Technology or the playground?

Today, in our PSHE lesson, the students were trying to prioritize various things such as air, water, food, shelter, mobile phones, playground, senses, etc. I was pleased to note that they immediately drew from their knowledge of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. They struggled with placing shelter and senses. Some thought that they would rather have their senses (be able to see, hear) than shelter. Others preferred shelter ( and spoke of home as a place with caring people in it) to their senses. When I pointed out that there were homeless people who were deaf and blind, there was a moment of silence in the class.

The thing that surprised me most was that children would rather have a mobile phone than a playground! Well, I shouldn't be surprised. I have seen my own kids hooked to their phones. The students felt that communication was far more important than a playground. They also felt that they could play anywhere; and all phones had games.

By nainisingh | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

I know there a many teachers out there using mobile phones in the classroom. Should we allow the use of mobile phones in the classroom? What are the possibilities of engaging children in meaningful activities using the phone apart from simplpy engaging them?

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