Back in the late 50’s one of my favorite shows was Wyatt Earp, starring Hugh O’Brien. Wyatt Earp carried a gun called the “Buntline Special”. It was a gun designed by Ned Buntline a journalist, who designed a pistol with an extra long barrel. As an adult, I realized that it must have been barrel envy that prompted so many gunfights with Wyatt.
The one Law that Wyatt insisted on in the old west town of Tombstone Arizona, was “No Guns Allowed”. Firearm technology had advanced so much that the Colt .45 was a weapon that had to be restricted. There were laws to protect citizens, but Wyatt thought it to be easier to collect all firearms as the men (women played no significant part in TV westerns) entered the town. It was a pain in the neck but way easier than dealing with those cowpokes using their guns. As the song went on Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, Brave, Courageous, and Bold. Wyatt Earp, Wyatt Earp, long may his story be told.Fifty years later I am still telling the story.
Moving ahead in the space-time continuum I found myself visiting the 1964 world’s fair in Flushing, New York. You may remember the site of the Fair as it was imortalized in the movie Men in Black. That fair was about the Future. Most of the pavilions hosted exhibits telling of what life would be like in the 21st Century. They promised Flying Cars, my favorite prediction. Many of the exhibits talked about the Technology of the future and how kids would learn using Technology. I do not remember the specifics since that was so many years ago, but I loved future predictions like: Someday kids will have powerful computers the size of a deck of cards. These computers will be able to seek out and deliver information in various forms to these kids. They would be able to exchange ideas and collaborate globally. Back in 1964 that would have been a radical concept way beyond anything in existence.
Shortly after that World’s Fair, we landed men on the Moon. Amazingly, many of those World’s Fair predictions have come true. I am still waiting for those Flying cars. Now we move closer to the 21st Century. No more of the Old West is left. Technology has moved at a rapid pace since that Fair. Kids carry in their pockets computers that are more powerful than those used to place men on the moon. Students may use these computers for all that was predicted. For an educator it is beyond imagination to have students equipped with the ability to access information pertinent to learning at any time. These tools of technology go way beyond anything really imagined from the 60’s.
Now I need to tie things together so that this all makes sense. In many districts across the land we have educational leaders who see themselves as Wyatt Earp. They have discipline policies in place. Every class has rules generated by the teacher, or collaboratively agreed upon by the class itself. There are established consequences for inappropriate actions. With all of this in place educators are not inclined to enforce their own discipline policies. NO CELLPHONES ALLOWED. This is not the wild west. Whatever happened to Brave , Courageous and Bold?
If a kid is using a cellphone in class, a teacher needs to do two things. First enforce the rule addressing inappropriate behavior in class. Second, reflect on why a student finds more engagement in cellphone use than engagement in the lesson for the day! As educators we are the adults in the room. We need to Guide our students to appropriate behavior. In addition we need to model appropriate behavior. There are many teachers using their cellphones at inappropriate times.
We are dealing with many issues that did not exist even a few years ago. We need to proceed using common sense and focus on what is needed to promote and support Learning. Our students are not indentured servants. We have to guide them with the same respect we expect from them. I can only hope that a short time from now we will look back on these wild west policies of leaving cellphones at the door and ask, “What the hell were we thinking?’ Let us strive to harness the power of these very personal computers and have our students use them to engage in learning, and save its other functions for more appropriate times. While we are at it let’s direct students to use technology for speeding along the invention and implementation of flying cars. My selfish request.
My Island View 
I agree…just read the “Scholars Turn Their Attention to Attention” (link on my today’s blog post) reporting one professor not allowing any technological devices in this class…he’s a Wyatt Earp.
In my classroom, still working to find the “blend,” for teaching the students when to use these tech tools may just be as important as teaching them the how.
I LOVE how you ‘put this together’. So many educators, parents, etc- don’t get why we need to incorporate tech in school.
My question to parents is,”If you can’t get them to stop playing their video games to eat, then how can we get them interested?”
We all know how much respect students seem to have for teachers. I know I wouldn’t have much respect for anyone that absolutely stifled my ‘outlets’, either.
They have embraced technology and are willing to change- daily. I think it’s hard for some people- because change, is hard. They’re almost naturally going against that adage ‘you can’t teach…’ Each day, their willing to try something new.
I like the fact that these new generations are more accepting of the different ways people choose to express themself- to live, even.
Great post!
Unfortunately, Mr. Earp doesn’t just collect the physical devices at the door anymore. He has set up a collection at the cyber portal, keeping us out of dangerous websites. Yesterday when the recorded telephone message came that school was cancelled today, I wondered why the district didn’t have a FB page, enabling it to push out all kinds of info. It’s also ironic that our state dept of instruction recommends using FB to teachers to build a PLN.
Oh well maybe the 1920 World Fair will have better ideas.
It’s amazing how technology was allowed to explode, while transportation was stuck in the gas powered engine. Oil companies and lobbyist for the car companies kept all those fantastic enhancements which we’ve known about for years a secret and forbidden fruit. We’d be Jetsoning around for a decade now, already.
I can picture a lesson that would emphasize the importance of specialization by asking kids to chase down (via cellphone) someone who knows what a _________ is. Put in the blank a variety of terms from highly specialized fields like microbiology, computer programming, ballet, archeology, auto maintenance, etc. Have the kids work together to come up with a phone number to call someone who can define the term and explain it to the class. They can call parents, friends (not in class), etc. to get leads.
That’s a key transition from phone as social tool to phone as learning tool.
I’m hopeful that colleges will continue to experiment with technology, which will trickle down to classrooms. Internet textbooks and tests are here now.
The one hitch to using cellphones in class is that not every child has them. We didn’t give our kids phones until they were out of school, and I don’t look forward to the day when everyone will have an implanted communication chip.
The conversation about what’s blocked or “forbidden” re: to technology almost always focuses on the value of the material versus the risk of abuse or possible threat to safety. In this piece you touch on something that is every bit as important to me, and something that is rarely discussed: the message that both students and staff internalize when faced with these blocks and restriction. That message is, “You can’t be trusted”.
I just absolutely went off in my response and it got way too long, so I’m going to bump the classroom management piece I was working on and finish this on my blog thenewtag.com. You definitely provoked my thoughts tonight. Thanks for writing!
[…] at 9:28 pm · Filed under Uncategorized I just read Tom Whitby’s newest post on “My Island View” and had started to leave a comment when something hit me and I realized I needed to get out […]
Hi Tom.
Just love the parallel you made!!!
It is essential to be relevant to the students we teach, and that means honing skills that enable us to share common literacies, integrating same into all curricula.
We must also provide meaningful learning experiences that will engage the students and deliver relevance to that learning. By all means, we must actively invite all innovative devices into the instruction. An effective educator knows how to accomplish that goal.
As always, thank you for a great read and a visit back to fun media (media literacy is important and relevant to learning for all of us).
There is, in fact, no teaching without learning. One requires the other. ~~Paulo Freire
Tech-eds need to offer up greater support to general ed:-0)
Be well,
Robin
[…] The idea that we can make classrooms technology-free zones, and require that mobile devices be not just out of sight but turned off is ludicrous now, and will become more so in light of current developments: with the ever-increasing power of smart phones and the development of opto-electronic contact lens displays, we will essentially have wearable computers. There’s no way we’ll be able to play Wyatt Earp and confiscate technology at the classroom door like so many Colt .45’s at Tom…. […]
[…] The idea that we can make classrooms technology-free zones, and require that mobile devices be not just out of sight but turned off is ludicrous now, and will become more so in light of current developments: with the ever-increasing power of smart phones and the development of opto-electronic contact lens displays, we will essentially have wearable computers. There’s no way we’ll be able to play Wyatt Earp and confiscate technology at the classroom door like so many Colt .45′s at Tom…. […]