Cell phones: Learning aid or class distraction?

$W (O 'RUDGR +LJK 6FKRRO VWXGHQWV DUH not allowed to have phones during class. In this generation it is rare to see someone not on their phone.

Students should be allowed to use phones in school. Phones are helpful in case of a emergency, maybe even in a school emergency, and students should be able to call for help.

Also, a phone can be used for educational research.

Students don’t always understand what is given to them to complete. A phone can help me break down something that’s hard to comprehend.

There may be hundreds of websites with stories about phones being a distraction LQ VFKRRO EXW DW (O 'RUDGR +LJK 6FKRRO

phones aren’t that big of deal. According to Assistant Principal Geni

Smith, phones aren’t as problematic in school as you might think.

“Phones aren’t as much as a problem as they were last year. We struggled with the LGHD RI µ%ULQJ <RXU 2ZQ 'HYLFH¶ DQG WKDW¶V

why we had to cut back on what you can do with them,” said Smith.

For some students the policy for the phones has helped in a major way. Because of the advancement in technology now, the majority of the work students do in class FDQ EHQH¿W IURP SKRQHV

It’s OK if students are using phones responsibly. Sometimes, students aren’t.

Even though phones can be helpful for instruction in controlled situations, use during other lessons and teacher lectures is prohibited.

Smith explained how it’s rare for a student to be sent out of class because of a phone. “It’s not very often that students get sent out of class for their phone, it’s maybe one or

two every now and then.” 7KLV \HDU¶V VWD൵ PHPEHUV DUH YHU\ VWULFW

when it comes to the phone policy, and not only will students get in trouble, but teachers will too.

Students must also understand the consequences they will endure when they don’t follow the rules.

Smith said this isn’t a punishment, but rather it’s helping the students for when they get a job in the real world.

“I was on an industry tour earlier this week and even the people in business were saying we have to help workers understand that when it’s time to work you have to put your phone up to operate machinery to do the job at hand. So we are kind of prepping you guys for the real world,” Smith said.

The pros far outweigh the cons. We have computers in the palms of our hands. Students should be allowed to use phones in school.