CFF Communities

Today Steve brought up ed code written against using Ipods and other electronic devices... here is what i found: California Ed. Code section 78907. The use by any person, including a student, of any electronic listening or recording device in any classroom without the prior consent of the instructor is prohibited, except as necessary to provide reasonable auxiliary aids and academic adjustments to disabled students. Any person, other than a student, who willfully violates this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Any student violating this section shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action. interesting...

Joel quoted the EdCode section 78907 that appears to prohibit student use of "any electronic listening or recording device in any classroom" except for disabled students. 

But note the caveat "without the prior consent of the instructor" so that becomes our challenge.  iPod use within an instructional paradigm would be authorized if the instructor gave consent.

Perhaps we can explore what form of consent is appropriate and focus on that aspect of the EdCode section 78907 so we encourage more effective use of electronic listening or recording devices!

Cheers
Rick

My 9 year old daughter wrote a letter to the principal of her school before winter break, arguing for the use of iPods during self-directed learning time. She talked about how it would increase motivation and reduce distractions. (I sware she's a lawyer in training!) Shockingly, the principal forwarded her letter to the class teacher with her blessing. Parents had to sign a permission form stating that loss of the device was not the school's problem, and that all music was age-appropriate. Disciplinary action would be taken if this was determined to not be the case. iPods could not be shared, and students could only have one headphone in so that they could still hear teacher voice, fire alarms, etc. My daughter became the class hero!

At a DELC get together in San Jose last month, the education secretary from Virginia was discussing their determination to raise math scores at some rural schools. They realized that they had a captive, but untapped audience, for almost two hours a day as these kids rode the school bus to school. They created podcasts that could be downloaded on to phones or iPods. I'm not sure if they provided an incentive to listen to the podcasts, but she said they did have a significant amount of kids take advantage of the opportunity.

Laura

Yes, "...[W]ithout the prior consent of the instructor" is the key.  It seems pretty clear to me that if "the instructor" specifically gives his/her "prior consent," as in, "Yes, Ernesto, you may listen to your iPod today in my class while you're doing the reading I've assigned you for this last 20 minutes of class," then the Ed Code allows it.

In a school library media center, who's the "instructor?"  If there's a credentialed teacher librarian (TL), it stands to reason he/she is that instructor.  If he/she gives blanket permission to students to listen to iPods in the library, there's no Ed Code restriction against that.

In today's staff and student bulletin, the following (again) appeared:  "A friendly reminder to all students that all iPods, etc. are to be put out of site [sic] prior to stepping on campus in the morning, and remain out of sight until the end of the instructional day.  To repeat in different terms, iPods, etc. are not allowed to be used on campus from arrival in the a.m. to 2:18 p.m.  (Mr. Shelburne [<--Principal])

At our last Dept. Chairs meeting, when I brought up the fact that the library is different from the classroom and asked if people didn't feel it would be OK for me to allow students there to listen to their iPods while they were reading, browsing a magazine, working on homework, working (or playing) on a computer (etc.), his response was (approximately), "As they've been told many times in many different ways, the policy is no.  If they or their parents have a problem with that, let them lobby their legislators to change the Ed Code."  I'm going to share this snippet of the Ed Code (EC) with Principal Shelburne and see if he'll reconsider.  My memory has it that the EC used to read differently, more like, 'Electronic devices are not allowed on campus,' or something to that effect.  Perhaps that's his memory, too, and he's not aware of how it now reads.  On the other hand, perhaps he just wants to draw a line in the sand for some reason (all these tiny, expensive, easily-swipeable devices floating around for kids to steal, lose, argue over?)  In any case he's my boss and I'm not going to fight him about it (especially since he's likely to  eliminate my position anyway to help make his drastic district-mandated site budget cut target), but I'll "educate" him in any case.  Hey, I'm a teacher librarian and I don't just educate teenagers! ;)

Thanks for finding and sharing that Ed Code, Joel!

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/raskin/18019

 

Take a look at this and see if they can rvise the ED CODE!!! 

And just so you all know, I do not even own nor use an iPod!--Two of my children do, but they don't share

However for additional consideration on the topic, look at the cover of today's ( March 4) Union Tribune-- Quoting a young lady from Mt Carmel HS talking about an AP government review session " If you miss something, you can just replay it back as many times as you need"

 

Hmm- Could that be a help for students?- I am reluctant to make this a "historical " discussion, but there have been numerous samples of things that we couldn't use in classes ( anybody recall calculators?) and as we prep for state tests in March and April the kids will have.....calculators-

 

 The iPod is another way for people to "store" data.with most people's phones capable of internet access, how much does one really need to "know" like the bottom of Bloom's type "know" the lowest form of what we might call learning. Just the memory and recall portion of proving that you were paying attention. I think the here and now version of learning needs to emphasize problem solving situations and getting away from how much data can you store in your head..so maybe one day, students will have access to data storage during tests to help "analyze" their questions and "synthesize" their answers instead of regurgitate them..