Murcia builds on phone ban success with new limits on tablets in schools
The digital detox continues in the Region of Murcia with limited screen time allowed in classrooms
A little over a year ago, the Region of Murcia brought in a blanket ban on the use of mobile phones in classrooms before anywhere else in Spain, and the results have been astonishing. Cyberbullying cases have decreased by 24.4%, while incidents of harassment have dropped by a remarkable 73% and grades are up across the board.
Building on the success of the mobile phone school ban, the regional government is going a step further to promote more traditional teaching tools by instituting a limit on the amount of time spent on other screens, like tablets, in the classroom.
While in Madrid the administration has prohibited tablets altogether, in Murcia the strategy recommends that “in general, efforts will be made to ensure that the use of digital devices does not exceed one hour per day in primary education and two hours in secondary education,” although in practice, “schools will have the autonomy to make adjustments and modifications in line with their digital project, which will be public so that families can see it.”
Furthermore, teachers will be instructed to restrict so-called ‘gamified’ classroom activities, which are educational tools that use reward systems similar to video games. This system, which has been widely used in schools, is considered harmful by experts, who believe it can lead to addiction.
The regional government fully expects schools and institutes to apply this limit, but at the same time the authorities understand that on occasion, for the benefit of the educational experience, screen time may have to be increased.
Most importantly, devices cannot be used as a substitute for textbooks, nor can they be used simply to watch long videos “without a clear and established educational purpose,” explained the president of the Region of Murcia, Fernando López Miras, who presented the strategy earlier this week at the Cartagena Teachers and Resources Centre.
He further explained that schools must establish mandatory active breaks and analogue activities after each digital activity, “ensuring a balanced use of the different educational materials.”
Image: Freepik
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