Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for EdSurge, Tony Wan explains that schools have found an effective way to keep students off their phones: locking them up before class. Thanks to a small pouch created by Yondr, teachers are able to hold their students' attention until the end of the day where they unlock the magnetic closure with a special device. 

· Is this a practical way for schools across the nation to reduce phone usage during class? What other ways can schools ensure students stay off their phones during class?  

· Here's more on this topic and how devices interrupt learning.

What do Dave Chapelle shows and a growing number of schools have in common?

You can’t use your cell phone in either place.

A growing number of entertainers, including Chapelle and musicians Jack White and John Mayer, prohibit the use of mobile devices during their performances. They want people to enjoy the moment, not just capture it. Many worry about how widely their original materials are shared online.

In a similar vein, educators say they want students to pay attention in class, something they can’t do if they’re fixated on Instagram, Fortnite or the app du jour. “Some of them have no idea how many times they check their phones,” says Yvonne Shiu, the principal of San Mateo High School in California. “For them, the device has become like an extra appendage.”

Performing artists and educators alike have been turning to a low-tech, no-frills method to keep devices out of sight and out of mind. Developed by Yondr, it’s a small, green pouch with a magnetic lock that can only be unlocked with a special device. The idea is mind-numbingly simple: People lock up their phones before school—or the show—starts, and can only unlock it afterward.

Read the full article about keeping students off their phones by Tony Wan at EdSurge.