Thursday, September 20, 2012
Should mobile phone be allowed in schools?
Everyone has facing this dilemma nowadays: should mobile phone be allowed in classroom? Surveys have been conducted toward this question; the results revealed that most parents and students, surprisingly, lean towards to agree that mobile phone could be used regularly in school.
As always, we need to weight the pros and cons when it comes to such question, and looking it from different angle. From parents’ point of view, first thing comes to their mind is the safety of their children, so it makes perfect sense to allow students carry mobile phones all the time, such that everything is under control and parents can monitor their kids, and the kids, hopefully, can report their activities regularly, no good old excuse such as “Oops, I forget my phone…”.
Other legit reasons appeared on the survey supporting these petitions are:
•Organized their schedule.
•Check grade.
•Take class note
•Read digital books
Are these reasons good enough to persuade school administrator to allow students using cell phone in school?
I would say that, especially for high school students, mobile phone could be used in school under proper supervision, such as lifting firewall and strict filter, in that way, mobile phone could be a technical tool to enhance their learning experience.
On the con side, it is completely unnecessary to give younger children mobile phone when they go to school, since most younger kids don’t do well in terms of self controlling, let alone the peer pressure, using mobile phone will sure have a negative influence on their study, and
•Distraction from curriculum
•Cheating by text message or phone calls
•Hostility (jealousy, thefts)
•Wrong usage
Technology improved rapidly in the past decade, it not only brings convenience to education, but also carries temptations to our next generation. As an educator, teaching student how to use technology appropriately and effectively is our responsibility. Believe it or not, using mobile phone will become common in school, the soon we accept this fact and the better off we can prepare. It is not rightful to blame students for anything comes out of such technology distractions. Rather, we should prepare ourselves and take advantage of this technical advances, and eventually lead students on the right track of proper utilization.
References:
Chris, G. (Apr.4.2011) Should Cell Phones be Allowed in Classrooms? Most Parents Say Yes. [Web resource]. Retrieved from http://techland.time.com/2011/04/04/should-cell-phones-be-allowed-in-classrooms-most-parents-say-yes/
Rujuta, B. (Jan.1.2012) Cell Phones in School Pros and Cons. [Web resource]. Retrieved from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/cell-phones-in-school-pros-and-cons.html
(Sep.20.2012) The Buzz: Cell Phones in School [Web Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTKZ6jovfso
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This is an excellent post! I really appreciate that you considered both sides of using mobile devices in schools. I am so used to hearing the benefits and it is important to also recognize the potential negative aspects. I am currently forming an electronic devices committee for my school, so this topic is one that I am considering daily. How do we balance internet safety and learning? How do we use mobile devices to engage students and eliminate the distractions caused by mobile devices at the same time?
ReplyDeleteI am finding that it is nearly impossible to eliminate all potential pitfalls of using cell phones and other electronic devices in the classroom, but I am also realizing that these can be significantly curtailed if we plan for and structure how we use the devices in the classroom and we teach students how to properly use the items. I think that it is also important that students take responsibility and are held accountable for their actions using these devices, so I believe students should sign Codes of Conduct. They can also take part in creating Codes of Conduct for these devices.
I believe that all of your "pros" do outweigh the "cons" because we can prevent many of the cons from happening if we methodically approach electronic device usage in our classroom. I love the pros you mentioned like "organizing class schedule" and "Check grade". There are so many apps available that could really be utilized in education. If students become "jealous", allow students to share or work with groups and partners. They will be excited just to use the phone.
Great post!
-Erin
Hi Erin,
DeleteI agree with your suggestion that students should sign Code of conduct, it is a good way to help them establish their self-discipline guidelines. How to prevent distraction from internet is an ongoing problem, I am sure genius at computer science are working hard to achieve this goal, and for the time being, Codes of conduct is a very good idea.
Thanks for your reply
Yun
I like that you are all for using cell phones in the class. I think they can be a powerful tool, when used correctly. But let's face it...not all teachers will be willing to step out of their comfort zone. That might be the first thing to address once schools allow such devices in class.
ReplyDeleteThe pros do outweigh the cons. However, until schools and districts can see this, it will be difficult for us to deal with. I also think you are never going to win that battle. I mean, it is always easy to tell someone what to do when you don't have to do it yourself. For example...the office and administration tells us to NOT use electronics. Yet, we see them using them. Of course it is easy for them to say NO...but what can we do?
You have a great post here!
Hi Mike,
DeleteThanks for your comment, I totally agree with you. As I said before, this is still an ongoing problem, I am sure given five to ten years we can have a solid solution to it. We all know easy said than done, but at least we should start with this, otherwise it will take forever to make any kind of change. Be yourself and hope for the best.
Yun
Yun,
ReplyDeleteI tend to agree, "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!" Instead of trying to completely ban cell phones, which are so integral to students' lives (especially the upper grades), we should set a curriculum that incorporates them usefully where appropriate. As long as rules and procedures for their use are in place, and there is engaging and beneficial learning that comes out of their use, cell phones have their place in education, just like other technologies!
Nice job,
Meghan
Hi Meghan,
DeleteThanks for you comment, I appreciate that. We all know, there is nothing we can do to stop cell phone in school, and the only thing we can do is teaching our students behave themselves and show them the benefit of discipline.
Yun