Cell Phone Usage and Education

I would like to say that after reading, “Should cell phones be banned from classrooms” that I developed a hard and fast stance for the use of cell phones in the classroom. The reality is that when I began reading the article I was adamant about leaving cell phones out of the classroom, by the time I had reached its conclusion, I fell short of having a true opinion on the topic. I had transitioned into a gray area acknowledging their merits while at the same time seeing the ridiculousness of full integration in the classroom.
I agree with Josh Allen as he argues against the use of cell phones in the classroom saying, “Nothing that you can do on a cell phone will inspire students as they make their way into the world. I cannot think of a job where ‘cell phone operation’ was a skill” (2009, p. 9). No job application I have ever filled out nor job posting I have read has ever inquired into my proficiency with a cell phone. If we believe that our intent as educators is to give students the skills they need to succeed in the work force and in college, we would be mistaken to spend much time on cell phone usage. Further, ability to use a cell phone is a skill that most high school students will master on their own outside of school.

At the same time, if we look beyond the reach of cell operation and focus on cell phones as a tool for educational convenience, Liz Kolb makes an excellent argument for the limited and strictly defined use of cell phones in the classroom. I love the idea of using phones to take photos on classroom trips or during class activities for later submission to a flickr account. Students don’t often have cameras on hand to record memorable moments, but a cell phone is always handy. I also liked the idea of students being able to use cell phones to record lectures. Additionally, I like the thought of using cell phones as clickers during a class. It can be a great way to take attendance without having to stop and mark down each student present in class. In the end, I found the most compelling argument to surround the appropriate use of cell phones in the classroom, “Allowing cell phones to become learning tools will give teachers the opportunity to introduce appropriate cell phone etiquette to students as well as show them how their toy can become an essential professional tool” (p. 9).

The main question I had in the end was what about cell phone breaks in class? Is there less an incentive to sneak using a cell phone if you gave students the first 3 minutes of class to catch up on their texts and then agree no cell phone sneaking during class?

Allen, J, & Kolb, L (2007). Should Cell Phones be banned from Classrooms?. International Society for Technology Education, Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://webct.cu-portland.edu/webct/urw/lc9140001.tp0/cobaltMainFrame.dowebct?JSESSIONID=j7QBK8lhXrDMJRFDG5ZhfPwyq0JGD4HVJ5S9tN9YgGbCNbWvFmVS!-544224791!newwebct.cu-portland.edu!80!443