"If the teacher is good, we'll learn with or without a tablet": the mobile siege course begins

BarcelonaThe school year begins with a new measure that has been long demanded by many families in recent years: a complete ban on cell phones and smartwatches throughout all stages of compulsory education, even when used for educational purposes. It was announced by the Minister of Education, Esther Niubó, at the end of last year.. Likewise, the use of digital tablets is also expected to be gradually limited in early childhood education (ages three to five), although "sufficient availability" of these devices will be guaranteed for specific uses in the other educational stages. Niubó also announced a "progressive restriction" on the use of digital whiteboards in preschool classrooms, while these would remain in place in the upper stages. This restriction, however, would not apply to the laptops given to secondary school students. But how does the educational community view this?

Navigating on both sides

Laia Soriano Costa, a third-grade teacher, tutor, and digital coordinator at a public school in Barberà del Vallès, acknowledges that the new regulations on the use of digital devices have arrived suddenly and without a clear line of continuity: "It took us a bit by surprise, like many things that happen in the department. Three years ago, the rules were in place, even against the will of the school itself, because it didn't quite fit with the methodology, and now they're telling us no. All of this is causing confusion," she laments.

Although she recognizes the need to address the digital issue from the school's perspective, it must be done with pedagogical criteria and by listening to expert voices: "It's clear that children are exposed to screens outside of school and that deep reflection is needed. Digital literacy must come from schools, but it can't be done in a hurry or against the rush of staffing. Today we train teachers, tomorrow we change our criteria. This is not how we can work," she acknowledges.

She also stresses the importance of taking into account the experience of teaching teams and child development specialists: "We can't navigate between two waters without listening to the teaching teams and the people who have studied the impact of screens at early ages."

This primary school teacher defends a more experiential educational approach and less focused on the device as a pedagogical tool, without ignoring digital education. "We are committed to experientiality, but we also know that it is important to educate on topics such as fake news, the risks of networks, digital security, image or copyright. However, it must be done from an educational perspective, not simply by putting screens in front of children from a young age," explains Soriano Costa.

Esther Catalán, a Catalan teacher for first and second year secondary school students at a public school in Ripollet, has a positive view of this new regulation. Although she recognizes that Catalan is used, she believes that screens often interfere with real learning. "I try to use digital devices as little as possible. When they have to write a text in Catalan, they no longer write; they use artificial intelligence even if you tell them not to. And even if you're controlling the computer, they know how to open other screens secretly, and you think they're working, but in reality, you don't know what they're doing," explains Catalán.

The Impact of AI

According to the teacher, the constant presence of screens creates a barrier between teachers and students. "You lose eye contact with the students. The screen creates a kind of wall between you and them; you don't know what they're looking at or what they're doing. And most of the time, I can tell they're not working, but chatting on Gmail or looking at other things," she laments. Catalán believes it's not about demonizing screens, but rather recognizing their excessive use: "Young people already spend many hours a day on devices. If, on top of that, school—where they spend many more hours—isn't a safe and controlled space, they're even more exposed. And many of them are home alone in the afternoon."

Catalan also points out the impact of generative AI as a new teaching challenge, especially in written tasks: "Now you have to spend more time looking at whether The text was written by ChatGPT Or if it's copied, it's not corrected seriously. That's why I ask that they always do it by hand. Writing by hand has many benefits: it activates different parts of the brain and aids cognitive development. It's a learning experience that can't be replaced by typing," says the teacher.

The opinion of families and students

For primary and secondary school students, it remains to be seen how these restrictions will affect the new school year. Ares Cercós, a student starting fourth grade at a school in Barcelona this year, believes that not being able to work with a tablet will likely make them less proficient at using it. However, she asserts that, in the end, the most important thing is the teacher: "If they're good, we'll learn, whether with or without a tablet."

Marina Fernández, president of the Department of Education, also welcomes the decision.Mobile-Free Adolescence, an entity that had already made the proposal to the counselor at the beginning of the previous school year. "We greatly welcome this step. We don't believe it's necessary to use a cell phone in the classroom. It's a personal and family device, very difficult to control in terms of security, data protection, and confidentiality," says Fernández, who highlights the problem of the "digital free bar" and the lack of preparation among adolescents to manage these environments. "The Recommendations from expert neurodevelopmental professionals They point to 16 as the most appropriate age for accessing a cell phone. It's not just a question of chronological age, but of psychological maturity to manage everything they can access. That's why schools must work hand in hand with families," Fernández confesses.

On the other hand, Fernández also insists that a school laptop should never be taken home. "We receive constant complaints from families about access to social media or inappropriate content through school devices. Any technological tool provided to schools must meet the highest security standards," he adds. Furthermore, the Association questions the presence of private companies in the educational environment: "Google, Innovated or Bingel manage student profiles for commercial purposes. This should not happen within the educational space."

Finally, the president of Adolescence Free of Mobile Phones calls for the creation of a digital observatory that allows monitoring and control of all these new measures: "A stable body is needed, as already exists in other areas, such as affective-sexual or road safety education. If there is no monitoring or evaluation committee, it is very difficult to guarantee compliance with policies. Digital training cannot be left to the discretion of each center. There must be minimum common standards to avoid inequalities between schools," she concludes.