10 Mar These varied from poor city neighbourhoods to remote rural
How mobile phones are disrupting teaching and learning in Africa
Gina Porter, Durham University
canada goose store Mobile phones have become ubiquitous in Africa. Among younger users, basic phones are most common. But more pupils are accessing smartphones that can connect to the canada goose outlet los angeles internet and taking them along to school. canada goose store
canada goose clearance sale Phones are often used canada goose outlet in canada in school whether they’re allowed or not. Although they can enable valuable access to information, they also bring new responsibilities and dangers. It’s remarkably common for classes to be interrupted by both pupils’ and teachers’ phones. Access to pornography as well as bullying and harassment through phones is widely reported. canada goose clearance sale
canada goose deals We have conducted a study of young people’s mobile phone use in canada goose outlet uk Ghana, Malawi and South Africa. Our findings emphasise the central place that mobile phones occupy in many young people’s lives. Before the mobile phone arrived in Africa, few people had access to landlines. The mobile phone represents far more of a communication revolution in Africa than in richer countries. canada goose deals
buy canada goose jacket The study, involving a group of university researchers from the UK and Africa, was funded by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council and Department for International Development. It covers many aspects of young people’s phone use, from generational relations to job searches and health advice. Use in school has emerged as a leading issue, echoing concerns around the world. buy canada goose jacket
Canada Goose Outlet We conducted more than 1,500 face to face interviews and focus groups with young people, teachers, parents and key community members across 24 locations eight in each country. These varied from poor city neighbourhoods to remote rural hamlets. Canada Goose Outlet
buy canada goose jacket cheap We followed this up with a questionnaire to about 3,000 young people aged between nine and 18 and 1,500 young people aged between 19 and 25 in the same 24 locations. buy canada goose jacket cheap
Canada Goose sale The survey of children aged canada goose factory outlet nine to 18 years shows that mobile phone use is much higher than ownership figures might buy canada goose uk suggest. Ownership of phones was lowest in canada goose outlet uk sale Malawi, the poorest of the three countries. Here only 8% of children in the survey canada goose outlet online reviews owned their own phone, compared with 16% in Ghana and 51% in South Africa. Nonetheless, in Malawi 35% of children said they had used a phone in the week before the survey. In Ghana the figure was 42% and in South Africa it was 77%. Children often borrow phones from canada goose outlet reviews each other, their parents, other family members and neighbours. Canada Goose sale
canada goose clearance Some pupils, particularly in South Africa, use their phones to access sites like Master Maths for help with homework. But the positive benefits mostly seem to be limited to mundane canada goose outlet real tasks such as contacting friends to check on homework or using the phone as a calculator. Much information from pupils and teachers was more negative: academic performance affected by disrupted classes due to teachers as well as pupils using their canada goose outlet winnipeg address phones disrupted sleep because of cheap night calls, time wasted on prolonged sessions on social network sites, and harassment, bullying and pornography. canada goose clearance
Class disruption from pupils’ phones used to be mostly from ring tones when calls were received. Now, for those with smartphones, messaging on WhatsApp or checking Facebook have become common classroom activities. Teachers’ phone use in class can be equally disruptive, canada goose outlet boston as some teachers admitted. A call comes in, or they make a call, and whether they step outside or take the call in class, the end result is that the lesson is interrupted and as more than one told us “You forget what you are going to deliver.”
In Malawi, 60% of enrolled pupils said they had seen their teacher using a phone in lesson time during the week before the survey. The corresponding figure for Ghana was 66% and for South Africa 88%. Many canada goose outlet shop head teachers also spoke canada goose outlet vancouver about the problem of teacher canada goose outlet vip phone use, saying they found it difficult to regulate.
Canada Goose online Other problems include disturbing levels of pupil bullying and harassment. In the survey of enrolled pupils who use a phone, 16% in Ghana, 28% in Malawi and 55% in South Africa said they had received unwanted, unpleasant or upsetting calls or texts. This was almost equally true for boys and girls. Canada Goose online
Canada Goose Parka Distribution and viewing of pornography is also widespread, as older boys were often willing to disclose. A few even primary school pupils mentioned sexting. Canada Goose Parka
Promoting responsible phone use canada goose outlet online store review in school
canadian goose jacket Many head teachers have asked us how to promote responsible phone use in canada goose outlet store toronto school. Here are some suggestions: canadian goose jacket
Canada Goose Jackets Pupil phone use: It is important to have a clear school canada goose premium outlet policy on pupil phone use, to canada goose outlet price inform parents about this and to explain the reasoning behind it. If the school has decided to allow pupils to bring their mobile phone to school for instance, because of travel problems but not to use it in school, then pupils could be required to put a name tag on their phone and deposit it with a staff member, official canada goose outlet using a register, before school begins. In this case parents or carers must be given a phone number for urgent messages. Canada Goose Jackets
canada goose coats https://www.pick-canadagoose.com If the school allows pupils to use mobile phones in class as calculators or to access the internet, pupils and their parents could sign an “acceptable use” agreement each term. This would promote effective use of class time and their own and other pupils’ safety. canada goose coats
canada goose black friday sale Pupils also need reminders canada goose outlet not to publish personal information on the internet and to tell their teacher, a parent or carer if they access any information that worries them. Parents must be encouraged to help their child follow the school’s guidelines. Asking them to sign an acceptable use agreement together with their children will help. canada goose black friday sale
cheap Canada Goose Teacher phone use: Teachers’ mobile phones should be switched off and left in a safe place during canada goose outlet ontario lesson times. If teachers are using their phones when pupils are banned from doing so, pupils may become resentful. Staff should not contact pupils from their personal mobile phones or give their mobile phone numbers to pupils or parents. This canada goose outlet 2015 would canada goose outlet mall help teachers maintain sound professional practice cheap Canada Goose.