ESSAY

Running head: CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS 1

CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS 4

Cell Phones in School

Victor Chauhan

ENG 122

February 19, 2020

Cell Phones in School

Phones are an essential gadget in the current world, and their roles are multiple depending on the place and person having it. The spread of technology has led to high diffusion rates of mobile phones. Phones have both enhance the quality of life and business growth while damaging family relationships and opening room to insecurity (Alobiedat, 2012). Some educational authorities seek to have a policy on permitting phones in schools, but such a provision could only worsen situations as a result of its negative impact.

While cell phones in learning institutions have turned out to be a necessary aspect in everyone’s life, the issue of whether they ought to be allowed in schools has become a topic that is hotly debated. One suggestion into permitting the elementary school students to have phones in school is that many schools in diverse states in the USA have already allowed the learners to carry them. Parents argue that even though a policy does not exist to enable learners to take phones, none opposes the habit. Moreover, some proponents think if learners bring their phones to school it is a move into digital time and instruction; hence the learners and teachers can find ease in using the gadgets during lessons (Keep cellphones in the classrooms, 2019). Besides, many parents feel the students should carry phones to school and use them when boarding vehicles or during emergencies. According to a report from many children in America acquire phones once they are aged ten, and they would need to use then in such situations (George, 2016). Proponents of phone usage in elementary schools argue that these gadgets will open room for exploration of the potential to improve the access students will have to learn material off the school setting (Ngesi et al., 2018). Though a few advantages exist when they are allowed in schools, several disadvantages outweigh them..

Generally, allowing cell phones in schools would be equated to inviting distraction because learners can perform various activities in the gadget. Still, learners could indulge in unsuitable activities, thus deviating from the school’s principal objective. The fact that they would be busy fiddling with their cell phones, it is possible that their concentration towards studies would deteriorate substantially. Educators are also likely to get distracted, given that cell phones would ring during class sessions, thus destroying the tempo of the entire class (Province clamps down on cellphones, 2019). As such, phones would bring down the control of a class, the conducive learning environment, and the connection between the teacher and learner during lessons.

The majority of people do not support phone usage in elementary school. Based on a consultation that the Education Minister of Ontario conducted, 97 percent of respondents supported a ban on cell phones, for they encourage learners to use them in cheating during examinations (Province clamps down on cellphones in school, 2019). Having the phones in the pockets helps the learners to text others or even externals seeking or even Google for answers in the course of the exam. Therefore, the policy would turn out as an undoing of progress to the quality education that is currently in America.

Teachers are uncomfortable with students having phones in schools. Some teachers like Catherine Carpela, who once taught a school where learners used phones, raises a concern that instead of focusing on teaching, preparing a lesson, or monitoring learners, teachers will have the task of monitoring inappropriate phone usage (George, 2016). Ngesi, Linda, et al. (2018) assert that reliance on phones as teaching aids or for learning subjects like English causes a deterioration in grammar, bad spelling, poor writing skills, and poor language use among the learners. Based on the argument of decline in learning as well as overwhelming teachers, phones are inappropriate in elementary schools. Permission to have elementary school students carry phones to schools is in the consequences it would cause. Bringing cell phones to school would also pave the way for theft because individual students would take them to sell and make money.

Phones are a potential object that can give rise to after school gang activities with learners collaborating to make prank calls, meet to explore prohibited activities and places, as well as ending up with pre-marital relationships. Besides, with phones of varied types, these would naturally pose unhealthy competition amongst users. Everyone would want to brag about their model or brand, and in case some students have low brands, they would develop an inferiority complex, which would fuel class differences.

Overall, phones have negative effects on students in elementary schools. Phones could be teaching aids, and they could enhance the digital wave, connect parents with their children, serve as a tool for logistics, and conducting after school tasks. However, the points mentioned above show that students in elementary schools should not carry cellphones in schools. With phones, theft cases, distracted lessons, misuse by learners and exam cheating could be a resultant case.

References

Alobiedat, A. (2012). Faculty and student perception and the appropriate and inappropriate use of mobile phones in the classroom at the University of Granada. Int’l J of Instructional Media.39(1). 3-17.

George, D. S. (2016, December 7). Should children get to have cellphones in elementary school? Washington Post. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.mylibrary.wilmu.edu/apps/doc/A473087357/ITBC?u=new90507&sid=ITBC&xid=b314a909

Keep cellphones in the classrooms, education group says; Most secondary schools encourage students to bring their own devices. (2019, April 9). Toronto Star [Toronto, Ontario], p. A5. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.mylibrary.wilmu.edu/apps/doc/A581734673/STND?u=new90507&sid=STND&xid=305392a9

Ngesi, N., Landa, N., Mandikiza, N., Tshotsho, B. & Walters, L.N. (2018). Use of mobile phones as supplementary teaching and learning tools to learners in South Africa. Reading & Writing – Journal of the Reading Association of South Africa. 1-12.

Province clamps down on cellphones in school; Ban on using devices in class unless for educational use criticized as hard to enforce. (2019, March 13). Toronto Star [Toronto, Ontario], p. A1. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.mylibrary.wilmu.edu/apps/doc/A578162140/STND?u=new90507&sid=STND&xid=78870548