opinion, and engage in discussions about controversial issues while demonstrating tolerance and respect for those who hold divergent views”
This was an interesting paper to read. It was not directly about cell phone policies but it was about creating policies that were well rounded and very thoroughly thought out. This paper has given me thoughts about creating a policy for cell phone usage. This quote especially, “However, a thoughtful integration of new tools may broaden student perspectives, help them become literate and powerful contributors to a technological society, expose them to new ideas, and expand their opportunities to learn about their world.”
I have heard my district WCCUSD has put out a statement about cell phone policy so I want to look into that more next.
Annotation #9
Natalie L. Shaheen, (2022) Technology accessibility: How U.S. K-12 schools are enacting policy and addressing the equity imperative, Computers & Education, 179 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104414.
This paper is a mixed method of quantitative and qualitative data. It uses information gathered from a survey of 106 students in South Africa and 15 semi-structured interviews with students and principals. I was interested in this study because it was recent compared to others I have found. This study took the questions asked in the survey and made additional assumptions around them utilizing the semi structured questions. One question asked if cell phones in the classroom are disruptive with 87% saying yes. “They identify a host of disruptions accompanied by implementing mobile learning. These include technology-supported cheating, instant messaging, games, web surfing, lack of engagement with instructional setting caused by substitution of classroom experiences with pre-recorded and downloadable class materials from their cellphones.” One interesting thing to note is that it is stated that students don’t have access to a personal computer at school whereas in the US most students do. Cell phone policies were discussed as well. The students reported the harshest consequence was having their cell phone taken away for the rest of the school year. Another very important part of the article was that students believed teachers should also have a cell phone policy, “ cellphone policy should also apply to teachers; they should not be allowed to use cellphones at school because they also disturb teaching and learning.”
This was an interesting study. I would not base my recommendation on this study but it was helpful overall. In conclusion it stated “Technology and cellphones are invaluable in our daily lives today, despite the fact that cellphones can be very disruptive
to the teaching and learning process in schools.” The paper can be summed up with this quote, “Schools need to embrace cellphones as an educational tool but they should put watertight cellphone policies in place to ensure that technology benefits the education of the learners in the 21st century and beyond.”
The next step is finding info about our surrounding school district policies.
Annotation #10
Rodriguez, A. (2024). New California law limits the use of cell phones in schools. here’s what to know. The Sacramento Bee . https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article293024429.html
For my last annotation I choose to read some articles about the policy I will be highlighting in my final project, Assembly Bill 3216. I read the bill documentation on the government website and also this newspaper article. Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a new bill into law, Assembly Bill 3216 also known as Phone-Free School Act. This new bill will take effect on July 1, 2026 but school districts have to prepare now. AB 3216 will aim to create distraction free schools and to create an environment for learning. This bill will require school districts to mandate a policy for restricting phone usage during school hours. Newsom said, “This new law will help students focus on academics, social development and the world in front of them, not their screens, when they’re in school.” Of course there was a rebuttal against this bill for reasons such as safety. One concern was that school districts would completely ban cell phones at school and students would not have access to their phone in case of an emergency. According to the governor's website school districts will use input from the community to create the phone policy. Governor Gavin Newsom is on a mission to transform mental health and believes limiting cell phone is one step for our younger population, “We know that excessive smartphone use increases anxiety, depression and other mental health issues — but we have the power to intervene”.
This article is informative about AB 3216. I received an email from my school district WCCUSD about this bill and their need to get a policy in place. This bill gives me hope we are moving in the right direction of limiting cell phone usage in the classroom. When I started this journey I was focused on a full ban of cell phones. After doing research and reading about AB 3216 I see a compromise is in order. There needs to be a mid way point of having cell phones but limiting the ways in which they can distract students.
If this article is not sufficient I also have another paper I can annotate, the citation for it is below.
Keywords to help in search: (mobile phone OR cell phone OR smart phone OR cellphone OR smartphone OR phone OR mobile device) AND (school OR education OR class) AND (bullying OR cyberbullying OR harass OR mental health OR anxiety OR depression OR well-being OR well being OR achievement OR learn OR attention OR distract OR disrupt OR cheat OR addiction) AND (ban OR restrict OR policy OR rule) NOT (university OR undergraduate).
Tinker, Yondr, Fraser, Kuhlmeier, Information Policy, Education Policy, Educational
Technology, Media Literacy, Social Media, Youth, AB 3216
Additional Useful Sites
https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/spp/results.asp
https://nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/2_19_2025.asp
https://mrarthur.io/en/teens-and-screen-time-average-screen-time-for-teens/
https://explodingtopics.com/blog/screen-time-for-teens