My phone had just rang in my pant pocket, knowing my entire class had heard, I little by little let my eyes shift in the direction of my teacher–I had a text message, and now my phone was sure to be taken away. We students tried our best to act oblivious to the crime, while the teacher dared to contain his anger and hatred toward our so-called, “radio wave cancer machines.” Before I knew it I had found myself parked in the timeworn, ripped, and tattered chair, in the elementary school principles office. My Mom had been called! I was accustomed to the ritual. “At least detention is only one hour this week,” uttered the stereotypical school rebel (I’m sure we all know the type) who sat 10 feet away from me, as I dreadfully awaited my sentencing. “You two aren’t conversing in there I hope,” the secretary added, wiping her nose in that god-awful hanky she always carried around, insisting it was a, “dying fashion.” I cringe to this very day remembering her cold hands and stench of stale perfume, as a veteran office attendee due to cellphone violations, I knew that woman well. When a teenager receives a cellphone for the first time, it is indeed a dangerous affair. I think perhaps if we could sleep and text at the same time, we would. With our customized ring tones, “emojis”, and cramped thumb fingers after an hour of serious typing, it still remains without dispute that we waste a genuine amount of our lives staring at our much loved hand-held screens. We want to be socially connected, to take part in jokes and the latest gossip. After all it is high school, right? When my parents were kids, they had to pass notes in class and knock on each other’s door to find out whether or not someone was home. There was no PINGING, Snap Chatting, t... ... middle of paper ... ...big step would be to turn off the phone/iPod’s power all together and reviving it during breaks or afterschool. Certainly our involvement could create change. You’re best friend may not be so enthusiastic about the idea of not being able to instant message through math class, but I guarantee you will be when you make the change and see your mark presents grow higher. As teenagers we are old enough to know that it is our drive, our want, and our life that ultimately decides our happiness. We need to power down and keep electronics banned in schools. And sometimes-when its needed-appreciate what life was like before the electronic generation. As hard as it may be to miss knowing who’s going where, and saying what online, the fact of knowing that you control your devices, and they don’t control you, is very comforting. Seeing that this is what intelligent people do.
Watters, Audrey. “Why Schools Should Stop Banning Cell Phones, and Use Them for Learning.” Pbs.org. 29 July 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2014.
Owning a smart phone in today’s society has become the norm. In fact, landlines are on the verge of becoming obsolete since smartphone sales have been on the rise throughout this past decade. The PEW Research Center (2018) has found that approximately 95 percent of Americans own a smartphone (Mobile Fact Sheet, para.2). Owning one of these technological gadgets may seem convenient, but spending too much time on them can actually be damaging. There are many dangers to spending too much time staring into these screens. Over usage of our time on these devices interferes with the development of social and communication skills. Smartphones are especially harmful for the younger generation. There are numerous negative effects of smartphones and the use of them should be
Technology can disrupt people’s train of thought. To begin with, many people around the world use technology. Electronics can help students and also affect them in many ways, but whether or not shutting down all electronics can help. Schools should participate in “Shut Down Your Screen Week” because of many reasons.
Amy Gahran, a media consultant exploring communication in the technology era, writes about how cell phones are significant. She feels that cell phones have changed our lives by providing “…vital services and human connections…offer new hope, even through simple broadcast text messages” (Gahran). Gahran is insisting that cell phones allow us to learn news quickly, connect with safety, and can even fight crime through video recordings (Gahran). In addition, she feels that the overall benefits of owning a cell phone outweigh any negatives. This somewhat challenges the ideas presented by Rosen because it points out more benefits of cell phones. In “Our Cell Phones, Ourselves” Rosen mentions that although cell phones indeed connect us with safety, they can often lead to a sense of paranoia. To expand, she writes that parents who give children a cell phone for security purposes, develop a paranoid sense of their community and lose trust in “social institutions” (Rosen). In making this comment, Rosen argues that although cell phones may be beneficial, they can change the way we view our world. Without a cell phone, many individuals feel vulnerable, as if their phone protects them from all possible dangers that they may encounter. In fact, a Rutgers University professor challenged his students to power off their phones for 48 hours and report back with their experience (Rosen). Many felt almost lost without it and one young women described the feeling “…like I was going to get raped if I didn’t have my cell phone in my hand” (Rosen). In reality, having a cell phone will not save a person’s life in all situations. Although many, including Gahran, feel a phone is a vital tool, it has changed how we feel about the world around us and how vulnerable we feel without a phone in
Throughout the years, teenagers have become more active with cell phones and all of its technology. Teenagers’ everyday suffer from the wrath of texting and driving, and for the most part, the teenagers are the ones who are texting. An online survey or 1,999 teens ages 16-19 conducted in May found that eighty-four percent of teenagers have engaged in these behaviors such a: texting, talking on the phone, changing the radio, eating, and many more distractions. (Most Teens Still Driving While
Today’s cell phones are more than just phones; they are high-tech devices that some would consider mini-computers. Today’s cell phones allow people to surf the Internet, conduct text conversations with others, take pictures, record videos, download and listen to music, play games. For children and teenagers, this allows for anytime, anywhere communication, especially when it comes to friends. With cell phones, children are always only a few buttons away, highly connected and almost always available. Parents who allow their children to have cell phones feel secure that they can contact their children at a moment’s notice.
Cell phones have crept into an owner’s possession at all times. “The mobile phone has become a part of us: our best friend who will save all our secrets, pleasures and sorrows” ("Exploring"). Teens have developed the need to know the latest news on social media every minute of every day; they do not want to miss any little detail. Since the beginning of smart phones, high school students have felt the need to have their media open on their smart phone in front of them so they do not feel empty. Once someone has become attached or addicted to something, it is hard to change their habits. Cell phones have changed people socially, especially with the availability to social media with electronics.
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.
As humans progress both psychologically and physically, technology progresses just as fast, or perhaps even faster. Technology has advanced so far as to allow people to talk to a family member, coworker, or even a complete stranger at the touch of a couple of buttons. We can now have a cellular phone and media player in one, four ounce device that fits in the palm of our hands. However, with the progression of media devices comes the danger of teenagers possessing such devices. The threat of teenagers possessing a device capable of communication and browsing the internet is not one to be taken lightly, but one shouldn’t take on this dilemma like they would a nuclear threat. Smartphones being allowed in schools should be permitted, however, certain precautions should be taken.
One reason to consider the introduction of cell phones in learning is to promote digital etiquette, a concept that is foreign to most people. According to Liz Kolb (the author of “Toys to Tools”) Digital etiquette is “a basic set of rules you should follow in order to make the internet better for others, and better for you.” Kolb says in her book that “an educator’s job is to help students navigate and stay safe in their media world”. Students often are unaware to the consequences of their use and misuse of technology. Currently, many students do not overthink about protecting their own privacy. For example 55% of students do not care whether the digital material they use is copyrighted. Students ages 10 to 17 often do not take in appropriate cell phone use. According to Kolb “While nine out of ten 10- to 17- year olds believe that they are courteous on their cell phones, 52% admit to sending text messages at the movie theater, while 28% admit to sending texts at the dinner table.” These statistics show that teens are unaware with cell pho...
Mobile phones have become a way of life for many people and it may not be the best thing for their literacy, spelling, and communication skills. Mobile phones are the sole means for communication for many people, including young adolescents. In some cases they have completely replaced the thought of having a landline phone at home or in the office. A 2008 study by The Mobile Life Report found that 94% of young people in the United Kin...
According to the Pew Research Center at Harvard University, “78% of teens now have a cell phone, and almost half (47%) of those own smartphones” (Pew Research). There is no question that the number of American teenagers that own cell phones is increasing as technology continuously advances in today’s society. So many developments in cellular technology explain why teenagers crave the latest cell phone on the market. Parents of teenagers have to make the decision of whether or not their teen should own the newest phone. Surprisingly, these small portable phones have created a controversy among many parents and pediatricians among America. Some believe that teenagers should have a cell phone to provide safety and assurance to the teens and their parents. Whereas many claim that cell phones are not beneficial towards teenagers and the owning of a cell phone should wait until adulthood. Although some parents argue that cell phones provide teenagers with safety, teenagers should not own cell phones due to the various medical issues and social problems that are linked to teenagers owning cell phones.
We headed down to the principal’s office. My heart was pounding. It felt like it was pumping more blood then it needed to pump. The time it took to reach the principal’s office felt like a million years. We were in the office and my teacher showed the picture to the principal. There it was; the inevitable. This was bound to happen. How did I not see this coming? Why did I just ignore my noggin? The principal said, “How ignorant! Three days of in-school-suspension.” My life was draining by the second. It felt as if I was thrown into a dark chamber filled with corpses. Now I realized to always listen to the authority. My life lesson learned: Take policies seriously. No matter what you say to get out of situations, policy always comes out first.
Electronics are a huge part of our society. “Out of the world’s estimated 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones” (Wang). Over thousands of these cell phones are owned by students K-12. A major debate topic is should cell phones be allowed in schools? “Twenty-four percent of schools have banned mobile devices altogether and sixty-two percent allow them on school grounds, but not in the classroom” (Raths). Cell phones should not be allowed in school because children focus more on the phone than schoolwork, it will create more drama, and it promotes cheating.
Mobile phones have various negative effects on a teenager's life and their life style. It can affect the student's in many ways. It can lead to health related problems, academic distractions, exam malpractice and change in behavior of teenagers. Reserches have shown that a mobile phone can cause an increased risk of acoustic neuroma and glioma in teenagers (Ravidchandran, S. V., (2009)). It can also cause ipsilateral , this is a tumor caused on the side of the brain where phone mostly held. It is highly risky for a teenager's health, as it is their growing period of time. Mobile phones are also known as a cause for academic distraction of students. Students tend to carry mobile phones to schools. Due to which they tend to use mobile phones during their lectures, they listen to songs, watch videos, play games ,chat with their friends online, etc. which makes mobile phones act as major source of distraction in a student's life . The students don’t conce...