Bing: draw a picture of the world inside of a rotting log in a forest. inside the log looks like an entire world with moss and dirt and a civilization of bugs.
"There have always been distractions in the classroom and unless we are talking about a diagnosis of addiction, smartphone uses shouldn't be treated differently."
If that's what it comes down to then, fine. Maybe some serious research should be done in the subject.
But, until then why allow something in classrooms that isn't just a simple distraction. It's a tool with lots of uses that should never be allowed in school (and I'm not just talking about cheating).
It's also an easy method of bullying that can be very difficult to stay ahead of.
Yeah, everything op mentioned is elective, as well. Meaning all of those kids, more or less, chose to be in that class. Maybe that's what op means by outdated curriculum.
They're cows. They're lucky if they can communicate a complete thought.