Real Talk
A couple of years ago, my husband bought me a smartwatch for Christmas. At the time, I wondered why he would get me such a fancy gadget that just does stuff I could already do with my phone. It wasn’t that I was ungrateful. I just didn’t think of myself as the kind of person who would use all those features. And I didn’t think I wanted to be that plugged in.
I was wrong.
I use my watch to send and receive text messages, check my email, set timers, track my fitness goals, and look at photos. My watch has a calculator and a heart rate monitor. I can check news headlines, sports scores, and the weather. And I am sure there are more features I’ve yet to discover and others I won’t ever use.
I use and enjoy my watch much more than I ever thought I would. But if I had younger children, I wouldn’t want them to have access to this type of technology at all times. And as a teacher, I know that smartwatches have no place in the classroom.
Surprisingly (or perhaps not), this way of thinking is controversial. In fact, some parents are up in arms over school policies that ban smartwatches–but maybe that’s just because they haven’t thought through all the ramifications of smartwatches in school.
Here are three major reasons smartwatches should be banned from the classroom:
1. Smartwatches might be the most insidious distraction yet.
It’s already difficult enough for teachers to keep kids off their cell phones during the school day. The last thing we need is for them to basically have one strapped to their wrist. Students cannot resist sneaking a peek at their phone even when it means they have to slip it out of their pocket or backpack and hide it in their lap to do so. The temptation to read a text message, check a sports score, or look at a social media notification when it’s just a matter of glancing at their arm would be too much. They would never be able to escape the distraction, and teachers would have no way of knowing if students are checking the time or reading a text. As their watches vibrate and buzz against their skin, the school day would be a constant series of interruptions–which makes concentrating and learning nearly impossible.
2. Being too connected can interfere with a child’s development.
Not only are smartwatches a distraction, but when it’s a parent who is texting their child during the school day, they can also inhibit normal child development. Depending on their age and maturity level, kids need to be able to keep track of their own schedules and responsibilities. But if a child simply has to glance down at his wrist to get a reminder from Mom to turn in his permission slip, bring home his math book, or go to basketball practice after school, he will never develop the ability to problem-solve or manage his own life. Every mom wants to look out for her child. But generations of children have gotten by without 24/7 contact with a parent and constant reminders about what to do next.
3. Smartwatches pose privacy and safety concerns.
Smartwatches don’t necessarily follow the same safety protocols or have the same protection software as computers do. This leaves them more vulnerable to hackers who could gain access to a child’s personal information or even her location–possibly even the location of other children on campus.
In addition to safety issues, smartwatches are also a threat to academic integrity. Forget writing answers on the bottom of their shoes. There are a number of ways for students to store and access information using a smartwatch. They just need to watch this video or try one of these other 12 ways to cheat using a smartwatch.
The bottom line is that, though they may be cool and handy gadgets for adults, smartwatches have no place in the classroom. Dealing with another distraction and even more threats to the safety and integrity of our kids is the last thing teachers need right now. More importantly, it’s also the last thing kids need.
