Cellphones In Classroom

Technology advances how humans do things. Technological advancement gave people cell phones, computers, and the internet. It took people from the candle to the lightbulb and in the American classroom from chalkboards to Smart boards. Technology is constantly changing how teachers educate. In the modern age, with computers for research, and spell-checker and word processing systems for editing writing has become easier for most students. However, cell phones and other devices can cause distractions in the classroom. Although sometimes difficult, teachers are encouraged to use new technology to engage students in instructional time.
As the world adapts to new technology, definitions for everyday words also change. Even the word “Literacy”

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