Adolescents: Leave the Cell Phones At Home

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Post inception of the cell phone has fueled a shift in the civility of adolescent social interaction. Gone are the days of seeing teenagers imaginatively playing alongside each other with the only restriction being his or her ability to effectively communicate. Virtual conversations, text messages and online social networks have replaced development of social skills through personal interactions. Some educators insist that cell phones provide a unique opportunity to capitalize on the learning experience in the modern classroom. Unfortunately, cell phones also provide an opportunity for adolescents to compromise their ethical values and moral standards. Adolescents are known to be source for cheating on exams, disrupting the classroom, and promoting inappropriate behaviors. Distracting characteristics of cell phone usage have shown a negative effect on the reading/writing ability of the adolescent and their subsequent readiness for higher learning. School administrators are challenged to balance the right of possession of the devices by adolescents and the monitoring /control of the school environment during a crisis. A school administrator named Patrick Gabriel drives a point home when he says “The constant use of cell phones, perhaps symbolic of life made virtual by all technology, seems to compound the problem. It has a powerful pull on so many. From my office window, I see students leaving school early or arriving late texting and calling with practically every step they take. The need to stay connected at every moment trumps all other behavior”(38) . Educators, parents and students must not ignore the temptation to let the addictive behavior associated with cell phones to dictate the classrooms learning environment. The value... ... middle of paper ... ...ProQuest. Parette, Howard, Amanda Quesenberry, and Craig Blum. "Missing the Boat with Technology Usage in Early Childhood Settings: A 21st Century View of Developmentally Appropriate Practice." Early Childhood Education Journal 37.5 (2010): 335-343. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 31 July 2011. AN 48449670 do I need citing for Sparks, Sarah D. "Studies Shed Light On How Cheating Impedes Learning. (cover story)." Education Week 30.26 (2011): 1-16. Professional Development Collection. EBSCO. Web. 31 July 2011. TRUMP, KENNETH S. "PROFESSIONAL OPINION: Is It Safe to Allow Cell Phones in School?." District Administration 45.10/11 (2009): 38. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 31 July 2011. Weir, Kirsten. "Mean Teens." Current Science 96.7 (2010): 6-7. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 31 July 2011. AN 55415325

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