Devices create dilemmas for teachers. There are pros and cons to allowing students to use laptops and smart phones in class. Some research suggests total laptop bans can backfire in terms of attendance and overall student performance (Elliott-Dorans, 2018). Since devices are ubiquitous, addicting, and sometimes actually educationally useful, a better strategy is probably to go with the flow of technology rather than trying to stem the tide. Some tips for using devices in class include the following.
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Have and enforce rules: Create class policies with students that clearly delineate when devices can and cannot be used with appropriate consequences for breaking them. A rule might be: No devices during lecture but building in tech breaks to check messages.

Teach about cyber-slacking consequences: Ever check personal messages or during class? That's cyber-slacking . Divided attention and multi-tasking impair memory and retrieval. You actually save time by attending to one task at a time.

Use devices as a learning tool: Polls, quizzes, games, mind-maps, brainstorms. There are many easy and free ways to use devices to all these ends. Browse some here .

Keep students active and engaged: With such devices noted above or without. Think-pair-share, minute papers, and more can all be done with paper and pen or small groups and a show of hands.

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Elliott-Dorans, L. R. (2018). To ban or not to ban? The effect of permissive versus restrictive laptop policies on student outcomes and teaching evaluations. Computers & Education, 126, 183-200. Abstract.

Flanigan, Abraham E., & Kiewra, Kenneth A. (2018). What college instructors can do about student cyber-slacking. Educational Psychology Review, 30(2), 585-597. Abstract.