MHMS Pocket Guide to Cell Phone Use in School

I’ve been teaching long enough to remember when kiddos were NOT allowed to bring a cell phone to school…at all. They were contraband!  Then Columbine and 9/11 happened, and parents wanted and needed to make sure their kiddos were OK.

So Howard County Schools were one of the FIRST school districts in our state to create a policy where kids could keep their cell phones – turned OFF and stored in lockers. These phones would be available in an emergency and could only turned back on as they left the school. That was huge!

Fast forward about 13 years….yes, that policy above lasted thirteen years,  from a cellasaurus to the smart phone.  But then…

an amazing AWESOME thing happened, we evolved! Now, we are one of the only schools in our state to have a new, more liberal, cell phone & communication policy!  About two years ago HCPSS decided to relax our policy and to baby step it towards BYOD. And boy, was I on board with this! Wooo hooo!

Our new policy allows our students to use their cell phones in the mornings, during hallway transitions, and at recess. More details can be found below but we here at MHMS want to come to the kiddos from a standpoint of…


WE TRUST YOU!

We trust you to make good choices. We trust you to follow basic guidelines, good manners, and common sense. We trust you to be an ethical member of our community and to choose civility.

Watch our Zombie Cartoon for Cell Phone Recess Etiquette

Hey Kiddos & Parents! Want more info? Click through these slides!

See our Cell Phone Wikipage for more!

Next, I am hoping, we will allow students to use their Cell Phones as connected tools in their classes (and in the library) for academic reasons! I Can’t wait for that day and my students are ready for it!

I’m so fortunate, that my awesome principal, Mr. Wasilewski, has given me permission to pilot test cell phones used collaboratively in Media center for lessons such as my Media Orientation using the AWESOME Kahoot quiz feature!  With admin permission, we’ve also used mobile devices in the Media Center for digital discoveries & QR Code Scavenger Hunts!

 

Super Graphic Novels & Bean Bags


We try and listen to our kiddos, staff, & parents as much as possible to make this the best darn school library EVAH!  So, when Lord Sid (one of our AWESOME teachers) asked if we had a very popular graphic novel called Superman Red Son by Mark Millar, and we didn’t and NO ONE DID in the whole county – we were on a mission!

Of course, I had to take to my amazing PLN (Personal Learning Network) on the Twitters asking:

What I got back was amazing! So many suggestions & votes of YES!  from even those who don’t follow me!

We have the book now and we also got his popular Wolverine one, too!  W00t!

Another thing I wanted to have for our kiddos, Bean Bag Chairs! We have this little nook that some of my favourite readers like to curl up in with a book on the floor but a bean bag chair makes it perfect. Check out Pooh’s Reading Corner below. (Pooh costume not supplied – It’s a BYOPC nook!)

Sure, the library has been closed a LOT for testing this year – it’s a nationwide challenge, but when our kiddos get here – we’ve got the books & the comfy chairs to welcome them! Drop on by!

Big Joe Bean Bag Chairs in Spicy Lime available on Amazon.com for $39.99!