Cell Phones in the Classroom

Should Cell Phones Be Banned In The Classroom?
Karen Craig
EDU 533W Micaela Boesche


Before reading the assignment, my opinion on this topic was yes, cell phones should be banned in the classroom. I saw points on both sides of the argument I hadn’t thought of. One point mentioned by Liz Kolb in the Point/Counterpoint article is that “students are unaware of cell phone etiquette. Allowing cell phones to become learning tools will give teachers the opportunity to introduce appropriate cell phone etiquette to students…” I agree that students need to learn etiquette. When my 13 year old niece stayed with us for the weekend, it was hard to maintain eye contact with her when we spoke because she could not stop looking at her phone. However I think etiquette can be taught without having to implement the phone as a learning tool. Liz brings up some good points on how cell phones could be used in the classroom; including “knowledge construction, data collection, and collaborative communication…”and her arguments have swayed me just slightly in that I think “banned” may be too strong a word. A school-wide ban I believe would be asking too much, especially in a High School. Perhaps it could be left up to each individual teacher. If a teacher has a project which has a need for this technology, and the parents and students are on board, then he or she should be able to allow it.
Although Kolb makes some good arguments, I agree more with Josh Allen. He mentions “…the fact that students would use them for purposes other than educational…” What is to keep them from reading and replying to texts while using the phone for an “educational tool” during class? Also, as Allen mentions, “the goal of an educational setting should be to give students the proper tools to succeed once they step into society...employers are much more concerned about a student’s computing and critical thinking skills than their phone skills.” Students do not need to be taught how to use their phones. I am pretty sure they have that mastered.
If I become a Health teacher in Middle School or High School, cell phones would not be allowed. They use their phones constantly before school, between classes, at lunch, on the bus, at home, all weekend. They are a distraction, phone use is disrespectful to the teacher, and students should be able to exercise some self discipline and put their phones away during class. I realize I will be in for an awakening when I become a teacher, so I may need to be flexible. One idea would be to have some sort of phone or “texting fix” at some point during class. Perhaps at the beginning of class when I am taking roll. Let them get it out of their system, take care of any last minute messages, then the phones need to be put away. If I see the phones out again during class, they will be taken, and can be picked up at the end of the day. In a Physical Education setting, cell phones shouldn’t be an issue and they wouldn’t be allowed in my class.

References
Kolb, L. (2006, November). From Toy to Tool. Learning & Leading with Technology,
Allen, J., & Kolb, L. (2007-08, December). Should Cell Phones Be Banned From Classrooms? Learning & Leading with Technology,