Phones Improving our Futures
SPA has a rare opportunity to capitalize on an event that would help its students become better future global citizens. With the school urging SPA administration to change the cell phone policy, it is obvious that students want a change in how the community views phones during school hours. Research has been conducted in other schools and evidence shows how cell phone usage affects students. The data is not fully conclusive yet but provides a trend to show the ways cell phones changes a student’s habits and learning process. Cell phones should be allowed in the SPA community as they provide a tool for learning, a sense of safety and communication in the student body and a way to make us students more responsible technology users.
Although it
has not yet been decided what the new phone policy is going to be in the Upper School,
it is clear that the system in place can be and should be improved. The rules
regarding phones are hard to regulate and create unnecessary punishments. A
2009 Pew Internet survey highlighted the ineffectiveness of most school’s phone policies. It’s
data shows that for a school that does not allow phones in class, like SPA, 81%
of students always bring their phone to school and 65% send or receive a text during
class (Lenhart). Whatever system schools’ have in place are not doing anything to cut
back on phone usage during school hours. The punishments for the few kids who
are caught abusing the cell phone policy are more annoying than effective.
Statistics showing the usage of cell phones in school ("Majority of teens").
Whether or not cell phones add or detract from a student’s productivity still needs more evidence to be absolute but there are already noticeable trends, both good and bad. First and foremost, a cell phone provides the perfect communication device for students to parents for scheduling and safety (Shaw). As technology has advanced, a cell phone offers more than one classroom service. With an app students can download their textbooks and reading books for a fraction of the price while still being able to highlight, margin note and take their books to class. A phone also offers a calculator which makes computing science and math problems easier. The camera on a phone allows students to instantly take and share photos of their work, assignments and projects. Phones provide an easily accessible way to stay in touch with teaches and classes through email and other apps. Allowing phones in school also better prepares us for our professional futures. By learning how to use our phones effectively to solve problems while still in high school only helps us in our various future careers. By exposing students to expanding technology, schools, especially SPA, would be able to teach kids how to responsibly use technology. For this next generation, responsible tech users represent an important community that have a lot to offer to the professional world. Altering the phone policy also creates a chance to mend the double stand between teachers and students when it comes to phone and technology use where teachers often use iPads and phones while denying students that very right.
Double standard for teachers ("Teacher").
Students can use phones during their free periods to pass the time by playing a game instead of becoming restless and disturbing classes. This freedom poses a few areas for abuse but the new policy would need to rely on trust. The school trusts that the students will use their time in school effectively and find a balance between working and relaxing. Although this trust and freedom would not necessarily work in other schools, it has a good prospect in the SPA community.
Student sneakily cheating using his phone ("Student Cheating").
An interesting aspect of the argument is how the presence of phones could highlight differences in socioeconomic status, however this does not seem to pose a big of an issue in SPA’s community due to its mature students who understand the differences and individuality of students. Another possible drawback is how this policy change could affect students by making them become too reliant on technology. Though phones can offer a benefit to students, it might just tighten the bonds that kids create to a technology that constantly wants them to stay connected and share their experiences. For SPA, this is unlikely as our students are able to distinguish themselves from their devices and use these tools without getting lost in the new technologically advanced world. In other schools, however, it is more likely that a student’s use of cell phones in school could result in a phone being an intellectual crutch for students.
Introducing cell phones in a school community is not always the best option for a school, but in SPA's case, a change in pace could not be more welcomed. SPA has the capability to create an effective cell phone policy that reduces the drawbacks of cell phone use while finding beneficial ways to use them in classrooms and in learning experiences. SPA students are well prepared to use cell phones purposely and within the guidelines of the new policy. This is an opportunity to embrace a new aspect of technology and master it before finishing high school and it allows SPA to create thoughtful, productive, and capable students.
Works Cited
Johnson, M. Alex. "Bans don't work, so administrators explore
using mobile devices." MSNBC 3
Feb. 2010, Technology & Science: n. pag. Print.
Lenhart, Amanda, et al. "Teens and Mobile Phones." Pew Internet. Pew Internet, 20 Apr.
2010. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
<http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Teens-and-Mobile-Phones/Chapter-4/Mobile-phones-and-schools.aspx?r=1>.
"Majority of teens can have cell phones at school but not in
class." Teens and Mobile Phones.
PewInternet, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
<http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2010/Teens-and-Mobile-Phones/Chapter-4/Mobile-phones-and-schools.aspx?r=1>.
Shaw, Katherine. "Students and Cell Phones: Controversy in
the Classroom." Associated Content.
Yahoo, 19 Aug. 2009. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
<http://bluevaletgj2o.pbworks.com/f/Student%20Cell%20Phone%20Use.pdf>.
"Student Cheating." proctorfree.
proctorfree, 27 Jan. 2014. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
<http://proctorfree.com/blog/kapiolani-community-college-changes-testing-protocols-response-cheaters>.
"Teacher Phone Ringing." Quick meme. quick meme, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2014.
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