Cell Phones in School

Reynna Thomas
Mrs. Arroyo
English 10 HL
14 November 2012
Cell Phones in School Would you prefer cell phone usage in school, or cell phones banned in school? Most students and parents prefer to have the usage of cell phones in school. Cell phones should be allowed to be in school for various reasons. The use of cell phones in school can be beneficial to both students and parents. A lot of times there is school emergencies, family emergencies or even work emergencies. A child can contact their parents to let them know what is going on if there is an emergency in school. Also, the parent can contact their child if there is something happening in the family. If something goes wrong at work and someone’s hours need to be changed, then the boss can contact their employee which may also be a student, by texting them and letting them know. If students were not allowed to use phones during school, they would not have any idea of what is going on if there is an emergency. Apps and instant internet access are great advantages for most students with smart phones. Apps can help students get to things quicker, and they can also help save things that cannot be saved on the internet. Having instant internet access can make it easier to search things in a short period of time. They can both also be quicker to get to then a computer. Ever hear of calendars and organizers? Well that is another good reason for students to use cell phones in school. Since most students mark their important dates in their calendars on their phone, they can have access to it in school if something comes up. They can also use their calendar to see or mark when something is due. Organizers can be helpful while doing a project, or even for homework that they have that day. Students may forget what they had to do something and look back at their organizer. Most students with phones have voice notes or a recorder. Both of the two can be beneficial and a good reason for students to use their phones in class. Voice note or the recorder can be used to record something that was important, or if they do not have time to take down notes they can record what the teacher is saying. For example, if the teacher is teaching a new lesson and a student does not have enough time to write notes, or if someone cannot write fast enough they can just pull out their phone and record. Using their phones to take pictures in class is another reason students should be allowed to have access to cell phones in school. They can take pictures of experiments that were used in class that they can’t take home with them to use. If there props or other things that can be used in their projects, and they can’t take it home they can also use their phones to take a picture of that. Say you came into class late and you weren’t there for notes, you can use your phone to take a picture of the notes you missed. What if a project is due and their partner isn’t in school that day? Well, if students were allowed to uses cell phones in school then it would be possible for them to text their partner and ask them for information that they had. Also, they can text their partner and let them know what work they missed, or what information they need to add to their project. Foreign students’ usually have problems with understanding or even speaking another language besides their own. If they were able to have access to their phones throughout the day, they can contact their parents and ask them for a translation, or even Google translate. A lot of students’ have a stopwatch on their phone, or a timer. A stopwatch or timer can be used for students to time a lab that their doing in Science. It can also be used to time a project that is being done in a certain period of time, or classwork. Teachers and Administrators would save a lot more money on calculators if they allowed students to use their phones. Students can use their phones to use their calculator for different activities. A lot of calculators on smartphones are most likely more upgraded then school calculators. Using calculators from their phone are also way easier for students. All they have to do is pull out their phone and the app is right there. In a lot of schools, there are situations where teachers have interactions with students. If a student is noticing something is going on with a student and teacher, they can use their phones as evidence. Most of the time the Administrators believe the teachers before they believe a student. With someone having evidence, the principal can’t deny that the student is telling the truth. Capturing a picture, or recording something is good enough evidence to prove something.
It is understandable why Administrators do not allow cell phones in school, but not all students’ are going to abuse the policy. Most students actually need the advantage to use their phones in school. The majority of students would only use their phones when allowed or told to. On the other hand, there are a handful of students who would abuse the policy. Some students use their phones throughout lesson, which distract themselves and also others. Other students use their phones to cheat on assignments, tests, quizzes etc. Those students are the reason why cell phones are banned in most schools. All in all, there are good reasons why cell phones should be allowed in school, and why cell phones should be banned. Just because a few select students cannot follow directions does not mean it should be required to all students’. If Administrators allow cell phone usage then students and parents would be much happier. Also, students would concentrate more and have all their needs met.