With today’s technological advances making cell phones ubiquitous in almost every aspect of people’s lives, it’s no surprise that cell phones in schools have become a hotly debated topic. There are advocates on both sides: some claim cell phones are an inappropriate distraction during school hours, others accept students’ familiarity with them and use them in class. While the jury is still out, both sides have some intriguing points.

Mobile phone advocates say there are many benefits to using the devices in educational settings; some of these advantages include:

• Parent involvement. Students can use camera-equipped cell phones to take pictures of projects they complete in class, such as group projects that use only class time. Generally, in these situations, students do not do any research or assembly of such projects at home, so parents cannot see the result of their children’s efforts in the classroom. Allowing students to use cell phones in this capacity encourages parental involvement in their children’s lives, as well as supporting their educational development.
• Missing assignments. Teachers can enact a buddy system in which students email or text each other details of assignments their buddy missed due to absence. This will save teachers valuable time that they would have otherwise spent putting together makeup packages and instill a sense of responsibility among students for themselves and each other.
• Take notes. Students who have trouble keeping up in class when taking notes can use their mobile phone’s camera function to take photos of notes and save them for later study and showing to parents/guardians as well as classmates that some of them have been lost. Teachers can also incorporate note taking into their buddy system for missing assignments, and allow students to send missed information during class time to absent classmates, and also allow them to receive such information if they are absent.
• Real world tools. Cell phones typically have features like calculators, which most high school math classes require. Using your cell phone’s calculator feature can teach students the real-world skill of using what’s at hand to calculate math problems in their everyday lives.
• Improving focus. Students with cell phones that have music capabilities and headphones may use them during homework periods or independent study times. Many students find listening to music to be a relaxing study habit, and studies of learning styles indicate that some students learn better by listening to music while solving problems or reading. Students who are comfortable while studying are more likely to study longer, more often, and produce more positive results than those who do not listen to music.

On the other hand, many believe that cell phones will only contribute to existing problems in schools, such as cheating, disrespecting teachers and staff, and instigating problems among other students; some even mention the possibility of using cell phones for illegal activities during school.

• Unfaithful. The use of a cell phone, regardless of the age of the user or the location from which it is used, carries with it a responsibility. Some advocates of a ban on cell phones in schools claim that using a cell phone’s camera feature allows students to cheat on tests by taking photos of answer keys, test content, or answers on the test. examination of a neighbor.
• Disrespect. Students can use their phones for all sorts of mischief in class, including using their audio recording feature to record teachers or other staff during lectures or other conversations without them noticing the recording. Students could then use those recordings to take the speaker’s words out of context and present them in a manipulative light.
• inciting problems. Students may use their cell phones during school to cause problems among students and harass others. School-related violence and bullying cases are on the rise, and officials are already busy dealing with disruptive students and keeping order in their institutions; Allowing students to use devices like cell phones during school hours will make these problems easier to perpetrate and harder to control.
• Illegal activities. Students may use cell phones during school to engage in unlawful activities such as placing or receiving orders to deal drugs, causing students to fight with each other, taking and placing bets on sporting events or other forms of gambling, or planning events. such as bomb threats and other security breaches.
• Distraction. Nearly everyone in favor of banning cell phones in schools says that allowing them to be used in class will distract students from their studies. Features like Internet access and gaming capabilities are most often cited as the biggest distractions. While the Internet can provide legitimate research capabilities, video games do not provide any educational benefits.

Today there are schools that make use of both policies. Pasco County’s Wiregrass Ranch High School uses mobile phones in many of its classes, including English, math and social studies. Teachers allow students to use their phones to research literature and authors, calculate math problems, and take photos for class projects, among other tactics. Students in this district say they feel more respected and trusted than students in districts that don’t have that privilege, and recognize that devices can help them learn more about their world, both past and present. In the area of ​​behavior management, teachers at the school no longer have to battle students on a daily basis to put their phones away or pay attention during class. Instead, they are integrating cell phone use into their lesson plans and students are more engaged during class and benefit. Students can go about their personal business on their cell phones before and after school, as well as during lunch and break periods, so personal distractions really aren’t a problem. Administrators recognize that some students will abuse and abuse the privilege. Rules, such as usage restrictions and removal of other non-cell phone privileges, are in place to discourage potential silly offers.

Most schools across the country have some sort of cell phone ban in place in their districts, primarily due to their connections to illegal activities and disruptions during class. Some cite security concerns, stating that student access to cell phones while on campus does not make them safer in the event of a violent event, even going so far as to say that they can complicate the work of emergency services in such a situation. instance. These schools also say that easy access to cell phones during the school day only increases rumors and makes bullying situations among students worse. As such, many of them enforce a “see it, we take it” policy and notify students and parents of the strict nature of such policies.

Some schools have begun to relax their cell phone policies, while others continue to maintain their bans, even tightening their rules prohibiting the presence and use of cell phones on campus. Both sides have their own clear reasons for maintaining their courses of action, and only time will tell which theory is more successful in educating students.