Many educators and parents are debating on whether cell phones should be allowed in schools, the use of cell phones in schools is on the rise because each and every student can afford a cell phone. According to me, this battle is endless, cell phones have their pros and cons, but no matter how teachers or parents fight the usage of cell phones in schools; students will always find a way of coming with these small gadgets.
I think we don’t have to fight the usage of cell phones in schools, all we have to do as educators and parents is to teach our students and children how to use cell phones for educational purposes while at school. Just like any other cool gadgets, cell phones are addictive, so we can take advantage of this addictive technology and bring lessons and learning material closer to our students and children.
‘Students enjoy learning with technology, so, our educational environment has to be tailored basing on the technologies our children and students use on a daily basis”.
I know cell phones can become a big problem if we don’t control their usage in schools because students can use them for entertainment or social networking purposes during classroom hours, and this can affect their concentration and grades while in the classroom. But, we can not use this as an excuse to ban cell phones in schools; all we have to do is set guidelines and rules on how to use them while at school.
Also teachers can use cell phones in the classroom, for example, a teacher can conduct an English quiz using a cell phone, in this case, a teacher can use bulk text messaging apps like (www.clubtexting.com ) to send text quizzes to their students, students can reply back and they get rewarded in the form of points. You can also brainstorm with your students using mobile applications like (www.polleverywhere.com ).
Now that we have seen that both teachers and students can use cell phones at school, let’s take a quick review of a debate about this topic,’’Should Cell Phones Be Allowed In School?”… I have gathered various responses from trusted educational sources on this topic, so you can also join this debate using the commenting box below this post.
Affirmative Debate on – Cell Phones at School
RESPONSE 1:
Go to Source: – here.
MY OPINION:
Judging from the response above, this student points out that cell phones are used for communication purposes. Students need to use cell phones to stay in touch with their parents, so if educators don’t want students to use cell phones during classroom hours, I guess they can tell students to keep their cell phones in lockers in a silent mode. This will cause no distraction because students will only use their phones after classroom hours to communicate with their parents. During my school days, I never used a school phone, because it has no privacy and a student has to move to the administrative block to make a call, so in this, I agree, we need to have cell phones as communication tools.
RESPONSE 2:
Go to Source: – here.
MY OPINION:
I like the way how this student uses their cell phone at school, it is used for flashcards which help them remember and organize things. This is a good intention of using cell phones at school. The idea of restricting cell phone usage during school hours is good because it reduces on the distraction of students. If students are taught how to use cell phones for educational purpose, this all debate of banning them will stop. Some responsible students know when to use them, but not all students are responsible, so, we need strict rules to govern the usage of cell phones at school. I know communication is important, but it is better for students to focus on learning while at school, they can do their communications after school hours.
RESPONSE 3:
Go to Source: – here…( )
MY OPINION
The integration of technology in the classroom sounds like a good idea, cell phones are just gadgets which can be used for educational purposes, let us not look at them as communications tools, they can do more than making calls, today, we have smart phones which can perform tasks performed by a normal computer. Students can use cell phones to access library content, download and read e-books, engage in classroom polls or debates and so much more. The only problem we have is that we look at cell phones as communication tools, yes, they’re communications tools, but at school, we can use them for other purposes. Cell phone technology is dynamic and also users of cell phones have to be dynamic.
RESPONSE 4:
Go to Source: – here…
MY OPINION
Mobile learning is on the rise, smartphones are becoming more affordable, so students can easily download and listen to educational podcasts recorded by their teachers. It is very easy to move with a cell phone because these gadgets are light and slim in size compared to laptops and tablets. Platforms like Piazza.com are being used by teachers to create virtual classrooms where students can post questions and get answers in real time. Shy students use cell phones to engage in online discussions, which help them learn more. So, I think the use of cell phones at school is not bad, as long as we set limits on when to use them. I dropped out of school to start a business, but individual learning has helped me because it gives me space to make mistakes, so, also students need to use cell phones to make personal research online and learn by themselves without tutors.
RESPONSE 5:
Go to Source: –here….
MY OPINION:
I agree with the idea of teachers giving students more educational assignments or activities which require using cell phones, this can shift student’s interest of using cell phones to text each other and they divert all their interest to learning. For example, teachers can use mobile polling applications like ‘’Polleverywhere’’ to create polls and get students response via cell phones, this trick can keep students engaged because they can use their cell phones to debate on topics while in the classroom. Also, teachers can use bulk text reminders like ‘’Remind101.com’’ to send text reminding students to submit in research work, or assign students topics to research on. Student’s grades can improve if teachers engage with their students through cell phones. If we can’t stop the usage of cell phones in schools, then let’s join the technology and exploit it to improve our student’s grades. Banning cell phones in schools are not the best solution because students will use them no matter what you say or do.
RESPONSE 6:
Go to Source: –here…
MY OPINION:
Cell phone technology has advanced, now we have unlimited mobile apps that can be used for educational purposes. Students can use library mobile apps to access educational content. Parents can use mobile tracking apps to know if their children are at school or not. I also agree with the idea of using cell phones to stay organized, if you make a simple search on iTunes website, you will find many mobile apps which can help students stay organized. Then when it comes to safety, gun shoots in schools are on the rise, so, for your child to stay on a safe side, they need to have a cell phone to report any bad behaviors at school.
RESPONSE 7:
Go to Source: –here….
MY OPINION:
Many students share photos and videos with friends using social platforms, so, if a student can record the all lecture using a cell phone and share it with friends who did not attend school, this can be a great thing. It is very easy to record videos using a cell phone. Also teachers can assign homework tasks to their students using cell phones, this all process will save both the teacher and students time. Students have resorted to electronic books, and most of these books can be read on cell phones, so a student will not worry about carrying big text books to school or forgetting them at home, a cell phone is always with them.
RESPONSE 8:
Go to Source:-here….
MY OPINION:
Many students use cell phones to learn English and other subjects. This can be done in many ways, for example, students can use English learning mobile apps like livemocha.com ( formerly no longer in existence)
RESPONSE 9:
Go to Source: –here….
MY OPINION:
It is good to see that students know how to use cell phones for educational purposes, I like the idea of using them to search the internet for answers and check vocabulary, however, teachers, should guide students on how to search for content online, because most of the content published is irrelevant, and this content can misguide students and even affect their grades at the end of the term. To avoid distraction in the classroom, teachers have to set guidelines and rules on how and when to use cell phones.
RESPONSE 10:
Go to Source: –here….
MY OPINION:
Parents are more concerned about the security of their children when they leave home, as a parent I will agree with other parents, we need to stay in touch with our children, technology has simplified this because I can use a mobile tracking app like ‘’amberalertgps.com’’ to track movements of my child, so for schools to ban cell phones, they have to guarantee full-time security of our kids, which I guess is next to impossible. Maybe private schools can be in a position to provide some degree of security to our kids, but public schools have no funds for this, and a cell phone can play a big role when it comes to keeping our kids safe.
RESPONSE 11:
Go to Source: –here….
MY OPINION:
It is true; students use cell phones to collaborate with fellow students and teachers. Though some teachers have failed to use cell phones as teaching tools, a cell phone can make it easy for a teacher to reach any student and also tailor specific educational plans for each student basing on their learning ability. In this 21st century, technology can’t be ignored, it is made to simplify our lives, and we have to find more creative ways of using this technology to improve our educational environment.
RESPONSE 12:
Go to Source: –here….
MY OPINION:
I did a simple price research on Amazon.com, a good smartphone can start from $88.99, if we talk about the digital divide, I agree with you, because not every student can afford a smartphone especially in 3rd world countries. I come from Africa and it is next to impossible to find 5 smartphones like iPhone at the school campus. Cheap cell phones can’t access the internet, all they have are basic features like a calculator, alarm clock, and a phone book. Yet, smartphones have advanced features which can be used by both students and teachers, so in 3rd world countries, very few students can afford smartphones, but in first world countries, most of them can afford them, which means they can enjoy the benefits of using cell phones for educational purposes.
RESPONSE 13:
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE 14:
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE 15:
Go to Source: –here….
MY OPINION:
To prevent students from getting distracted by other features on cell phones, guidelines should be set. Students should only use cell phones when asked to by the teacher in the classroom, I like Nearpord, it is a cool tool for making presentations on tablets, students can also make presentations and share them using smartphones or tablets.
RESPONSE 16:
Go to Source: –here….
MY OPINION:
Teachers who use cell phones in the classroom for non-academic purposes give a wrong impression to their students, if you start receiving calls while in the classroom, students will think it is okay for them to do the same, so it is better as a teacher to use a cell phone to teach your students, this will change their attitude towards cell phone usage in the classroom, let them do math calculations, play math or English games, participate in classroom debates and polls using cell phones.
Negative Debate on – Cell Phones at School Debate
RESPONSE:17
Go to Source: – here…
MY OPINION:
Cell phones are not bad, but the intentions of students and parents might be wrong. I think the idea of schools providing phones that can be used for emergency purpose is not bad, but if a serious disaster hits a school, not all students will have a chance to use this emergency phone provided by the school, they will need easy communication tools to alert their parents and the best communication tool is a cell phone. It is not bad for parents to reach their children while at school, natural disasters and criminal activities in schools are on the rise, so parents may want to stay in connection with their children just in case something wrong happens. Maybe we need to set rules which control both parents and children, parents should contact their children after classroom hours. Also, parents have a right to know if their children are at school or not, this is essential because children are easily distracted and many parents have lost their children through drug use, and other related unhealthy behaviors.
RESPONSE 18:
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 19
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 20
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 21
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 22
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 23
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 24
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 25
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 26
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 27
Go to Source: –here….
RESPONSE: 28
Go to Source:-here….
RESPONSE: 29
Go to Source:-here….
RESPONSE: 30
Go to Source: –here….
You can join this debate and tell us what you think, ‘’Should Cell Phones Be Allowed in School?’’, I welcome all ideas; because the main aim of this topic is to find a solution to this endless debate.
