With technology being integrated into our lives in everything we do, the new question in education is, “Should cell phones be used in learning?” My position is No. I think using cell phones in the classroom are more of a distraction than an educational tool. Even if a lesson is planned integrating a cell phone into the lesson, students would get off task and the cell phones would create more of a detriment to the classroom than a benefit. There are many tools that you can use to integrate technology into the classroom that are available to teachers, I don’t think a cell phone should be one of them.
The three main reasons why I think cell phones should not be used in the classroom are:
• Text Messaging: Sending friends text messages during class time, including sending or receiving test answers/cheating. Cell phones in the classroom could create more cheating on tests and/or cheating between friends. It can also be just a plain distraction between students texting eachother. Imagine how hard it is to keep a student's attention without their cell phone in front of them!
• Privacy Issues & Inappropriate Use of Cell Phone: Taking and distributing inappropriate digital photos of students and/or teachers, video recordings. I would feel very uncomfortable knowing that a student in my classroom had the ability to take a picture or video of me. What if a student recorded a video of another student? The school is responsible for that. Every year, parents have to sign a media release form and choose whether they want their child to be photographed or used in any media in the school. Many parents sign the form, but what about the parents who do not want their child exposed in any way?
• Bullying or harassment via unwanted text messaging. Students would be more capable of finding another student's cell phone number and bullying them if they wanted too. It allows for more negative communication in the classroom, and once again, another potential legal problem for the school.
Using cell phones in class could create a major legal problem. What if you are having the students use their cell phone for a lesson in class and then something happens in the classroom that is illegal? For example, harassing through text message, taking pictures of someone in the classroom, etc. Whose responsibility would that be if something like this were to happen? Afterall, the teacher warranted the use of the cell phone in the first place. I do not want that weight on my shoulders in the classroom. I think there are other ways of integrating technology into the classroom besides using a cell phone. It is impossible to police every cell phone at all times. That puts a big burden and responsibility onto the teacher, and I don’t think it’s worth that much in terms of educational substance to bear that potential problem as a teacher.
An article on How to use cell phones in the classroom listed some educational uses such as: Using Digital cameras, dictionaries, internet access, and calculators. I don’t see those uses so different than using a computer, or at the very worst, using the old fashioned dictionary book or actual calculator?
And, for Business teachers who do have computers in their classroom, there is no need for a cell phone. Everything a cell phone could do, a computer can do better!
Sources
http://www.helium.com/items/1458174-cell-phones-mobile-phone-classroom-ban-affects-on-learning-learning-teaching
http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/2008/09/new-statistics-on-teen-cell-phone-use.html
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/cell_phone_learning/?page=2
I agree with your post. There was an incident at my school where a student snapped a picture of teacher and posted it online with comments. It's an invasion of the teacher's privacy and a disruption to the learning environment.I also agree with you about the responsibility issue. I wouldn't want to put additional stress and responsibility on me as a teacher than there already is. Do you think it is a good idea to learn about cell phone technology without actually having the cell phones in the class? Any ideas of how to do that?
ReplyDeleteI agree to some point. But we know that there will always be someone who abuses the system. But why not give students the benefit of the doubt and allow them to try to use cell phone for learning purpose? I think before we do so, we are to train students on the usage of cell phone for educational purposes. I have an idea, How about allowing students to bring their cell phone once a day to a classroom and let them interact with it? Then, have them put them away for the rest of the day. The problem occurs when students end-up holding their cell phones the rest of the day and use it for non-educational purposes. Do you agree?
ReplyDeleteI think it could be a good idea to learn about cell phone technology, but I don't see the benefits of having the students take the cell phone to class and then interacting with it, AND then telling them to put it away. As far as having them learn more about their cell phones- by this time, students probably know more about cell phones than we do. Most students I've known have had cell phones for many years already! In an elementary school I taught at, students in 2nd grade (and up) had their own cell phones. They were taught at an early age, by teachers and parents, to know never to turn the cell phone on in school.
ReplyDeleteLisa, great post. I agree with the issues that you brought up. I beleive that there is too much bad with the good. I beleie that those who want cell phones in the classroom are just doing it because it involves technology. Do you agree?
ReplyDeleteNicely written post! The formatting was great and you provided a list of resources. Good discussion following the original post.
ReplyDelete