Cellphones/technology making a comeback in public schools?

It is no secret that schools for lack of a better word *hate* technology in the sense that schools across the U.S. are constantly fighting a war against electronics in school.  Whether it be cellphones, mp3 players, laptops, etc, they are trying to “relaim” the classroom against the creep of the digital world into an enviorment that has remained the same for decades without any real change.  So it comes as quite a surprise that Beaufort High School, located in Beaufront, South Carolina is actually thinking with some common sense and instead is taking the road less traveled and actually embracing technology.  How so?

It is a so called “grand awakening” in the sense that someone’s eyes are finally starting to open to the possibilites and good that technology can bring to schools.  In this particular case it has to deal with a school fight that made its way onto YouTube.  The schools and administrations view: to use the video to actually track down the individuals responsible for the fight instead of mindlessly pointint fingers and blaming cellphones, YouTube, the internet, etc. etc.  From the Principal of Dan Durbin of Beaufront High:

This should remind our students that they’re not going to get away with anything. If you try something like this, you’re going to be seen on a security camera or on someone’s cell phone…. The evidence of this makes our jobs easier because I don’t have to go get it from a student. Sometimes things happen that we don’t know about until well after the fact.”

Now you may be thinking to yourself this is a logical reaction why the big deal?  The big deal is that absolutely no one thinks like this.  Instead of actually using the information provided in YouTube videos such as this and track down the individuals they instead increase the lockdown of electronics at the school and find out how to get the video removed from YouTube, completely ignoring the fight portrayed online or the individuals involved.

The above statement by the principal brings about another response from him that is by far a minority view in the public school world and the way they think and operate.  He even suggests reversing electronics/cellphone bans!  Instead, he says that the administration should brain storm on the idea of when and how they could incorporate them into their school life in order to help…not hurt as outlined below.

“It’s a great tool for us. You’ve got it on video, and you can identify the person and see what they’re doing. There’s lots of video of amateur fights and street fights on YouTube. But will seeing that encourage someone to be violent any more than a television show or a movie? I don’t know.”

Teenie boppers don’t get too excited yet expecting to enjoy unhindered texting in class or free reign with your digital devices in school.  But you should expect a more relaxed enviorment reguarding those devices.  Instead of electronics and cellphones being treated as *gasp* unmentionable things, they will be treated as what they really are – helpful tools that can aid in education as well as disciplinary measures such as catching to morons who are now on YouTube fighting in school.

Will this start a cascading effect that will race across the nation to other schools eager to adapt and grow?  I highly doubt that.  While many will be intrigued and toy with the idea and relaxed rules themselves, I don’t see a national movement of any type.  What do you think?  Finally, school administrations are starting to remove their heads from their rear ends and are actually going to be proactive instead of reactive.  Is it a change for the better?

Source: Tech Dirt, Island Packet