1 year in, teachers' union says phone ban boosts students' focus, but more action needed
It's been nearly a full school year since Prince Edward Island introduced restrictions on cellphone use for students, and teachers say they're seeing positive results.
Andy Doran, president of the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation, said the changes have helped students focus better in class.
"They were more engaged. There was better work being done. Students were asking more questions, and [there was] an overall improvement in the engagement of the students," Doran told CBC's Island Morning.
But he believes the policy is just the beginning when it comes to addressing the larger issue of screen time.
Under the policy, students in grades K-6 must have their phones silenced and out of sight while they are at school unless they are given specific permission from a teacher.
Students in grades 7-12 are allowed to use their phones during lunch and other breaks but must follow restrictions during class time.
While there have been some rule violations, Doran said that's expected.
He added that younger students, in particular, have adapted well.
"The pressure was off to have to constantly respond to social media and constantly respond to friend groups and [what] helped with the implementation of the whole thing is that the students bought into it, and their parents certainly did too," he said.
Addressing broader screen time habits
Doran said school cellphone policies are only one piece of a bigger puzzle.
"When I say screen time, I'm talking about not just school. I'm talking about 24 hours a day, the issue that our young people and younger adults are spending way too much time on screens, and not enough time in conversation or social interaction with others," he said.
He said teachers are seeing the effects of excessive screen use outside of school, particularly when it comes to attendance. Some students who stay up late playing video games or using social media can struggle to attend or fully participate in school the next day.
"We're seeing a lot of our attendance is attached to screen time," he said.
That's why Doran believes education around responsible screen use should become part of the school curriculum in the coming years.
While schools and teachers play a role, families must also take responsibility, he said.
"We only have the students for six hours… But what I'm talking about is the other 18 hours a day, the other 150 days a year when the students aren't in school," he said.
"Those guidelines have to come into play at home. The parents have to take the initiative to make sure screen time is limited outside school."
They were more engaged. There was better work being done. Students were asking more questions. — Andy Doran, president of the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation
As summer approaches, Doran is encouraging families to plan ahead and help children spend more time outdoors to avoid slipping back into unhealthy habits.
"At our teachers convention last fall, a speaker got up and said that in the past, 'We'd think nothing of letting our kids walk down the street. Now, we don't let [our] kids walk down the street, but we allow them to go into their rooms with a cellphone and close the door,'" Doran said.
"That got me thinking. That's so true, how much danger there is in a cellphone when it's unsupervised. So if I was advising parents: Continue to supervise their cellphone use, continue to limit their screen time use, and have a great summer."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Modern living: Grill crush
You don't have to search hard to find Ryan Janicki. Just follow the hickory-scented smoke trails to his Leaside backyard. Article content 'The whole neighbourhood knows what's going on,' says Janicki, a barbecue enthusiast and brisket connoisseur. Article content Janicki smokes brisket for up to 15 hours in his Green Egg ('a wedding present going on its fourth year that I would 100 percent recommend') so it reaches peak juiciness and soaks up the flavour of hickory, his wood chip of choice. Article content Article content 'It's a labour of love,' says Janicki. Ditto the other main attraction in his meatfest: 'I do a bacon-wrapped sausage weave. Piled within that are chopped vegetables, cheese and bacon. I roll it into a log and smoke it.' Article content Article content Janicki says he's staying home to barbecue and smoke more than ever, even years after the pandemic. The difference is, now it's by choice, and he's part of a trend that's growing. Article content According to Statista, in 2025 the barbecue market is projected to reach US$144.36 million with an anticipated annual growth rate of 3.47 percent. Around 78 percent of Canadians own a barbecue, roughly splitting their time between cooking outside and indoors, the report notes. Article content Paul Johnson, the president of the 46-year-old business Barbecues Galore (with six locations; three in Alberta and the rest in Ontario), is not only colloquially a member of the pit-master club but a customer. He has smoked just about everything, including mac and triple cheese. Article content Article content While he agrees Janicki's Green Egg along with Kamado Joes are high-performing smokers, he has seen a surge in the popularity of pellet grills. Even a novice can smoke ribs and brisket in them, he says, listing Yoder and Traeger — a pioneer in the category dating back to the 1980s — as reputable brands. Weber's matte black Smoque Pellet Smoker, he says, is another solid option. Article content 'Pellet grills look somewhat like standard barbecues,' he says, but to operate the unit, you feed 'rabbit-food-looking pellets into a hopper and then it slowly [makes its way] to the base of the firebox.' Article content Unlike a traditional smoker that can feel intimidating — the coddling of the charcoal, the lighting of the thing — pellet smokers are a breeze to run, though you will have to spring forspecialty pellets. 'You turn a dial like an oven and the barbecue will get to 400 degrees,' he says. 'The attraction is you have a wood-smoked fuel source that cooks food low and slow and the start-up is easy,' he says. 'And it maintains the temperature the entire time.' Article content Article content Another hot ticket is the flat-top griddle, or plancha. Given the popularity of smash burgers, and the rising cost of steak, it's no wonder the large, hot, flat surfaces are trending. People also use them to make scrambled eggs, bacon and pancakes, or fajitas because you can spread out the chopped onions peppers in quantity.
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Canada Awards New Patent to bioAffinity Technologies for CyPath® Lung, Company's Noninvasive Lung Cancer Diagnostic
Article content SAN ANTONIO — bioAffinity Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: BIAF; BIAFW), a biotechnology company advancing early-stage cancer diagnostics including CyPath® Lung, the Company's commercially available test for early-stage lung cancer, today announced its patent related to a method to detect lung disease through flow cytometry analysis of sputum has been allowed by the Canadian Patent Office. This patent strengthens the international protection of the Company's diagnostic platform that powers its flagship test, CyPath® Lung. Article content 'As with the recent announcement of the award of our patent in China, this Canadian patent reflects our continued execution toward building long-term shareholder value through innovation, protection of our unique assets, and a clear focus on early cancer detection that can save lives,' said Maria Zannes, President and CEO of bioAffinity Technologies. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in Canada, according to the Canadian Cancer Society. In 2024, approximately 31,000 Canadians were diagnosed with lung cancer, and approximately 20,700 people died of the disease. More than 70% of the lung cancer deaths were linked to smoking. Article content 'We believe that the award of this patent by the Canadian Patent Office further validates the diagnostic platform behind CyPath® Lung, expands the global footprint of our intellectual property portfolio and highlights the strength of our science,' Ms. Zannes said. 'Recent case studies highlight CyPath Lung's ability to detect lung cancer at its earliest stages, making our test all the more valuable in Canada where 50% of all lung cancer cases are diagnosed late at Stage IV with the five-year survival rate overall of about 19% in Canada, according to government statistics.' Article content The Canadian patent (Patent No. 3,136,245) – titled 'System and Method for Determining Lung Health' – protects the use of defined antibodies and the porphyrin TCPP to label cell populations in sputum and the use of flow cytometry to determine the presence of lung cancer cells in the sputum. Article content CyPath® Lung is the Company's first commercial product, with clinical study results demonstrating 92% sensitivity, 87% specificity and 88% accuracy in detecting lung cancer in patients at high risk for the disease who had small lung nodules less than 20 millimeters. Article content About CyPath® Lung Article content CyPath ® Lung uses proprietary advanced flow cytometry and artificial intelligence (AI) to identify cell populations in patient sputum that indicate malignancy. Automated data analysis helps determine if cancer is present or if the patient is cancer-free. CyPath® Lung incorporates a fluorescent porphyrin that is preferentially taken up by cancer and cancer-related cells. Clinical study results demonstrated that CyPath® Lung had 92% sensitivity, 87% specificity and 88% accuracy in detecting lung cancer in patients at high risk for the disease who had small lung nodules less than 20 millimeters. Diagnosing and treating early-stage lung cancer can improve outcomes and increase patient survival. For more information, visit Article content About bioAffinity Technologies, Inc. Article content bioAffinity Technologies, Inc. addresses the need for noninvasive diagnosis of early-stage cancer and other diseases of the lung and broad-spectrum cancer treatments. The Company's first product, CyPath® Lung, is a noninvasive test that has shown high sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for the detection of early-stage lung cancer. CyPath® Lung is marketed as a Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) by Precision Pathology Laboratory Services, a subsidiary of bioAffinity Technologies. For more information, visit Article content Forward-Looking Statements Article content Certain statements in this press release constitute 'forward-looking statements' within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Words such as 'may,' 'might,' 'will,' 'should,' 'believe,' 'expect,' 'anticipate,' 'estimate,' 'continue,' 'predict,' 'forecast,' 'project,' 'plan,' 'intend' or similar expressions, or statements regarding intent, belief, or current expectations, are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and include statements regarding the benefits to be derived from the patent, the Company's ability to safeguard its intellectual property, and the ability to market CyPath ® Lung in Canada. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict, that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations and assumptions from those set forth or implied by any forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among others, the benefits to be derived from the patent, the Company's ability to safeguard its intellectual property, and the ability to market CyPath ® Lung in Canada, and other factors discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, and its subsequent filings with the SEC, including subsequent periodic reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K. Such forward-looking statements are based on facts and conditions as they exist at the time such statements are made and predictions as to future facts and conditions. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, readers of this press release are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The information in this release is provided only as of the date of this release, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement relating to matters discussed in this press release, except as may be required by applicable securities laws. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content bioAffinity Technologies Article content Article content Julie Anne Overton Article content Article content Director of Communications Article content Article content
CBC
2 hours ago
- CBC
Hamilton dentist welcomes community's 'zero-tolerance' stance after racist graffiti sprayed on office
Social Sharing It seems hate has no fixed address in Hamilton — it recently surfaced on Main Street East, where Sagewood Dental Care, a family-focused practice led by Dr. Brian Yim, was defaced with white supremacist graffiti. "When we returned from the long weekend, the Canada Day long weekend, we saw the graffiti on the building, on the signage and on our glass railing," Yim recounted recently to CBC Hamilton. Initially, he and his team were unsure of its meaning, but that quickly changed. "A couple of our patients pointed it out, unfortunately, and then we realized the implications of the graffiti and what that could mean to us." As a "multinational office," Yim said, he immediately began to worry about the safety of his staff. "All of these things start kind of playing out in your mind of the implications on my responsibility to protect my staff and my team." The graffiti featured numerals that refer to a white nationalist slogan and code that glorifies late Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, the second instance reported to CBC News that occurred in Hamilton that weekend. It highlights a growing concern among community members, and has prompted an assistant professor in the department of religious studies at McMaster University to call for more education and support for organizations that work to eliminate racist ideology and hate. Jeremy Cohen told CBC Hamilton that he's been observing instances of people trying to propagate racist graffiti and white supremacist ideology, especially in Hamilton's Ward 3. "About a week and a half ago, I was going to a dentist appointment, and as I was coming up to the building I noticed the ... graffiti in black bold letters on their white sign," Cohen said. "It's been very upsetting. Ward 3 is a working-class community, but it is such a diverse community. There are people from all over the world here. "I think that it is trying to create a very unwelcoming message. It is trying to tell people that certain people do not belong in this city and that is really unfortunate," added Cohen. Hamilton, like many cities in Canada, clearly has a hate issue. - Jeremy Cohen, McMaster University department of religious studies "Hamilton, like many cities in Canada, clearly has a hate issue [and] a problem with these individuals and groups organizing in this city, and it is very upsetting to know that there are people in our city who feel this way." Ongoing investigation of 'hate-related graffiti' Earlier in July, CBC Hamilton reported about a caterer and community advocate — Reena Rampersad — who found a racial slur scribbled across the front door of her home. Her storefront window was also defaced with numerals that represent white supremacist sentiments sprayed over a poster for an upcoming Caribbean cultural event. Rampersad said the vandalism was a targeted act of hate meant to intimidate her. Last week, city police told CBC Hamilton they continue to investigate the "hate-related graffiti" incident at Rampersad's home and place of business. "Sagewood Dental was also a victim to this hate-motivated crime and is involved in an investigation," a police spokesperson, Trevor McKenna, said in an email. In a July 3 news release, the police service said it was working to identify those responsible, adding that a canvass for video surveillance in the area is ongoing. "We recognize that hate has no place in our city, and we are committed to ensuring all residents feel safe and respected in their homes and places of business," it said. While such hate is deeply concerning, Yim also emphasized the strong community response. "I really am impressed with just the community and how there's a zero tolerance for this kind of thing in our neighbourhood," he said, noting the immediate priority was the removal of the graffiti to avoid perpetuating any hate. "In the end, we haven't really had any altercations ... we've never been confronted by anybody, so we still feel quite safe." Cohen said the graffiti with the numerals is not the only white supremacist slogan or recruitment attempt he's noticed in the area. "For the past several years, posters have been showing up in Ward 3 on telephone poles. A lot of these have been very explicitly white supremacist and trying to recruit individuals. "The posters are often making references to conspiracy theories like the great replacement theory and talking a lot about white identity." Cohen said he's torn down as many of the posters as he could. Ward 3 Coun. Nrinder Nann said there's been "emboldened graffiti activity" in and across her ward, but also into the downtown core. "It's totally unacceptable and concerning to see the increase in activity. It's also my understanding that a lot of these tags showed up around Canada Day, if not on Canada Day, which is even more concerning that people are … connecting the dots between Canadian nationalism and white nationalism." Nann said Hamilton has had "an unfortunate reputation of being a hate incident capital of Canada" and local authorities have been "working aggressively" to speak out every time this kind of incident takes place. Tracking white nationalist 'active clubs' "We have a lot of work to do in terms of better respecting different cultures and backgrounds," Nadine Ubl, executive director of Barton Village BIA, said in an interview, calling the graffiti "concerning." "It's sad to think that this is something that we even have to be concerned about." Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath urges residents who discover hate in their neighbourhoods to report it. Her message came after the CBC visual investigation unit found members of white supremacist groups have been preparing for a "race war" in Hamilton-area gyms and parks. Police said they are aware of these groups and "continue to monitor their activities," but "there have been no criminal offences reported to Hamilton police related to these clubs." Anti-racism advocates and researchers said more needs to be done to combat hate. That may include the creation of a hate-crimes task force or a strategic program to address the underlying causes of hate groups.
