Dishonesty —The same technology that makes cell phones distracting also makes cheating much easier for students. They can take pictures of tests, text questions and answers, or even access notes and textbooks through their cell phones.
Cell phones are so small these days, and students are so adept at using them surreptitiously that detecting their use is increasingly difficult. Disrespect —The issues of cyber-bullying, sexting, and other forms of serious misconduct are increasingly common and easier to conceal with cell phone technology. Cell phones in the hands of problem students just make the problems harder to discern and harder to handle.
Some argue that the teen angst common in that age group is exacerbated with cell phone use: everything from gossip to sexuality becomes a bigger issue when cell phones are involved.
The Solutions Prohibition —Some schools ban cell phone use altogether from the classroom. From the moment students enter the building until they leave, cell phones are out of sight and on silence.
Some schools do not allow cell phones on school property at all. Some require teachers to collect cell phones when students enter the classroom and return them when they leave. Published Policy —Some schools allow limited use of cell phones and, therefore, post specific guidelines for appropriate classroom use. Teachers and administrators clearly define these policies at the beginning of the school year and provide specific consequences for violation of the published policies.
Clearly parents must also know these policies and support administrative punishments that should be substantial enough to make a difference. Then they could also cheat or enquire answers on phones. They will spoil the name and reputation of the school too. Educational or extracurricular activities will be replaced.
Unhealthy competitions of possessing the latest model and hottest brand of cell phones will arise. They will get distracted and not pay attention towards their studies and teachers. According to me, schools are meant for imparting education, knowledge, inculcating good and healthy habits among the children. But if mobile phones are allowed to them, then they are encouraging even cyber crimes within their campus.
Instead, in case of emergency, teachers and students should switch off their cell phones and use only school landline or dot phones if required. The disadvantages of using mobile phone in schools are many, which could be avoided if only the schools restrict the use of mobile phone in their campus.
Your email address will not be published. Please contact the developer of this form processor to improve this message. These are just a couple of examples, but here again, formal research regarding outcomes is lacking. After a nearly decade-long experiment, New York City ultimately ended their cell phone ban in , bowing to pressure from parents who wanted to be able to easily contact their children.
Schools, in consultation with classroom teachers and parents, should create thoughtful and realistically-enforceable policies concerning when and where and how student devices are utilized. These policies should focus on behaviors, not devices. When I was in middle school the kid who sat behind me in English class used to jam his pencil into my side to make me jump out of my seat. It drove me crazy. Should the school have banned pencils? Victoria is now set to begin their own experiment with banning cell phones at school.
As much as research is lacking, I feel like reducing the debate to only two options—Ban or Allow—misses other important alternatives. How about empowering classroom teachers to manage this issue for themselves: allowing student use of technology when it contributes to learning but teaching students to put the phones away when they are not needed or become distracting.
Or working to create a culture where students respect and honor the desire of teachers when it comes to when to use devices? These are life skills that will serve students long after they leave the classroom. In short, mobile devices are neither a plague nor a panacea when it comes to student learning. Yes, they can be distracting. And, they can be used to harm others. But they can also be used to access volumes of information to help answer questions.
And they can encourage active participation in lessons. More research is necessary to better understand how to promote positive uses while discouraging problematic behaviors. Perhaps when this debate resurfaces in another decade, we can have more evidence to guide our policy decisions in schools. Your email address will not be published.
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