Cell phones in class rooms

Cell Phones in Class Room

Introduction

Over the last decade there has been a rapid increase in the use of cellular technology across the world. Cell phones which were once considered as an important business tool, has now widened its horizons as tends to serve as part of the popular culture now. Today as a result, schools around the world, even in America have started to ponder over the frequent usage of cell phones amongst students, questioning its pros and cons and if they could serve as an important learning tool or not. (Carphone Warehouse, 2006) Hence turning them into an essential piece of leaning tool within the class rooms.

Discussion

Based on a recent survey of children between the age group of 8 to 18, approximately, 66% of the 2000 U.S. students were noted to own and serve as a regular user of cell phones. This depicts a 27% increase amongst the age group of 8 to 18 since it was last recorded in 2004 when a similar study was conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation (Rideout, Foeher,& Roberts, 2010). Cell phones which were once a simple gadget used to communicate with peers, family and business associate in turn have also evolved into a much more versatile device offering a vast array of functionalities such as sending and receiving emails, web browsing, audio/video capturing along with keeping abreast with the rest of the world through means of various social media networks while at the same time sharing crucial pieces of news across the geographical boundaries with just one click. (Carphone Warehouse, 2006) However over the years a number of reasons have substantiated this increasingly high usage of cell phones amongst high school students.

Based on Rideout, Roberts and Foeher's survey on an average day, the age group between the 8 to 18 years old tends to spend 30 minutes talking on phone; 17 minutes listening to music; 17 minutes playing games; and 15 minutes watching TV. Whereas the students between the 7th to the 12th grade tend to spend an average of as much as ½ hours just text-messaging. (Rideout, V., Foehr, U. G., & Roberts, D. F. 2010)

With the technological advances making cell phones pervasive into nearly every aspect of people's lives, the question of whether cell phones should be allowed in schools and class rooms has been regarded as quite a hotly debated topic over the years where most of the school administrations across the state tend to regard cell phone use as disruptive and distracting, and have in turn implemented various policies that prohibit students using cell phones on school grounds. (McFarlane, A., Roche, N. & Triggs, P. 2007)

Robinson, Brown, and Green (2010) claim that the impending threats brought about as a result of the increasing usage of cell phones within the school premises are indeed quite real and one that cannot be overlooked. Thus schools need to consider and address these prevailing issues directly before jumping to any conclusions regarding if the students can be allowed to use their ...