Almost all students have a secret, advanced, incredible learning tool tucked away in their pockets that teachers and schools never take advantage of. This device is so powerful, so up to date, that it could revolutionize and intensify the academic learning environment. I bet you're wondering what this wonderful device might be and why the schools aren't using it. This magical device is a cell phone, a smart phone if you may. Almost every teen today has a smart phone or cell phone that they carry around every where they go. These devices have the power to do many things and could highly improve the learning environment. Plus, there are many features of smart phones that could also improve the learning environment. It is foolish for teachers and schools not to take advantage of this fairly new technology. Every school and class room should be cell phone welcome and should encourage their students to bring their cell phones to school. Still not convinced? Here are a few examples of the many different ways cell phones and smart phones could intensify the learning environment. Like I said before, almost every teen has a cell phone or smart phone. "In 2010, 75 percent of 12- to 17-year-olds owned a cell phone(Lenhart, I.ing, Campbell, Purcell)." If 75 percent or more of our youth have cell phones and smart phones and are comfortable using them, why don't we uses them as learning tools in school? Schools and teachers rejecting and denying the use of cell phones are basically turning their backs to an outstanding learning tool that could tremendously improve the learning environment. If teachers could take advantage of the power of cell phones and smart phones, the effect on the learning environment could be incredible... ... middle of paper ... ...t cell phones should be banned from schools, but they are just leery of change. All in all, cell phones and smart phones could revolutionize the school's learning environment, and they should be highly taken into consideration. Works Cited Armstrong, Williams. "Cell Phones Should Be Banned in Schools." School Policies 26 June (2006). Mel.org. Web. 20 Dec. 2011. Cummiskey, Matthew. "There's an app for that smartphone use in health and physical education: how many healthful apps does your smartphone have?" 82.8 Oct. (2011): 24-34. Mel.org. Web. 4 Jan. 2012 "volume 4." World Book Encyclopedia. 1976. N. pag. Print. "volume 3." World Book Encyclopedia. 1976. N. pag. Print. "volume 19." World Book Encyclopedia. 1976. N. pag. Print. Weingarten, Randi. "Cell Phones Should Not Be Banned in Schools." School Policies 18 Oct. (2006). Mel.org. Web. 4 Jan. 2012.
Watters, Audrey. “Why Schools Should Stop Banning Cell Phones, and Use Them for Learning.” Pbs.org. 29 July 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
This article emphasizes the many negative impacts cell phones possess in a learning environment, but with
Technology has been slowly integrated into the classroom for many years now. Some maybe older than others, but they have all seemed to make the learning and teaching process much easier and effective. Computers were introduced to the curriculum to help students better understand data collection, research, and word processing and Power Points were even added to give visuals to lessons. Cell phones on the other hand have been given the cold shoulder, and even completely banned by some schools. According to the article, “Are We Dialing Up Disaster,” by George Engel and Tim Green, eighty-four percent of high school students report to owning a cell phone and that number continues to increase (Engel 39). Because students are distracted by the use of cell phones, schools around the country have made a stand to make sure they are not inhibiting the learning process. But do the bans really make a difference? Students seem to still be sending text messages in class.
According to Jack Tessier, in his article “Student Impressions of Academic Cell Phone Use in the Classroom”, said that, “Students felt that cell phone use helped their learning, was not a distraction, helped them enjoy the class, improved their attendance a little, and promoted their success” (Figure 1b). This means with the cell phone, people can see the difference in education between the past and the present day. For example, if ten years ago students had to bring books when they went to school, they are now able to read books directly on their phones because many famous technology companies such as Apple and Samsung have designed electronic books, better known as e-books. This is a great invention, since many books are able to be converted into an e-books. It is more convenient because I can read books easily through the cell
There are an abundance of reasons why cell phones should be banned from schools; there are also a great amount of reasons why cell phones should not be banned from schools. One claim is that cell phones should not be allowed in schools. First of all, phones are a distraction to students (Lee). One example of cell phones being a distraction would be, “calling a friend to chat, checking emails or viewing pictures or videos” (Lee). That quote displays that cell phones are used more for fun than for school purposes. Secondly, cell phones should not be allowed at school because it gives the students another way to cheat on exams. An example of cheating could be, “take a photo of the exam, and send the picture to someone for the purposes of cheating”
There are many apps and websites that can make it easier for students to learn. In the article “Schools Seek Balance for Cell Phones in Class”from the boston globe it says that a high school physics class uses an app to record data and measure sound intensity. There are also apps like power school that allow students to check their grades and make sure all their assignments are turned in. Also cell phones allow students to type papers and turn in assignments, on programs like google classroom and google docs. These all make it a lot easier for the students and the teachers.
Educators must discover whether devices, such as cell phones, in the classroom are distractions or aids. According to Deborah R. Tindell and Robert W. Bohlander, “Some argue that cell phones have no place in a classroom setting and others argue that cell phones should be allowed both for safety reasons and as an instructional aid” (Tindell and Bohlander 1). In this spectrum of absolutes, each teacher must evaluate the goals of his or her own class to determine the possibility of whether to encourage or discourage the use of cell phones in the classroom. “One concern involves the distraction caused by the use of cell phones during class” (Tindell and Bohlander 2) However, Prensky argues that “…cell phones complement the short-burst, casual, multitasking style of today’s ‘Digital Native’ learners” (182). He goes on to say that “Using cell phones as learning devices, whether in or out of school, requires a good deal of rethinking and flexibility on the part of the educators” (182). In the English classroom, it is difficult to see where cell phones fit into the puzzle. If a teacher decides to allow cell phones, they should aid learning and not hinder it. Among Prensky’s suggestions on how to implement cell phones, one sticks out as helpful to English teachers: the cell phone camera. Students can use their cell phone cameras as “…tools for scientific data collection, documentation, and visual journalism…” (Prensky 186). Students could use video journalism in particular to learn multimedia literacy. However, teachers should only allow cell phones at certain times to avoid texting in class, or playing
Imagine having the most up-to-date technology in your back pocket and not being able to use it! Crazy, right? However, this is what happening all across the United States. Students have smartphones in their back pocket and are not allowed to use them for school research or projects. In some cases, the students technology is better than what their school has available. This technology should be allowed in classrooms with restriction. Parents can coordinate with students and teachers a lot better if students could bring their cellphones to school. It is beneficial when the student has their cell phone because if the student needs help they can google it on their phone. The teachers should not have to worry if their students have their phones
Schools should allow students in class, to use their cell phones for online educational resources.Phones can be a very useful tool for students.73% of girls and 60% of boys specifically text about school work to help other students succeed and help them understand the
In conclusion, this essay has tried to argue that cell phones are valuable tools in schools. Many of us see cell phone pessimistically but really haven’t looked at them optimistically. We all know that "with every good, comes a bad, and with responsibilities, come consequences". By all means allowing cell phones in schools is a great idea, and students should start to learn the positive features of that new device. Overall, this essay has attempted to show that allowing cell phones in schools is not a bad idea.
...ld also be used to browse inappropriate sites. Not all students own smart phones or even cell phones, so allowing phones in schools would not necessarily be for the common good, as not all students would be able to use this resource and privilege.
Today’s cell phone is the front line technology at our fingertips. Keeping this in mind the use of cell phones have become an affair when it comes to allowing teens to use them in educational environments, such as schools. One part of society supports the use of cell phones while the other part of society disapproves the use of cell phones. I personally believe that cell phones should not only be allowed in school, but cell phones should be mandatory just like a textbook. Cell phones do not only allow students to stay united with friends and family, but cell phones are also a magnificent learning system, and they boost the liable use of technology.
Picture this, there has been a school lockdown, the suspect cut the landlines so no one could call the police for a rescue. However, the suspect was captured by the police much faster than he imagined. The last scene wouldn’t have happened if it was one decade ago, because cell phones were not popular in schools then. When it comes to cell phones, some people think they should not be permitted in schools, and other people think they should be permitted in schools. I agree with the latter opinion for the following reasons: Cell phones are an efficient way to communicate when emergencies occur in school; cell phones can be a great tool for learning during school hours; and the current prohibitive rules on cell phones are merely fruitless efforts. Cell phones should be permitted in schools, because they could be very beneficial and practical in schools.
Over the last decade, the mobile phone has become a rapidly emerging technology, presenting both opportunities and challenges to many areas of the social landscape, including higher education (Alobiedat, 2012). Cell phones, a cellular device, which don’t only allow people to make or receive calls and messages, but also feature programs such as: the web, a camera, games to play, and more. It offers so many options to perform with a cell phone, it leaves a computer futile considering everything needed is right in a cell phone. Likewise, cell phones have been made accessible to people and young adults are the ones to benefit the most in this digital age. It is common to have a cell phone in use everywhere one goes, but using a cell phone in class
Higgins, Josh. “More Schools use Cell Phones as Learning Tools.” USA Today. N.p., 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.