€9 million to be spent on “electronic pouches for schools”

To be honest I think he's more going on here than just him not having a phone to fit it.

How was he at primary school.

They've fixed a problem that doesn't exist.

Majority of students aren't using social media etc on their phones in class.

Those who are using their phones have probably been asked to use Quizlet, Kahoot, Mentimeter, Padlet, Teams etc, by their teacher, to help with their learning.

Screentime issue won't be fixed as the students can still spend the rest of their day on their phone, which is where the majority of their screentime comes from anyway.

Cyberbullying hasn't been addressed either as they can have their phones unsupervised on the bus as the driver is obviously not watching them while driving the bus.

I would have much preferred to see an investment in a tablet for each student (with a contribution from the student) to allow teachers continue with digital learning platforms.

I'm a teacher, I get my students to use their phone in many classes. I monitor and walk the room while they engage with this work. It works incredibly well and they're mature enough to do what they should be doing. They all agree that improper use of the phone will result in confiscation, I've never had to resort to this.

I couldn't be more in touch. Thanks

It takes half a second to change from one app to another. It seems everyone of your students is the best, most dedicated student in the world because I guarantee you that they aren't just using Mentimeter.

I wish I had teachers as naïve as you when I was in school, would have been much more fun.

What does it matter?

There's always a percentage that won't listen or don't care. Nothing to do with phones.

So you are actively monitoring every student in the class on their phones at the exact same time? There is no possible way that you can view every students phone to be 100% sure that they never are using other apps.

Course they're happy they can use their phones in class when you allow them for "educational" purposes.

I am not, my mother and one of my best mates are though so have endless amounts of anecdotes from them.

I work in finance and technically we're not meant to be using the internet unless it's work related. We're all adults and guess what, we're all on reading sports articles, looking up holidays, paying bills, general dossing about from time to time. Management aren't naive to think that it doesn't happen.

Motorists using phones is irrelevant to this discussion. I don't know what your talking about there.

Yes, I was in school when smart phones were in and saw many people getting bullied using them. Every teacher with 1 exception I had while in class itself made sure students were off their phones. Outside of class was the problem. I went to a public school were the conversion rate to third level was low, so naturally many students had issues keeping off phones as they weren't academic.

The pouches will make policing easier for teachers and the majority of students will comply apart from a few lost causes (which is their own fault). Lock phones up for the day, be present, learn and socialize with friends that are with you. Instead of allowing them stick their faces in a phone every spare minute they have. It's not good for them and the pouches help keep everyone honest. It's fairly straightforward really.

Ok, thanks for answering the question.

I just went to a standard Irish secondary school in a county town.

Good to hear about your life experience. I

I think we've both different experiences and neither of us are going to change our minds.

That's fair enough, I just don't see what your argument is against them? Even if some teachers don't care as you say, some obviously do, and I think if it helps them do their jobs then why not? Like what's the problem?

I also doubt teachers don't care about phone use in class as much as you say. At the end of the day, if the student isn't learning it will show that the teacher isn't doing their job by their grades. It's fairly simple in reality

Honestly couldn't tell you. It's never happened. If I ask a student to do something they do it. Wud never meet someone that defiant.

The odd student tries to use multi-window maybe if a notification appears but that's also rare.

In class, the students recognize that the digital platforms I've provided add greatly to their learning and facilitate group work etc so they don't act out on it.

Personally, I think education is about developing maturity and responsibility. Therefore, I think outright bans on phones is counterintuitive to what education should be. Students need to learn to live with their phone responsibly as they're a part of modern life now.

If anything, school time is one of the few times they put their phones to good use. Many don't know the difference between search and address bars when we first work on phones. They don't know how to research, use online dictionaries, read PDFs etc. They learn many skills through this work and the notion they're all on Snapchat is wide of the mark from my experience.

If your proposed incident did happen, our school policy clearly states a mobile will be confiscated if used for something not permitted by the teacher.

Hope that answers your question.

My kids got these pouches at the start of this year for the first time. We had to pay €25 for each of them. They’re thick padded things with a strong lock. The kids after a bit of whining are actually delighted with them. Cutting out screen time means they have to engage with each other more fully and the pressure to be ‘always on’ that social media brings is gone. At the end of the day the magnets that open them are made available for students to use. Yes they can be forced open, but it’s bloody hard to do that. I have to say, I’m in favour, anything that lessens access to screen time and increases social interaction is a good thing.

Dis you happen to notice, as you painstakingly crawled through the post-budget analysis in the Irish tabloids, that THE ONE TRUE GUBBERMENT (the ones who really "won" the last election, according to Mary-Lou McTrump), were offering even bigger bribes to the voters in Pearse "I nearly qualified as an engineer" Doherty's laughable "alternative budget"?

As you perceptively observed: "Gas".

Sorry mate this is not the US where they bring guns to school,

theyd hardly hand in another phone, and continue using their actually phone!

It sounds like you are on top of this which is great but you are 1 individual. There seems to be a concern other teachers are not as effective with this for whatever reason.

The fact that the USA are seeing improvements with this policy suggests its at least worth trying here.

Agree what your saying about bullying in schools, but a lot of the time the teachers and principals know who’s at it and don’t want to intervene due to parents, and a lot of people would be shocked at the students that are at it a lot of time it’s kids from the yummy mummy brigade and get away with it and not the housing estate kids as perceived by a lot of people.

Agree with you in my daughters secondary school Vaping is the biggest issue in the toilets and corridors etc, even first years are at it, the school is struggling with this problem as teachers don’t want to get involved and give up their lunch times to try police this ( they entitled to lunch break). The second biggest issue is the shortage of teachers and class monitoring if the teacher is out, the money would be better spent having a teacher in every class every day. My daughters French teacher has gone on maternity leave 3 weeks ago and no replacement for a leaving cert class. Nora would be better off getting students a proper education and not worrying about phones.

I agree, but it's a wider discussion that isn't pertaining to a point I was making. I actually believe the pouches are a great idea.

A €11 keyring can unlock them, what a waste of money.

You've me Googling how to unlock them now!

I've no idea why.

Genuine question ? how long is it going to take for kids to get to wherever the storage area is in the school, store the phones and get to class ?

The secondary I went to has now 730 pupils I’m reading….

It’s going to be seriously impractical for a lot of facilities like my old school to have a room big enough in terms of accommodation of hundreds of kids trying to get in there store, lock phones and get to class all in about 10 / 15 minutes…..

Bizarre antics from a really really desperately poor politician who is seriously operating at a level way way beyond her abilities, that’s the diplomatic way of putting it.

Simply ban using mobiles on school property. If a kid is seen with one in school. One day suspension. Second offence. three days, third offence, a week, fourth, just expel, they ain’t listening to you.

Parents will be pissed off and the onus will be put back on parents to actually ‘parent’, discipline the kids and the kids to follow the rules.

Kids don’t need them. If a kid lives far away and gets a lift they won’t need to coordinate with a parent as the school timetable is identical every week and if it will change it’s not at short notice.

This pouch craic is a pretty weak compromise by a weak and awfully incompetent minister….

In this situation it doesn’t warrant compromise, it warrants leadership, rigid unambiguous decisions and the message..” no phone use, here are the deterrents, kids / parents, up to you now “…

But no, instead it’s up to the general taxpayers shelling out 9 million initially….but that will be way way more over time as pouches need replacing, more added etc.

You lock the pouch in the morning and from my understanding get it unlocked on the way out. Kind of a clock in and out system. You carry it with you.

All those things you've mentioned have been tried and aren't working. Also, have you any idea how hard it is to expel a student?