In Laconia Schools: The problem with phones and learning

Computer technology is at the backbone of all that we do; whether it's shopping, paying bills, job searching, or communicating with family and friends. This does not even begin to consider the importance of technology to our military operations, banking systems, electrical grids, and so many more vital components of our daily lives. According to Real Clear Science, the iPhone in your pocket has over 100,000 times the processing power and 7,000,000 times more random-access memory than the computer that landed men on the moon 50 years ago. I am by no means an information technology expert, but it sounds like we have a very powerful tool in our pockets that is not much larger than an index card.

However, inside the walls of our schools, we believe it is time to take a step back and re-examine how some technology innovations are impacting our students' academic success and social-emotional well-being; specifically, smartphones. We believe these powerful tools have become far too much of a distraction instead of a tool that enhances learning. Our students are bombarded with information 24 hours a day, not all of it positive, from a plethora of social media platforms at their fingertips. Regardless of how engaging an instructional lesson is, it is difficult to compete against the onslaught of posts from Instagram, TikTok, and SnapChat.

In an extensive effort to curb unwanted behavior in our bathrooms, members of the Laconia High School administration and staff have had to monitor behavior from outside the walls of the bathroom. Before entering the bathroom, students were asked to leave their smartphones on the table with the supervising staff member. Without exaggeration, those smartphones typically received between 20 and 30 alert sounds and notifications during a three-minute bathroom trip. This reality explains the unrelenting pull students feel to check each post, meme, like, or comment and the significant impact these constant interruptions have on students' ability to effectively focus on learning. Our students' dependence on smartphones has become habitual, defined as the “mental and behavioral sequences that occur automatically in the presence of a trigger”; and has become a distraction that impedes learning.

Teaching is a noble profession and one that takes planning, preparation, and a love for working with young people. Unfortunately, the result of effective teaching and learning, both academic and social, is being lost as we compete for our students' attention against these constant social media distractions.

Even more concerning, our observations at Laconia High School align with research published in 2020 by the American Psychological Association that directly correlates excessive student smartphone use with feelings of anxiety and depression.

A student's individual smartphone is an unnecessary form of technology inside the walls of our school.

We are fortunate at Laconia High School to have the resources necessary that enable each student to access the crucial technology platforms needed to reinforce learning and allow for a personalized approach to education. These resources are imperative to learning and preparing our students for a world that is changing as rapidly as Instagram, TikTok, and SnapChat posts.

As we embark on the 2022-2023 school year, we are looking for ways to eliminate this distraction and improve our students' health and sense of well-being so that we can focus on the important work that happens every day in Laconia High School. We know we need your support in this area as we move forward to assist all students toward better learning outcomes.

David Bartlett, Assistant Principal, Laconia High School