Cell Phones in the Classroom or Nah?!
Good Afternoon, All!
Myself and two others did a little debate regarding cell phone use in the classroom. I played the role as a Classroom Teacher, Justine played the role as the Principal of the school, and Shyla played the role as a Parent of one of the students in my classroom. The Classroom Teacher and the Principal were against having cell phones used in the classroom, but accommodated to the needs and concerns of the parent who thought it was beneficial for her child to use her cell phone due to specific circumstances.
Our conversation (in video style format) is below...
In the discussion, you will notice the different perspectives: the perspective from a school standpoint, and the perspective from a parent. Both perspectives raise good points regarding cell phone use in the classroom.
Pro's to Cell Phone/Technology Use in the Classroom...
- Various ways of displaying/demonstrating knowledge through different tools (like Kahoot, google slides, jeapordy, etc.)
- Instant answers to any question
- Instant access to information - can be useful during research projects
- If the students ever find themselves in trouble and need to call for help, they have a cell phone to do so
- Learn digital etiquette and digital citizenship
- Become more aware of the news and what is happening in the world
Con's to Cell Phone/Technology Use in the Classroom...
- Leads to cyber bullying
- Distraction from homework and school work when they should be focused and paying attention
- Predators
- Using it for inappropriate reasons
- Disconnect from the other peers
- Become too reliant on their cell phones
Personally, I believe that there are both pro's and con's to cell phones in the classroom. I never had an issue with this in my grade three classroom because none of the students had cell phones. I can see this being more of an issue after grade 5 or grade 6 and being a major issue in highschool. There are lots of benefits that technology has provided us but it has made us too reliant on our cell phones that we feel we can't go anywhere without them or go on a trip without being about to snapchat my bestie's the entire time I'm there.
School's can use SmartBoards and tablets in so many different ways that benefit a child's learning and enhance comprehension. It is effective for students who are have a hearing disability or other form of learning disability. It is just knowing when the right time to use it is and when it isn't the right time. There is a reason for everything, but there is no reason for a student to be lacking engagement and become distracted over a cell phone.
Resources
https://education.cu-portland.edu/blog/classroom-resources/pros-and-cons-of-allowing-digital-devices-in-the-classroom/ https://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/360/do-smartphones-belong-in-middle-school-parents-teens-and-others-weigh-in https://www.itv.com/news/2018-09-04/six-out-of-10-parents-think-smartphones-should-be-banned-in-school-survey/ https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-44546360 https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/best-apps-dyslexia/ https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/02/17/586534079/should-the-parkland-shooting-change-how-we-think-about-phones-schools-and-safety
