cell phones should be allowed at school essay

Why should phones be allowed in school essay?

Why Should Phones Be Allowed in School?

The debate about whether phones should be allowed in school is a longstanding one. While some educators argue that phones have no place in the classroom, others believe that they can be a valuable tool for learning and productivity. In this essay, we will explore the reasons why phones should be allowed in school.

Benefits for Students

One of the primary reasons why phones should be allowed in school is to promote student engagement and motivation . When students are allowed to use their phones, they are more likely to be engaged with the material and participate in class discussions. This is because phones allow students to easily access digital resources, such as online dictionaries and research articles, which can aid in their learning. Additionally, phones can be used to watch educational videos, complete online quizzes, and participate in online discussions, all of which can help to increase student engagement and motivation.

Improved Organization and Time Management

Another benefit of allowing phones in school is that it can help students to be more organized and manage their time more effectively. With a phone, students can easily keep track of their schedules, set reminders, and receive important notifications. This can help them to stay on top of their assignments and deadlines, and avoid procrastination. Additionally, students can use their phones to take notes and record important information, which can help them to stay organized and focused.

Enhanced Communication

Phones also provide a means of enhanced communication between teachers and students . Teachers can use phone apps to send students reminders, assignments, and important updates, and students can use their phones to ask questions and seek help when needed. This can help to reduce the amount of paper used in the classroom and promote a more streamlined and efficient learning environment.

Access to Information

Let’s not forget that phones provide access to a vast amount of information . With a phone, students can access online resources, such as educational websites, online libraries, and educational apps, which can aid in their learning. For example, students can use their phones to access online research journals, educational games, and interactive simulations, all of which can help to expand their knowledge and understanding of a subject.

Key Benefits of Phones in School

Here are some key benefits of allowing phones in school:

Increased engagement and motivation : Phones can help to increase student engagement and motivation by providing access to digital resources and encouraging participation.
Improved organization and time management : Phones can help students to stay organized and manage their time effectively by providing reminders, notifications, and access to important information.
Enhanced communication : Phones can provide a means of enhanced communication between teachers and students, reducing the amount of paper used in the classroom and promoting a more streamlined and efficient learning environment.
Access to information : Phones provide access to a vast amount of information, including online resources, educational apps, and interactive simulations, which can aid in learning and expand knowledge.

Addressing Concerns

Some educators may be concerned that allowing phones in school will lead to distractions and disruptions. However, research suggests that this is not necessarily the case . In fact, studies have shown that when phones are used for educational purposes, such as accessing educational apps or completing online assignments, students are more likely to be attentive and focused.

In conclusion, phones should be allowed in school because they can promote student engagement and motivation, improve organization and time management, enhance communication between teachers and students, and provide access to a vast amount of information. While there may be concerns about distractions and disruptions, research suggests that these concerns are unfounded. By allowing phones in school, educators can promote a more streamlined and effective learning environment, where students are more engaged and motivated to learn.

"The Impact of Cell Phones on Student Learning" by the National Education Association
"The Effects of Cell Phones on Student Engagement and Motivation" by the Journal of Educational Computing Research
"The Benefits of Allowing Cell Phones in School" by the American Educational Research Association

Table: Key Benefits of Phones in School

H2 References

"Allowing Cell Phones in School: A Review of the Literature" by the Journal of Educational Computing Research

H3 Conclusion

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Harvard Staff Writer

Bans may help protect classroom focus, but districts need to stay mindful of students’ sense of connection, experts say

Students around the world are being separated from their phones.

In 2020, the National Center for Education Statistics reported that 77 percent of U.S. schools had moved to prohibit cellphones for nonacademic purposes. In September 2018, French lawmakers outlawed cellphone use for schoolchildren under the age of 15. In China, phones were banned country-wide for schoolchildren last year.

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Supporters of these initiatives have cited links between smartphone use and bullying and social isolation and the need to keep students focused on schoolwork.

77% Of U.S. schools moved to ban cellphones for nonacademic purposes as of 2020, according to the National Center for Education Statistics

But some Harvard experts say instructors and administrators should consider learning how to teach with tech instead of against it, in part because so many students are still coping with academic and social disruptions caused by the pandemic. At home, many young people were free to choose how and when to use their phones during learning hours. Now, they face a school environment seeking to take away their main source of connection.

“Returning back to in-person, I think it was hard to break the habit,” said Victor Pereira, a lecturer on education and co-chair of the Teaching and Teaching Leadership Program at the Graduate School of Education.

Through their students, he and others with experience both in the classroom and in clinical settings have seen interactions with technology blossom into important social connections that defy a one-size-fits-all mindset. “Schools have been coming back, trying to figure out, how do we readjust our expectations?” Pereira added.

It’s a hard question, especially in the face of research suggesting that the mere presence of a smartphone can undercut learning .

Michael Rich , an associate professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and an associate professor of social and behavioral sciences at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, says that phones and school don’t mix: Students can’t meaningfully absorb information while also texting, scrolling, or watching YouTube videos.

“The human brain is incapable of thinking more than one thing at a time,” he said. “And so what we think of as multitasking is actually rapid-switch-tasking. And the problem with that is that switch-tasking may cover a lot of ground in terms of different subjects, but it doesn’t go deeply into any of them.”

Pereira’s approach is to step back — and to ask whether a student who can’t resist the phone is a signal that the teacher needs to work harder on making a connection. “Two things I try to share with my new teachers are, one, why is that student on the phone? What’s triggering getting on your cell phone versus jumping into our class discussion, or whatever it may be? And then that leads to the second part, which is essentially classroom management.

“Design better learning activities, design learning activities where you consider how all of your students might want to engage and what their interests are,” he said. He added that allowing phones to be accessible can enrich lessons and provide opportunities to use technology for school-related purposes.

Mesfin Awoke Bekalu, a research scientist in the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at the Chan School, argues that more flexible classroom policies can create opportunities for teaching tech-literacy and self-regulation.

“There is a huge, growing body of literature showing that social media platforms are particularly helpful for people who need resources or who need support of some kind, beyond their proximate environment,” he said. A study he co-authored by Rachel McCloud and Vish Viswanath for the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness shows that this is especially true for marginalized groups such as students of color and LGBTQ students. But the findings do not support a free-rein policy, Bekalu stressed.

In the end, Rich, who noted the particular challenges faced by his patients with attention-deficit disorders and other neurological conditions, favors a classroom-by-classroom strategy. “It can be managed in a very local way,” he said, adding: “It’s important for parents, teachers, and the kids to remember what they are doing at any point in time and focus on that. It’s really only in mono-tasking that we do very well at things.”

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