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Cell Phones in Schools: Useful Tool or Giant Distraction?

By IGI Global on Mar 10, 2011
Technology is a useful tool for learning, but certain types of technology like cell phones have often been considered to be distractions rather than helpful devices. According to recent research, 60% of children and teens ages 10-14 and 84% of teens ages 15-18 own cell phones ( www.cmch.tv/mentors/hottopic.asp?id=70). At the same time, 69% of U.S. high schools have banned the use and/or possession of cell phones on school property ( www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35063840/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/). With the increasing number of students owning cell phones and the rising number of uses and applications for cell phones, some researchers and educators are saying that these technologies should be embraced and utilized rather than discouraged.

In a recent article in O'Reilly radar, one such advocate pointed out that laptops are increasingly being used in classrooms, and cell phones are similar devices in many ways. Marie Bjerede, the author of the article, makes the case that there are two major challenges in utilizing any kind of Internet technology in schools: "The first is student safety and privacy – preventing information that is obscene or harmful to children from being accessed by the devices. The second is classroom management – focusing student attention on the task at hand rather than the myriad distractions of the Web." Bjerede goes on to point out that technologies to solve these problems on laptops is already in place to a great extent, and technologies to solve these problems on cell phones – such as parent-enabled cell phone security controls and cloud-based Internet filtering – is developing. Many of these cell phone technologies, however, need to be enabled at the cell phone manufacturing level. For Bjerede, the bottom line seems to be that cell phones can be utilized in the classroom, but necessary security features need to be more widely implemented, and that may take some changes and some time ( http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/02/cell-phones-school.html).

A number of educators have more problems with the use of cell phones in classrooms. Many schools ban cell phone use, and it's not hard to see why. Numerous polls have indicated that cell phones are often used for texting during class, and even for cheating during quizzes and tests. Cyberbullying is also common through texting, e-mail, and social networking – all of which can be utilized through smart phones. Still, cell phone bans have their own problems: for schools that ban cell phones, even with threats of detention and suspension, a number of students decide to ignore the ban. A recent poll found that at schools with bans, 63% of students still said they used their cell phones at school ( www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35063840/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/).

Some students may support these bans due to their own issues with the use of cell phones at school. Dalton McGuinty, the current Premier of Ontario, Canada, has supported the use of cell phones in the classroom as an effective learning tool, but a survey showed that more than 72% of students in Ontario did not think cell phones had any place in the classroom ( www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/sexual-diversity-belongs-in-classroom-cellphones-dont-student-survey/article1919006/).

Despite a variety of support and opposition on each side of this issue, the bottom line may simply be that cell phones are a technology that is not going away any time soon, and schools need to decide the best way to handle them: embracing the technology, banning cell phones entirely, or something in between. Many schools are turning toward allowing students to use cell phones during free times like lunch and between classes, as long as they put the devices away during class.

After all, cell phone use in school, even for non-educational purposes, is certainly not all bad. One principal in Illinois decided to give out his own cell phone number to the high school's 2,500 students in an effort to be as accessible as possible. The principal began receiving so many texts from students that he was forced to upgrade the text messaging on his phone plan. On Thanksgiving alone, he received more than 175 holiday greetings. If cell phone technology can allow a principal to be more accessible to students, it may not be the right technology for everyone, but it shouldn't be ignored that this could be a great tool for some schools ( www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35063840/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/).

The use of cell phones in the classroom is a complex issue that needs to be addressed from a variety of angles. Many positives and negatives have been outlined, but ultimately, every educator and every school needs to decide how to best utilize this technology or whether the negatives outweigh the positives. One recent IGI Global book chapter addresses the issue of effectively implementing cell phones and other wireless technologies in the classroom. " Digital Literacy and the Use of Wireless Portable Computers, Planners, and Cell Phones for K-12 Education" was written by Virginia E. Garland, The University of New Hampshire, USA. For more information on this chapter, please visit www.igi-global.com/bookstore/chapter.aspx?TitleId=20934. This chapter first appeared in the Handbook of Research on Literacy in Technology at the K-12 Level, edited by Leo Tan Wee Hin and R. Subramaniam, both of the National Institute of Education, Singapore. For more information on this book, please visit www.igi-global.com/bookstore/titledetails.aspx?titleid=485.Handbook of Research on Literacy in Technology at the K-12 Level


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