Movie

September 4, 2012

Phones and iPods

Question:
Are you allowed to bring electronics such as phones and ipods to use during free time?


Response:
Hello Person A,
The short answer to your question is: Yes. I will offer two responses to this question; first, the logical, black and white answer. School is a place for study, learning and growing. If ipods help you learn, many teachers often mention during work times in class that you can bring yours out and listen to it as you work. If they do not mention this, all you have to do is ask. However, If you use them during times where the teacher is speaking or any time that the teacher has not said it`s okay, they have the authority to take them away - sometimes for the whole class, day or even week (it varies from teacher to teacher). Overall, school is a learning environment where that should be the focus - not a cell phone.

On the other hand, sometimes you forget your lunch or need to ask your mom to bring something to school so having a phone is very useful in these cases. You can use it in the breaks between classes and at lunchtime, but it's better to not to use it in class. If it's an emergency, simply ask the teacher to use the washroom and either text or call the person that the emergency concerns in the washroom. Often, ipods are used in sync with learning in class. Ipod Touch's can access the internet which is useful in looking up words for French class, finding a date in socials class or looking up the definition of a word in English class. An important point is that in math class, you must bring a calculator for all tests. A phone calculator is not allowed and you will not be able to take the test using it. It's a good idea to keep a spare calculator in your locker in case you forget yours at home on test day.

In summary, phones and iPod's are allowed to be brought to school if used at the right times and in an appropriate manner.

Sincerely,
The Rockridge SOS Team
P.S. The school does offer free wifi that you can use with your smartphone or ipod. You can ask at the library for your personal student login.