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Tap into class: Watertown High will be first in country to test new cell phone-limiting tech
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College students are returning to Boston, and you know what that means: inevitable Storrowings. Luckily, there are some new ideas to get those stuck trucks out.
Now, to the news:
Tapping out: Watertown schools used to require students to put their cell phones into pouches each period to limit distractions during class. But the method hasn't been foolproof. " I love my students, but my, they're clever," Joel Giacobozzi, principal at Watertown High School, told WBUR's Amy Sokolow. "Students were using phones that were not live, they were using calculators, they were using phone cases with things in them. So it became a challenge to confirm that was the phone they use to message and check apps." This fall, Watertown High School is testing out an app-powered solution that actually lets students keep their phones in hand, while still limiting usage — and they'll be the first in the country to test this new technology.
- How it works: Watertown partnered with software company Doorman on an app that links to compatible tap targets located on the door of each classroom. "A student would walk in, they'll tap their phone on the doorway, and that will disable the apps of their phone and the messaging app for the duration of that class," Giacobozzi said. Students will still be able to make phone calls. The pilot kicks off the second week of the school year and runs through December.
- Protecting privacy: Giacobozzi said the app has met all the school's legal requirements, and that it won't collect any data besides attendance, "which we already collect."
- Meanwhile: State legislators have been considering a "bell to bell" ban on cell phones (a policy already in place in New Hampshire) that could take effect in fall 2026.
- In related news: Salem’s superintendent talked to All Things Considered last week about what the district learned since banning phones in school.
Quiet on the COVID front: This summer been one of the lowest for COVID activity since the virus first appeared in 2020, according to state data. That's despite a slight uptick in infections over the last three weeks. "We've been kind of used to having a summer surge, I'm not even sure we can call what we're seeing right now a 'surge.' It's really a slight increase," Dr. Catherine Brown, a state epidemiologist, said.
- By the numbers: Right now, fewer than 1% of visits to local emergency rooms are associated with a COVID diagnosis, according to Brown. She says the current uptick may have to do with cross-country and international summer travel.
AI in healthcare: More than 50% of U.S. physicians report experiencing burnout caused, in part, by working on electronic records after hours, according to researchers at Mass General Brigham. One solution? AI scribes to record patient visits and draft clinical notes for doctors to help reduce the amount of time spent summarizing each visit. A new study from Mass General Brigham explored how well it could help.
- The results: Of the 1,400 doctors from Mass General Brigham and Emory Healthcare surveyed, there was a 21% decrease in reports of burnout after using AI scribes. "It has truly transformed how I deliver care," Dr. Rebecca Mishuris told WBUR's Deborah Becker. "I am paying full attention to the patient in the visit, not worried about having to type something or try to remember something for later." Doctors reported the technology as accurate in its summaries, though it's subject to health privacy laws and must be studied further before being used more widely.
New beginnings: School is back in session in Holyoke today, and for the first time in a decade, the district will be run by the local school committee rather than the state. The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education took over Holyoke schools in 2015 after years of poor test scores and low graduation rates, WBUR's Paul Connearney reports. As the state receivership ends, Holyoke school administrators say they'll focus on addressing chronic absenteeism and meeting students' needs. "We want to make sure that when our teachers are planning their lessons, that we take a deeper look into what our students with disabilities need, what our English language learners need," said Anthony Soto, Holyoke's interim school superintendent.
P.S.— Speaking of back to school, this week On Point is re-airing its landmark series "Falling Behind: The Miseducation of America’s Boys." It explores why boys in the U.S. are falling behind in academics as early as 8 years old and how that gap grows as those boys become men. We think it's essential listening for any teacher or guardian. (In the words of one listener, it's “informative, at times shocking and depressing, but also joyful and hopeful.”) Tune in today at 11 a.m., and see the full schedule here.
