use of cell phones & personal electronic devices in class

Please refer to the HWDSB policy regarding the use of electronic devices in classes  and to the Westdale Code of Conduct.

Cellphone and Personal Electronic Devices - use in class:

Cellphones and personal electronic devices such as tablets, iPods and laptops are allowed and encouraged in B.Kukhta-Jackson’s classes to help students use technology to access information and to complete work responsibly and efficiently.  There are many useful applications available for these devices such as:

• on-line dictionaries like WordReference.com, Linguee.com (but NOT Google Translate)
• editing tools such as BonPatron.com, Antidote.com
• verb conjugators such as Bescherelle.com
• Google Images or Creative Commons for photos
• music to help concentration when working individually
• accessing podcasts to help auditory learners
• stopwatch, timer
• Language learning games such as Duolingo, FreeRice.com can be an excellent supplement to learning if lessons are completed
• etc.

Students are allowed to access these aids when appropriate (not during lessons, group discussions (except perhaps for dictionaries) and not during assessments or evaluations or exams except when explicitly instructed to do so.  Students should not be texting friends and family during class (if there is an emergency, please discuss it with the teacher), nor playing games that are unrelated to the subject.

Consequences: Students using devices inappropriately will be given a warning. If they use the device again inappropriately, they will be asked to take it to the main office where it will be signed in to the vault by one of the office staff. They will bring a receipt back to the teacher and will be able to go back to get their device at lunch or after school. The teacher will keep the receipt as a record that they went to the office, they do not need it to retrieve the device.

Here is a copy of the HWDSB policy from the Westdale Code of Conduct.:

• Use of Personal Electronic Devices in Schools—Anyone carrying a personal electronic device on Board premises, will comply with all of the requirements of this policy and associated procedures.  The secure storage of these devices is the sole responsibility of the owner/user.  The HWDSB does not accept responsibility for lost or stolen personal electronic devices; students bring the devices to school at their own risk.  During the school day the use of cell phones, text messaging, and electronic devices is restricted in instructional areas. During classroom instruction, the use of cell phones and electronic devices will be at the discretion of the classroom teacher.  Teachers can require cell phones and electronic devices to be in silent mode and secured out of sight when not being used for instructional purposes. Repeated failure to comply with this expectation will be considered a disciplinary issue and will be referred to administration.  Electronic devices MAY NOT BE TAKEN INTO EXAMINATION ROOMS