Is Norma Foley a visionary?

Sunny Disposition · 21-08-2024 4:21pm #1

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/minister-working-on-plans-to-ban-mobile-phones-in-secondary-schools-1663687.html

To me this is obviously a step in the right direction, but it has been obvious for many years and none of the other ministers did the obvious thing.

Iwastimthe · 21-08-2024 4:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365459/is-norma-foley-a-visionary

She needs to vision a new hairdresser!!

lawrencesummers · 21-08-2024 4:22pm

No.

No shes not.

Bellbottoms · 21-08-2024 4:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528602#Comment_122528602

No, she doesn't. People spend so much time talking about her hair and clothing choices. That they hardly talk about the state of schools at the moment.

artanevilla · 21-08-2024 4:29pm

Betteridge's law of headlines applies here.

amacca · 21-08-2024 4:32pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365459/is-norma-foley-a-visionary

If she succeeds in doing it...maybe it is a good idea...

If the system offers zero consequences for those that will insist on breaking the rules ...how workable will this be on a scale of 1 to 10 with 1 being not workable at all and 10 **** yeah yes sir! I'd put it at a zero

Another Minister tries to make a name/legacy ...but achieves the sum total of **** all.....actually that would be an improvement on the last guy who damaged it.

silliussoddius · 21-08-2024 4:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528631#Comment_122528631

Does it?

z80CPU · 21-08-2024 4:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528604#Comment_122528604

/Thread

Yakov P. Golyadkin · 21-08-2024 4:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528669#Comment_122528669

Yes.

LambshankRedemption · 21-08-2024 4:49pm

Lets see, a new law, which is impossible to enforce, and therefore will not be enforced after a couple of weeks of hassle. Norma Foley keeps her seat or leaves with a golden handshake.

Sounds like all their other measures.

French Toast · 21-08-2024 4:52pm

Won’t happen.

1. Phones banned outright.
2. Student A keeps bringing one.
3. Detentions, eventually suspension.
4. Cycle continues to the point where Student A’s attendance is suffering, so too their odds of attainment.
5. School advised by inspectorate to soften up on reprimanding kids like Student A for bringing phones to keep them in classes.

Same thing currently happening with repeat offenders with poor behaviour.

piplip87 · 21-08-2024 4:57pm

School Meal Programme has been rolled out to thousands of extra schools.

Free book scheme rolled out to secondary now

I think she will go down as one of the better ministers in this government

Bobson Dugnutt · 21-08-2024 5:04pm

Excessive internet usage leads to anxiety, low mood and miserabilism. We can already see the impact of it on a lot of folks in their late 30’s and 40’s who were the first generation to have almost continuous access to the internet. So much negativity, anger, resentment and silent despair amongst many of them. A life lived online is not a rich and fulfilling life.

Well done to her for this initiative. Be good to see how it is enforced. I can see some potential for technical solutions.

LambshankRedemption · 21-08-2024 5:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528703#Comment_122528703

Mobiles were just becoming a thing when I was around Leaving Cert level. The school policy then was, if one was seen it would be confiscated. Those of us who had one and were subtle, never had theirs confiscated. People who wanted to be the Big I Am, couldn't help to show off and got theirs confiscated. Why not go back to a similar policy?

Large bottle small glass · 21-08-2024 5:06pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csubiPlvFWk

It's about 10 years too late from the oldest of Generation Z, but it is a welcome development. Huberman doesn't have many donkeys on and Haidt is well worth listening to.

My son's primary school recently had a talk with an Ennis based health professional who is leading the charge in terms of getting smart phones and technology in general out of the hands of primary school children and even older.

Schools can't do this on their own and it requires parents to be educated on the dangers and effects and for buy in for most of parents so keeping kids exposure to social media at a minimum until they are old enough.

whisky_galore · 21-08-2024 5:37pm

Parents need to wake the fcuk up and actually parent, not just farm out the job to schools. Stop being your kid's big buddy.

Upstream · 21-08-2024 5:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528750#Comment_122528750

Thanks for the link, will check it out.

Can you give me some info on who in Ireland is discussing the health impacts of technology on children please, I'd like to hear more about what they're saying?

Was it Dr. Siofra Harrington by any chance? As far as I know she is from Ennis, she is an Optometrist who has done some excellent research on the affects of too much screen time on children's eye health. The results are shocking.

Below is an ophthalmologist taking a wider look at the some of the science behind this, it's a long video and goes into a lot of different areas, how we're getting over exposed to blue light and lacking non visible light exposure (infra red and UV), and how it impacts people.

The consequences for young people are much more severe, so we should be limiting screen time where possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u03D6TifxwM

Cluedo Monopoly · 21-08-2024 5:43pm

She went missing during height of Covid. She has neglected the problem of excessive prefabs in our schools (there are connected vested interests) and she has allowed publishers release a new "must have" edition of schoolbooks every year or two with trivial changes. Complete money racket at taxpayer expense. The Dept of Education is still the worst run in our permanent government.

Large bottle small glass · 21-08-2024 5:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528852#Comment_122528852

My phone fell in water so I don't currenty have access to school app where I have all the details. Drop me a pm in a few days if I haven't posted her details here. I was a bit unmotivated heading in to her talk but found her brilliant. She used to write reports for sex offenders for court hearing, so she is acutely aware as to who may be on the other end of your child's phone

The woman in question has lectured to circa 200 schools trying to implement safety policies around technology. We can't wait for the department or anyone else to do this, it really is a matter for parents to get informed and to protect their children.

In a nutshell the cure seems to next to no social media/gaming until after puberty, then shared phone use with a parent. In tandem we need to give them more freedom in the real world to make mistakes takes risks etc and develop naturally.

Jim_Hodge · 21-08-2024 5:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528631#Comment_122528631

Not in the slightest. The Law requires the headline to be posed as a question.

Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word no.

This was not a media headline, but a question.

You may as well say a thread entitled "Anybody know where I can buy Goat's milk?" Should receive only No as an answer.

Upstream · 21-08-2024 5:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528886#Comment_122528886

Will do, thanks.

There's a big conversation needed about technology and children, both in and out of schools, and most parents and children are completely uniformed of what the risks are.

One eyed Jack · 21-08-2024 6:01pm

I don’t think I’d go so far as to say Norma is a visionary, and I do like her, but it’s because of the stability she brings to the role in her position as the Minister for Education.

It doesn’t seem to me that she has any interest in proposing new legislation to tackle the issues, but rather she has been interested in getting all stakeholders on board to create a culture of intolerance of mobile devices during school hours:

“I’m very clear that I think we need to establish in our schools a culture of non-acceptance of the mobile phone.

“Moving forward now with the band working with our schools on mobile phones, particularly in post primary, it’s not the issue really in the primary, in that they’re not using them particularly during school hours in the primary.”

Frankly I don’t imagine it has a hope of success, but the fact that she wants to create a culture suggests that it will be the students themselves who will be frowning upon their peers inability to resist succumbing to FOMO.

HildaOgdenx · 21-08-2024 6:32pm

Mod - Moved to CA.
Local charter now applies.

tayto lover · 21-08-2024 6:45pm

This idea has been working very well in other sources of education like Youthreach and Community Training Workshops for some time. It is very successful and to see young people sitting together at breaks having conversations instead of having their faces stuck in mobile phones is very pleasant.

JP Liz V1 · 21-08-2024 6:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122528688#Comment_122528688

Yes election "banter" to prove she can spoof with the best

drunkmonkey · 21-08-2024 6:51pm

At EP last weekend, group of under 18 girls getting very bored with the boys sitting down who wouldn't take their head out of the phones....girls walked away and I told the boys put the phones away and follow them girls....they did.