We’re introducing Yondr in the library 2018-19. Yondr is a system used by schools, business, artists, and organizations to create phone-free spaces. Our goal is to simplify and facilitate our default rule at MVRHS: to put mobile devices away. The library will be a space that is a haven from hyperconnectivity, to better allow you to focus.
Yondr is currently used across the world in hundreds of classrooms and schools, at concerts, comedy shows, weddings and special events of all kinds. The goal of these spaces is to encourage people to engage with each other and their surroundings.
Here’s how it works: when you arrive on your own (for example, from Learning Centers), check in at the desk, just like we’ve always done. As part of the check-in, we will ask you to shut off all mobile devices and place them in a Yondr pouch, which locks the device(s) inside. You keep the Yondr pouch with you until the end of the period. At that point, you’ll unlock the pouch at the desk and go on your way to your next class. (Use of devices by students visiting the library with their class continues to be up to the discretion of the teacher(s).) More about Yondr here.
Yondr allows us to open more possibilities for teaching and learning. We are continuing to expand possibilities for learning spaces, from the innovation lab (with green screen, video editing, and audio editing capability), to group learning spaces (adjustable with multiple tech configurations, and glass boards, whiteboards, and projection options), to individual quiet areas (study carrels, comfortable seating), and large group instruction (LCR and main room for larger performance setups) that all can be adjusted according to need.
