https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/minister-working-on-plans-to-ban-mobile-phones-in-secondary-schools-1663687.html
To me this is obviously a step in the right direction, but it has been obvious for many years and none of the other ministers did the obvious thing.
Great idea and should be easy enough to implement: kid found using a phone in school has phone taken off them. It's popped into the office and only a parent of the kid can collect it.
Hey, who is the Ennis based health professional? Please PM if you don't want to put it up here. Thanks.
Dr Maureen Griffin.
https://www.mgmstraining.ie/
I went to school in the mid 2000's.
If caught on your phone.
I'm fairly sure if caught on our phone.
First offence confiscated for a month.
2nd offence until the end of term.
3rd offence until the end of year.
Most teachers would be reasonable if your phone went off once.
Everybody bought phones and some had a spare phone to hand to the teacher if they got caught.
There are many things I could call Norma Foley-- 'visionary' is not one of them. There is an impending election and tis the season to be jolly busy launching stuff and claiming credit.
As regards free meals and free books, this is part of the predictable Government pitch to the middle class average tax paying voter ahead of November. As to how these initiatives actually work or the success criteria, that's entirely up to the school leaders and teachers ie the credit for any success is due to the schools implementing the measures. As regards phones, she's just repeating what dozens of previous commentators in the space have been saying for ages and is seizing the moment, what with potential EU legislation and sanctions re: social media gaining pace. So no, she ain't no visionary, but yes she can read a prepared speech with all the buzzwords very effectively
No she is not! Wait until the covid inflated Leaving Cert results come out on Friday & points remain high
I think in the era of on the fly content creation and instant access to social media that schools need to come down hard on phones across the board.
There is no need for anyone to have a phone on their person in school.
It's a question of norms. If it becomes normal practice that phones are put away in lockers during school hours, then largely everybody will accept that. The idea of reward, might be a good incentive for everyone to buy in.
Problem is they can't come down hard on continuous behaviour way worse than just bringing a phone to school.
Apologies..my question was to the poster saying a system like it was implemented in youthreach, trades etc ...I'm nearly sure I quoted that post but I must be wrong
my school could in the mid 2000’s - schools have gone a bit soft and parents have gone even softer (from my limited observation).
Phone in the bag, silent, not ever out until afterschool - we all played the game, very few would chance the odd text in class. It’s very simple - I think good old confiscation is the way to go - but I suppose some knobber parents would kick up about their little angels 1100 euro iPhone being taken.
Not sure on mobile tech but maybe some sort of denial of service signal jamming except for staff on school grounds? Don't know if practical or not.
Do you not like her barcode fringe?
She hasnt tackled any of the big issues e.g.
- the influence of religious organisations in Irish education.
- under performing schools.
- making the Teaching Council fit for purpose (has never upheld a parental complaint in its history.)
- child protection deficiencies e.g. it not being mandatory for schools to follow her Departments child protection 'guidelines".
A solution might be to provide lockers for kids like are in many second level schools across the world, also in many businesses and workplaces…FOB wristband to open them so you are not worried about lost keys etc…wristband lost, just reprogram a new one and charge a fiver or whatever cost.
The challenge would as I see it be twofold….the cost of the lockers, also the logistics of attaining space in already overcrowded and also many small antiquated buildings across the country ….
Norma Foley is a terrible minister, no visionary, and not inspiring, needs to be cast into the ether.
Very Good points there; she's just a typical Fianna Fail politician and wasn't her father one of the Ansbacher Account cowboys, but hey- make her a minister and she'll throw money at something and launch another thing and build another yoke and... no, not a visionary and most likely to get promoted
VVery scary concept that the parents are not taking the responsibility to not only but supervise the nutrition of their kids. Also meal times are important for learning social etiquetteitte and manners from family. Teaches kids the state is responsible for their food.
Definitely not a visionary but she definitely is "something". What that is, I cannot say without upsetting people and getting banned. She does have great shoulders and throat area god bless her.
I think we'll look back on smartphone use the same way as underage smoking, and people saying it's unenforceable probably have a horse in the race, as the little screen is keeping their "angle" occupied.
School my child in has rule no phones in school premises/grounds if seen it will be taken off you. I expected all schools like this.
Suprise me how my teacher friends can reply to messages during day.
Balance hard, 'no technology for children' - almost as much available via TV as phones. Difficult keep them off/away from everything.
Shame this visionary didn't foresee the errors in the Leaving Cert grading.
My kids schools implement no phones.
In primary, the kids with parents agreement get a phone when they finish 6th class.
In secondary,they get a pouch which is locked in the morning and opened when they finish school. Sporadic checks are done along the 1600 kids.
There was an article in daily mail UK it said up to 3 hours gaming per day is fine good for your mental health I think it's abit ridiculous to say no gaming allowed till puberty is over people have been playing games since the PlayStation one in the 90s it's probably no worse than watching TV I don't think every child needs a smartphone with 24,,7 internet acess some schools in America put phones in lockers while students are in the classroom to minimize distractions
She said great progress has been made by primary schools and parents’ associations to make childhood “smartphone-free” by introducing voluntary bans outside school time in recent years.Ms Foley said it was now time to establish a “culture of non-acceptance” of mobile phones at second level schools.
She said great progress has been made by primary schools and parents’ associations to make childhood “smartphone-free” by introducing voluntary bans outside school time in recent years.
Ms Foley said it was now time to establish a “culture of non-acceptance” of mobile phones at second level schools.
Voluntary bans outside of school are hardly what's envisaged for secondary though? So how effective will a secondary level ban actually be?
https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/education/2024/08/21/minister-plans-mobile-phone-ban-across-second-level-schools/
Not practical and also illegal.
I think a pilot scheme shuld be rolled out starting with teachers and TDs to see how it would work in practice. It could then be rolled out to other areas in the public and civil service and public buildings.</sarcasm>
She's an idiot.
All about grabbing media headlines
Then leaving it up to the schools to figure it out
Same with school meals
School books
A kite flying exercise.There will be huge opposition to banning mobile phones.A ban would have to include connected devices and that is impracticable
Sounds like hurricane season for kites is on the way … up to a November election anway
They’ve implemented a phone ban in our secondary school last year. All students put phone in a pouch which locks (Ponder I think they are called). Pouch is put on desk in first class or assembly and teacher checks it locked. Only way to open during the day is via the office. Sure you had some who bring second phone but seemed to be less and less over time. Anyone caught with a phone it was taken off then and only returned to them in a 30 mins slot to the parent and kid. School finishes 3.50 and slot is 4.15 , so student had to wait around. My own nephew got caught on a Monday and his parents refused to collect until the Friday so he learned her lesson. You need parents to support it
Plodde #60 Kites will be getting entangled and crashing to the ground in a heap of confusion until election date announced and then forgotten.
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