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Blog Post by Micah Tolman
DISCLAIMER: Mr Pace says this Pacebook will cover all of the break and will not be due until Sunday evening, January 2nd. Have a fun break everybody. Our generation is the first to have pocket-size mobile devices. These units are quite remarkable; they can be used as calculators, cameras, and encyclopedias, all of which are quite valuable in a classroom. Yet, when used improperly, they are dangerous. They can become a distraction from learning, they promote cheating, and they prevent healthy communication skills. In recent times it has become abnormal to be one of the few students at school without a personal smartphone;“A 2010 Pew Research Center study found that 65 percent of cell-owning teens bring their phones to school despite any bans that may be in place” (Nulsen, Caprice). Teachers and professors have difficult jobs. The problem of mobile devices is only adding to the challenge; according to a recent study parenting (and teaching) is harder today than it was 20 years ago, with many … citing technology as a reason why” (Nulsen, Charise). Most schools have Ipads, Chromebooks, or PC units for kids to do class work on. Individual technology was beneficial during distanced education, but since class has returned to its normal location, the question arises, are phones still necessary? Should schools have more restrictions prohibiting students from using cell phones during class? When have cell phones been beneficial to you in school? When have they been distracting (such as a fellow student getting noisy notifications)? I have had some sort of mobile device nearly all of the time since I was twelve. At first I used them simply to play games on, then to read from, then to do research with, then to take photos, then to type documents (like I am doing right now). Though my various gizmos have been helpful, I wonder if they have harmed my social confidence, my work ethic, or my health. I know from experience that it is easy to find answers to homework online. It seems to be more comfortable than asking a teacher or peer for help. However, getting into the habit of turning only to Google for assistance is detrimental. Someday, if we have not already, we will have questions that Google does not have answers to. If we are uncomfortable approaching our associates with questions, problems may arise. I believe certain apps are addicting and prevent students from accomplishing school work. This leads to lower graduation rates which should be a red flag for education administrators. School is a place to prepare youth for future careers. By allowing cell phones to be sued in class, I feel the opposite effect is taking place. Photo: https://www.familyeducation.com/life/kids-cell-phones/cell-phones-school-should-they-be-allowed Article: https://www.familyeducation.com/life/kids-cell-phones/cell-phones-school-should-they-be-allowed
43 Comments
Jonah
12/23/2021 03:05:53 pm
“Although parents may not love the idea of teens having their phones at school, they may want them to have access to phones for all that happens immediately following time at school.” We all know that one freshman who always needs to borrow your phone to call their parents for a ride home from practice. Actually, my younger brother, Kanyon, had a phone before I did, since he was moving to West Jefferson with my Mom and needed a way to let her know that his track practices had ended. For me as a freshman, I usually rode the bus home from school. My Dad was my bus driver, and so if I wasn’t going to go home I just went out to the bus after school and told him as much. Now as a senior, the majority of the time I do not go home until hours after school has ended, even during the off-seasons of my sports, as I usually go to work. The one rule my parents have in our house is to let them know where I am at. Life is pretty hectic at our house, and so a phone is pretty much necessary to let this happen. It definitely gets more necessary as you get older, and participate in more events.
Boaz Oswald
12/23/2021 07:29:29 pm
I need my phone very often as well to let my parents now what I am doing. We, as a society, have really backed ourselves in a corner between the entertainment aspect and the useful aspect of phones.
Micah Tolman
12/26/2021 10:45:46 am
Even if you need a phone to communicate, you can use it during lunch. I think it would be helpful if teachers had boxes students were required to put their devices in during class.
Dakota James
12/29/2021 12:53:16 pm
I like this argument you made, that phones are for more than just learning and entertainment. I find myself using my phone to contact my parents when I need them and am not around or visa versa. Phones are a safety device in some ways, just like how we use them to call 911. It all comes down to how the device is used by an individual.
Lizzie Nelson
1/2/2022 04:17:56 pm
Often I think that are generation gets a lot of crap for us always being on our phones but we aren’t the only people that are. I think that you’re right our parents do expect us to answer there texts and calls even during school because they need to get ahold of us. You’re right when you say it often gets hectic so it is nice to be able to get ahold of either your parents, siblings, or even friends to let them know what is going and what you’re doing.
Erik
1/2/2022 07:43:55 pm
My younger brother is also among one of the freshman needing rides and other people’s phones to get a ride home.
Boaz Oswald
12/23/2021 07:24:31 pm
The real damage of phones comes from how it is used at home more than how it is used at school I think. For example, I have noticed that my attention span goes in a cycle of high and low as I notice that I have trouble working on what I need to, so I work on not using my phone as much which increases my determination to work on something for an extended amount of time. Then I get lax on my worry about it and my attention span gets smaller and smaller. This cycle is fairly long as well, with months in between highs and lows. This leads me to believe that the damage comes from our habits in our life. Ultimately the question becomes about the internet and how each individual uses it. It becomes a problem that each individual has to fight instead of an administrational worry. Phones are vital to many people's schedule after all.
Jonah
12/25/2021 12:34:58 pm
I go through similar cycles, as well. There will be times when I recognize that I spend too much time on Instagram, and so I delete it. I do pretty well for about a week or so and then I start going back to it.
Micah Tolman
12/25/2021 04:31:03 pm
Well said Boaz. People could start wearing watches instead of using phones to say on schedule. I have similar habitual cycles of productivity and distractions.
Dakota James
12/29/2021 12:50:04 pm
I agree with your assumption that our habits at home are more problematic than at school. I also like what you said about cycles, because trends on social media and other platforms come and go, bringing our attention spans with them at times. Then again, as long as we have access to phones and devices similar, we are going to use them for entertainment.
Carson Mildon
1/2/2022 01:33:35 am
I also try to limit my phones usage time. It seems like a common trend that most teens are on their phones too much; and they realize it.
Dakota James
12/29/2021 12:46:36 pm
Electronic devices are great for learning until that power is abused. That basically sums it up. However, the work ethic of the student and the age at which they had access to the internet seems to make a difference. I did not get a phone that was capable of displaying social media, games, or the internet, until I was around 13. This allowed me to instill a good work ethic within myself and develop social skills without the assistance of technology. Furthermore, most schools, including ours, have what I would consider to be reasonable restrictions for phones at school. Of course, there will always be some distraction, but at the same time, some schools provide computers for students to use. Our generation has become more compatible with using technologies like phones, in our everyday lives.
Carson Mildon
1/2/2022 01:32:39 am
I would agree that your first sentence pretty well sums it all up. I also completely agree that many modern students are more compatible with phones rather than computers.
Adyson
1/2/2022 07:29:57 am
I agree with you one hundred percent that our generation has become so used to having the benefits of technology in our daily lives that I believe this habit will only continue to grow throughout the upcoming generations.
Jonah
1/2/2022 08:55:59 am
It seems like a lot of the time kids get their first phones younger and younger because parents use it as like a free babysitter, which isn’t right. So it’s up to the parents just as much as the kids I think. It’ll be interesting once we’re all parents and have to decide when to give our kids stuff.
Ele
1/2/2022 07:42:34 pm
I believe that given the power to have a cellular device at a young age may affect the way one uses their phone.
Carson Mildon
1/2/2022 01:30:30 am
Mobile phones get a very unwarranted negative connotation because they are often misused. Phones are commonly discouraged or not allowed in schools because teachers are worried they will be distracting. However, I would argue that it is usually not a phone that distracts me in class; in fact, many students use their phones to listen to music which can significantly improve mental focus. I do not believe that phones should be banned from our public schools.
Adyson
1/2/2022 07:32:05 am
I also agree with your idea that phones are looked at in a negative connotation by older generations because they usually only heard about the bad things that happened because of them, and are unaware of how beneficial they can be.
Courtney Vennell
1/2/2022 12:25:25 pm
I agree with your statement that phones are very beneficial during class and I use music as a tool to help me while studying or working on homework.
Hailey
1/2/2022 01:19:33 pm
For many students, music is extremely beneficial in a learning environment. This is especially true when the setting contains large amounts of students, which inevitably generate a large amount of noise and commotion. Music can often enhance a student’s focus tenfold.
Ele
1/2/2022 07:41:32 pm
I agree, that is a great insight. There are so many people that misuse the access to technology but others can use it to benefit their life.
Robyn Chaffin
1/2/2022 07:42:18 pm
I definitely don’t think they need to be banned.
Adyson
1/2/2022 07:28:09 am
I have had a cellphone with me since the fourth grade, that being said even as I was attending school I didn’t even think of using my phone to help me with homework or look information up until maybe middle school when I saw someone else doing it. So from my perspective I think that the bad behavior around cellphones is linked to the ideas of “one bad nut can ruin the whole batch”. If people only used their devices for things like communication, games, and social media. I believe that they should be allowed in schools.
Courtney Vennell
1/2/2022 12:23:37 pm
I definitely agree with you that phones should be allowed in schools and that it is important for them to be used in a positive way.
Hailey
1/2/2022 01:21:12 pm
It is up to a student to determine his/her benefit from academics. If they choose to not place great value in their education, they will find a way to distract themselves, regardless of whether they have a cellphone or not. However, the students that value their education can use their devices to enhance their learning. Therefore, mobile devices should not be banned, but should be capitalized upon.
Courtney Vennell
1/2/2022 12:21:09 pm
I believe that phones can be very helpful resources if used correctly in our lives. I remember throughout elementary school my two older sisters were the first ones to get phones and this was because we all went to the same school and we were always together and could communicate with our parents when necessary. I never really understood why kids got phones when they were so young until I was older. I always thought they were so lucky and that they were spoiled when in reality it’s mainly a safety precaution. That being said, I believe that phones are necessary for kids to have because of safety and piece of mind but they should not be abused or used for purposes other than communication, games, music, or social media.
Lizzie Nelson
1/2/2022 04:14:14 pm
I think that you bring up a good point that there are a lot of uses for our devices. We just have to be smart about how we use them in order to be safe. Perhaps this is a conversation that parents need to have with their kids before giving them a phone or another personal device.
Hailey
1/2/2022 01:17:24 pm
As a student that has had ownership of a mobile device since the eighth grade, I will strongly argue that my device has not hindered my academic experience. Rather, it has enhanced it. When in class, it is much more efficient to access a search engine on my personal device than it is to do so on a school issued device, such as a chromebook, iPad, or otherwise. The school wifi is rarely dependable, forcing students to be unable to accomplish online assignments and tasks at school, creating larger amounts of homework for adolescents that already attend eight hours of school beforehand. Another positive aspect of mobile devices is that they can be utilized to take photos of projects, assignments, and due dates. Personally, I am much more on top of my responsibilities when I have them saved into my device. Technology is so far advanced and integrated into our society that I think it is foolish to try to delete its presence.
Kendra
1/2/2022 07:42:58 pm
I most definitely think that there are many positive things to devices and if the kid is smart be really useful to them.
Nathan
1/2/2022 07:45:11 pm
In addition help during Covid when we had to go online. It has made communication much easier.
Lizzie Nelson
1/2/2022 04:12:00 pm
I have been going to school for many years now with some sort of individual device in which I can say I used both to help and hinder me. I think the problem isn’t so much the device but instead how we use the device. I believe that there are pros to bringing your device because you can use it as a calculator, look up information, and even get in contact with your parents during the day. However, apps such as TikTok, Snapchat, or Instagram can often distract us from getting stuff done or completely focus on the task we have been given. I think that individual devices should be allowed in classrooms for the reasons listed above and it should be up to the students to understand that we are there to learn not to be on our phones. The teachers should understand that if they feel they need to put in place some rules than they may do so in a way that helps everyone.
Ele
1/2/2022 06:51:44 pm
I have had technology at my finger tips for a long time. Since middle school I have had access to chromebooks, iPads, and a cell phone. There is many positive realities that come from these forms of technology. These give you access to answers to about any question one could have. They also allow us to connect with others. It is the will of each individual that can make these devices a positive or negative tool. Having these in school have helped me find the answers to some of the ideas that my teachers are not able to answer, they give me access to calculators, and also notes. With the wrong use of agency, one could also misuse there access by going onto apps that are not appropriate for the time. I believe that in society today, kids should have the ability to access their cellular property. They have it for a reason and one never knows when an emergency could happen.
Robyn Chaffin
1/2/2022 07:41:32 pm
There are definitely a lot of positives to having technology at our fingertips.
Erik
1/2/2022 07:36:37 pm
Although technology can cause distraction in classrooms it also has the ability to enhance learning and brings a benefit to education that wasn’t available only a few years ago.
Nathan
1/2/2022 07:40:31 pm
Tech has allowed us to become much more efficient in gathering information. It has made our society advance much faster.
Janessa
1/2/2022 08:03:17 pm
I think the problem is that students don't access all the knowledge available with their phones, even if it is waiting there. So, even though the internet is praised because of its vast amounts of knowledge and resources, it isn't getting used.
Nathan
1/2/2022 07:38:23 pm
Technology is inevitable in this society so we must learn how to live with it. The main issue is not tech it is the social media that come with it. Social media is eroding relationship with each other’s and is a distraction.
Erik
1/2/2022 07:39:53 pm
Technology will always find its way into situations because of its versatility.
Robyn Chaffin
1/2/2022 07:40:05 pm
At my last school in Montana, cell phones were strictly prohibited. If you were walking through the hallways with your phon in your hand a teacher would take it away from you. If you left to go to the bathroom or water fountain you had to put it on the teachers desk before being allowed to go. The district was even strict with hats. You couldn’t wear them in class or in the hallway without almost getting a detention. I’m actually very surprised with how relaxed Salmon is with phones.
Kendra
1/2/2022 07:41:51 pm
I feel like some teachers allow phones and think they are useful. I just think salmon has a whole different outlook on them.
Janessa
1/2/2022 08:01:08 pm
Did the strict policy stress students out more? I wonder if being this strict would have the opposite effect: rather than increasing classroom attention and participation, it might cause students to always be on guard if their phone was going to be taken away. Then, kids would just find a way of getting around it and being secretive.
Kendra
1/2/2022 07:40:29 pm
I definitely think that saying that the devices are the problem is untrue. It’s the people that are the problem. If a person misuses a device, that is their fault. I don’t think my device has hindered my work in school at all. This is why I say that it is the person, not the device. If you have enough self control to stay off of it, then it is to your benefit. We obviously need to be careful in this crazy world and only use our devices for important things.
Janessa
1/2/2022 07:58:14 pm
I watched a documentary called "The Social Dilemma" this summer, and it was freaky. It explained how exactly social media algorithms work to make people addicted to the internet. I'm sure so many of us have casually gone onto a social media platform intending to spend only a few minutes, only to look up and find a few hours have gone by. The continuous scrolling is like gambling for our brains, because we don't know what is coming and are eager to see what is next on our feed. For that reason, I think social media is the biggest harm to growth and productivity, in school and out of it. I think it would be fair to prohibit the use of social media in classrooms, because students can gain access again in the hallways or on breaks at lunch. Otherwise, I believe it's okay to use a phone for a calculator or to research something online in class. Leave a Reply. |
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