How do you deal with cellphone use in class?

[Conjugate]

I have yet to find a solution that I am 100% comfortable with. In principle, I support banning phones outright, but it takes a lot of time and mental energy to consistently enforce the ban, especially in classes bigger than 30. My de facto policy for the past few semesters has been "strict no-phone policy during presentations" and "less strict policy during lecture -- I'll call it out if it's overt, but not if the student is trying to be discreet."

FWIW, I've had some interesting conversations with chronic texters which suggest a general lack of awareness on their part. I once had a chronic texter ask for extra credit to pass the class. When I responded that her test scores would likely go up if she put her phone away, she replied in horror, "you mean you can see me doing that?"

I've had students with medical situations (pregnant wife having difficulties, troubled child at day care, elderly relative in surgery). My rule of thumb is that they should be discreet; if they suspect they will get a call in the middle of class, sit near the door, and duck out quietly without distracting others. They can't concentrate on my subject if they are worried about whether the day care is trying to get in touch, failing because their phone is on mute, and must consider calling Protective Services in lieu of the parent.

[revert79]

I always tell them that if they are expecting to have to make or receive an important call, just let me know and step out.  Same for texting—sometimes people in hospital situations need to text instead of calling.  I teach at an art school and a community college, and in general the art students go in for a more hedonistic approach (social media, games, etc) to device use and the cc students have a more communication- and need-based approach.

As a visual art instructor, I get frustrated when students copy photographs directly from their phones—I tell them they have to email it to themselves and print it out for copying, after we have mutually determined that it is an acceptible form of source material.  Which leads to the other problem—copying actual artworks from instagram posts.  They don't realize this is cheating; the are confused about appropriation vs inspiration, due to the nature of social media.  So we have a group conversation about this.  This is all outside of copyright laws and conventions, which make up a different but similar set of rules.

When a particular individual has a real problem with their phone, often times other students will complain to me about it in private.  This is beneficial to my subsequent conversation with the offender, when I can mention that anonymous classmates have complained to me in private about their behavior with the device...it is distracting and disrespectful to one's peers.

Anyway, when the whole class is very addicted to the detriment of the group, I just take out this giant lobster pot we have in the still-life-objects cupboard and have them all put their phones in it (I keep it within sight of everyone and I don't threaten to drown or boil their phones, that would be too traumatizing for them, the phones are like their precious pets).  Has worked like a charm for me.