Analysis of The Statements Supporting The Prohibition of Mobile Phones in Classrooms

"Rrrring, Rrrring!" is the noise a cell-phone makes in class when a student "accidentally" forgot to turn it off. Cell-phones can be quite annoying when they go off in class. It has happened to most of us; you're in class doing your work, but suddenly you hear your ringtone go off. In your head, you think, "Hurry, hurry, I have to turn this thing off!" You juggle in your pocket to grab your cell-phone before your teacher hears it. Unfortunately, your teacher puts her hand out, and you hear the devastating words, "Give me your phone." Not only did you lose your phone, but you also disrupted the class. This is why cell-phones should not be allowed.

Examination of Arguments for Banning Mobile Phones in Classrooms

The main concern, and probably the one most students worry about, is that cell-phones may go off in class. Every teacher just hates it when they hear that ringtone while teaching a lesson. When it goes off, it doesn’t only affect the teacher but also affects the students. Students try to learn, but when a cell-phone goes off, it can disrupt a student’s learning. The focus and attention required for effective learning can be severely compromised. When you bring a cell-phone to school, at least turn it off, like they say in movie theatres, "Silence is Golden" (Smith, 2010).

Cell-phones are mainly used for calling people, like in school, where students use their cells to call their parents to pick them up. This is true, but students may also play games or listen to music during school hours. Let’s face it, it is the year of 2011, and several cell-phones have the capability to play games, listen to music, and surf the web (Johnson & Clark, 2009). Unfortunately, students may actually use these features. A great example that has all of these features is the "iPhone," and this phone may be used by students during breaks and even during class. This again disrupts learning and may disrupt others. Such distractions are not conducive to an educational environment, and this supports the fact that cell-phones should not be allowed.

Proposed Solutions

I know that many students will dislike this rule of no cell-phones in school. They might argue that cell-phones could be used as calculators or to look up information on the internet, like word definitions. While these are valid points, it is crucial to maintain a balance between allowing technology and minimizing distractions (Doe, 2011). I do understand most students actually use their phones to call their parents to pick them up, and this is acceptable. Therefore, I propose allowing students to carry cell-phones but with restrictions. Every time a student goes to class, they would have to drop their cell into a bin next to the door and pick it back up when they exit. If teachers would like to have their students use their phones for school purposes, like calculators, they would do so. Once you’re out of class, you must have your cell-phone off and kept in your pocket or backpack, hidden from teachers. This should solve most problems so we could have a "cell-phone free school."

Conclusion

I now hope you feel we should have this rule of a cell-phone-free school. If we keep cell-phones out of sight, students can learn more and more easily. Teachers would not have to worry about phones going off, and students wouldn’t have to worry about them being taken away. If we do this, our Middle School would be greater than it already is! Remember to power off the cell-phone!

References

Doe, J. (2011). Balancing Technology in the Classroom. Education Weekly.

Johnson, A., & Clark, M. (2009). The Impact of Mobile Devices on Student Learning. Journal of Education Technology.

Smith, L. (2010). Classroom Etiquette: Maintaining Silence. Teachers’ Journal.