Monday, April 28, 2008
Should students be allowed to use cell phones in public high schools?
The 21st century has brought many new advances in technology. The more widespread use of computers, cell phones, digital video, and the internet has helped to expand the use of technology in schools, the workplace, and at home. The technology age is upon us and it has started a trend among public and private school sectors worldwide. The trend in the use of technology has helped classroom instruction but to what extent? There are pros and cons to the use of technology in education these days. Recent trends have occurred in the use of technology by students in the classroom. Cell phones have become a new issue that has caused school districts to reevaluate their policy concerning the use of cell phones in class. Many school districts have banned the use of cell phones on school property. But in recent months, that policy has come under review. The policy has changed to coincide with recent trends throughout the country that allow cell phones on school campuses for safety reasons. Several school districts have banned pagers and cell phones starting a decade ago because of their connection to drug and gang activity, as well as due to the disruption to classes. But, parents have began to lobby boards to change policies based on the argument that phones will make students and schools safer in light of emergencies and violence in schools. Should cell phones be allowed in schools for this reason? Can they be integrated into classroom learning? Will they cause more harm then good if students are allowed to use them in public schools?
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6 comments:
I have struggled to answer that question on whether or not students should have phones at school or not, especially since next year my own daughter will be entering junior high and I would like to have communication with her in emergency cases, etc. Unfortunately, the abuse of cell phones in the past, however, makes me hesitant. The reality is that the majority of the time, they are NOT used for emergencies, but for disruptive purposes as you mentioned. Students at our school are only allowed cell phones if they are turned off and left in their lockers for after school use, since many are involved in sports and need to communicate with their parents about pick up times, etc. Nevertheless, how do you keep some from using them at other times? Right now we take the phones away and kids have to pay a hefty $15 fee to get them back. What amazed some of the teachers including myself is that some of the parents have called their students in the middle of class? Is that absurd or what? First of all, they weren't supposed to have them in class, much less answer! Finally, some students have used them to cheat by sending answers and also to get people in trouble in other classes. In conclusion, I think the exceptional case of a true emergency is not enough to allow cell phones, at least in high schools. It's too much temptation for the teenagers...
Cell phones should definitely not be allowed in schools for several reasons. First and foremost, parents nowadays use the safety reason for cell phone use. Their kids, however, are not using cell phones in class for safety reasons. They are playing games, texting their friends, and even doing negative things with their cell phone during class. There have been many documented cases where teachers have been suspended because students took pictures and videos of their teachers, edited them, and put them on the internet to make their teachers look bad. Teachers can not fear for their safety in the classroom either.
Secondly, our students do not know the boundaries of respect for others in this day and age. Allowing them to play with a cell phone is rude while someone is talking and trying to teach them something.
Next, we must think about how many tardies our students will have when they are babbling away on their phone between periods, or how many times they will leave the classroom to go have a conversation. What about during class? Will our students be paying attention and learning, or texting away? We really must err on the side of caution with this one. The wrong decision here may be disastrous for any school.
Joseph Kastan
I believe that cell phones should not be allowed in school. As an educator I have seen what the students who try to sneak cell phones do. Students who are caught with a cell phone in class ae caught becasue the phone rings in class; they are showing it off to a friend; they are texting friends; they are playing games on the phone. This is a proven point that most will not use it for what it should be used on school property for. For emergencies only. It will become a very big disruption for class.
Unfortunately, cell phones in school are not being used for the purpose that parents and others are lobbying for. Depending upon the environment in which one labors, cell phones in schools are being used for inappropriate behavior i.e., recording the movement of girls from the back, taking photos of an exam and passing it on to their peers, calling in "bomb scares" during school hours, and contacting gang members for initiations during and after school. Students often contact one another during classes so they can meet at a specific location in the school for an initiation or a jump-in. Girls often contact one another to meet in the bathrooms or basement, so they can fight while classes are in session. Students also use cell phones to contact their boy/girlfriends in school so they can have sex. Yes, sex! Students are actually having sexual relations in school while they are suppose to be learning. There are a plethora of reason why students should not be permitted to possess cell phones in school, and I beleive they outway the one essential reason for allowing cell phones in schools.
If politicians, administrators, teachers, parents, and the community as a whole did what they are expected to do as adults, the only concern regarding school would be what are students going to learn today.
School is no place for students to walk around with cell phones on their hips, belt clips, or in their purses, school is an educational institution and should be uphelp as such.
Instead of adults allowing students(children) to lead them in the direction they desire them to go, adults should be leading the students. Morals/respect should be the concern of many and not whether one's child has the "constitutional right" to possess a cell phone in school.
Are they in school to talk on the cell phone or get an education?
Great blog Felicia! I thought reading your blog was very interesting. You made some valid points. This question is certainly an issue that I may have mix feelings about. For instance, cell phones can be a distraction to the learning environments, however, what if an emergency occurs. I believe that if they are allowed, there should be guideless within school broad policies. Whether they are followed or not are certainly another topic.
The focus on their disruption of the instructional process has become a conflict with cell phones becoming a convenience items over recent years. This trend has been seen throughout school districts in the United States and other Countries. Such devices are more for convenience purposes today than it may have been 10 years ago. Therefore, some school boards have changed policies to avoid parental pressures and school and community politics. Cell phones are cheaper than computers and have nearly the same capablities have computers. New cell phones such as the IPhone have internet, microsoft work, powerpoint and other programs commonly found on computers and commonly used in classrooms. I think the cell phones will be intergrated into classroom instruction much sooner then we think. So as educators, should we get ready for it?
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