Student smart devices find a new place to dwell: The cellphone hotel

The first thing you see when you walk into a classroom at O'Donel High School in Mount Pearl is a bright red "cellphone hotel."

Students are required to either check their smartphone into the hotel during class time, or keep it out of sight in their bag or locker.  

The 40 phone-sized pockets are right next to a power bar for chargers, and it's in full view of the entire class so everyone can keep an eye on it — and the devices inside.

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"It does create anxiety, there's a lot of data that students consider private. It's almost for them like someone taking away their diary, they have that connection with it," said O'Donel's principal Michelle Clemens.

The measure was put in place in September in an attempt to deal with the problem of distracted students and falling grades.

"We had found that our engagement was slipping over the past few years, and marks were slipping, and students weren't doing as well as they could be doing or should be doing," said Clemens.

Since the cellphone hotel was introduced, there has been a significant improvement in grades.

I'm certainly thrilled about the improvement.- Michelle Clemens

Clemens said currently 66 per cent of Grade 12 students are on the honour roll, up from 60 per cent last year.

Grade 11 students have seen a two per cent increase, and 70 per cent of Grade 10 students are achieving average grades of 75 per cent or higher.

"Is it exclusively because of a change in the cellphone procedure? Well, we can't say for certain but I'm certainly thrilled about the improvement," Clemens told CBC Radio's St. John's Morning Show.

Pressure drop 

When you take away access to the smart phone, you also take away the pressure some students feel to constantly be connected.

"When you have heart-to-heart chats with students, for the most part there was a lot of social pressure for them to be texting and responding to texts in class," said Clemens.

"So if you have this more strident policy then it also gives permission for the student not to be texting, not to be engaging in other activities."

Smartphones are only allowed to be used in class for school work, and only when the teacher gives permission. The consequences for breaking the rules are strictly enforced.

"If you are using it for text messaging purposes, or not on task, then you and your cellphone come to the office and we call home and we have your parent come and collect you and your phone."

Subsequent offences will result in suspension and loss of privilege to bring phones to school. 

Practice what you teach 

Students aren't the only ones distracted by the siren call of the smartphone. 

Clemens set up a cellphone hotel at the first staff meeting of the year, and she said teachers are under the same obligation to focus on what's happening in the classroom.

"We also say to our teachers when we're in the instruction mode to show that respect and have your cellphone out of sight, and that's our procedure and that's our policy," said Clemens.

"Does it happen all the time with everybody? I wouldn't be able to swear to it, but it doesn't happen all the time with anybody, anywhere, but we're working on it."