All Ages Are you in favor of using cellphone at school?

[MelanthaKrasos]

Technology is already widespread in the world. In the educational arena, gadget such as tablet and computer becomes part of the teaching and learning process. The demand to own an android cellphone becomes even more pronounce for learning. In this regard, even if an existing regulation banned students from using cellphone, most of them still use it for gaming. The said action affects their learning. Are you in favor of allowing student to bring their cellphone at school then?

 

[Diane Borg]

In my son's school, mobile phones or tablets are only used by permission. They are used for quizzes or other online education material. The teacher that is going to do the lesson like for example the geography teacher send home a note which must be signed by the parent which authorities the use of the phone for that lesson. I think it is a great idea to be used with authorization.

 

[Zeus20]

I am agree if the purpose of using it is for education, but based on my experience my classmates use it to be on social media or to play and to do unnecessary stuffs and that's the reason why some of our professors banned us for using cellphones, which is also right because through that everyone will focus on the teacher. Much better if the school provide a screen like tv or a projector to play the lessons or to slide show it because it is easier to understand if there is a visual aids.

 

[Martinsx]

Well, for academic purposes, I'm in support of using the smartphone in school but the underlying problem is that students tend to not know what their priorities should be when it comes to using smartphone in respect to being in school. They would literally use it for other personal reasons than for their studies, which makes a mess of the whole allowing using of smartphone in school.

 

[Moses Onyedikachukwu]

There is something funny I just realized; while we debate on whether or not cellphones should be used in school, cellphones are now becoming schools.

With the pandemic we are forced to stay home, and schools that aren't going to sit around and watch the virus keep their students from learning are holding classes online, through video conferencing apps like Zoom and Google Classroom.

And these classes, though could be accessed through laptops and PCs, are equally being accecced through smart mobile phones.

I think it would be unfair to now allow cellphones in school, since its becoming this useful in keeping education going in a coronavirus infested world.

In the classroom, there sure are ways cellphones can make learning a bit easier and more fun. And, schools can even decide to come up with designing their own gadgets which they can gives students, for them to make use of in learning. Such gadgets will have features that'd prevent other unnecessary things to be done with it.

Just saying.

 

[Astra Gray Herondale]

Personally, it would depend on the subject and the grade level. I would be more cautious about allowing young children access to gadgets during class, because they may become distracted and zone off. Additionally, it is recommended to limit the screen time of kids since too much use of smart devices can make them socially inept. We can possibly consider classes that incorporate smart devices (phones or iPads) to encourage participation in interactive activities (e.g. through apps like Slido).

 

[Martinsx]

Personally, it would depend on the subject and the grade level. I would be more cautious about allowing young children access to gadgets during class, because they may become distracted and zone off. Additionally, it is recommended to limit the screen time of kids since too much use of smart devices can make them socially inept. We can possibly consider classes that incorporate smart devices (phones or iPads) to encourage participation in interactive activities (e.g. through apps like Slido).

The distraction is the focus point in this context. Even adults gets distracted by the use of smartphone when they are not supposed to be using it, talk more about kids. It will be almost impossible to eliminate the possibility of that ever happening.

 

[Astra Gray Herondale]

The distraction is the focus point in this context. Even adults gets distracted by the use of smartphone when they are not supposed to be using it, talk more about kids. It will be almost impossible to eliminate the possibility of that ever happening.

I agree, no one is immune to distraction, and smartphones offer plenty of that. Prohibiting the use of such gadgets during class is really up to the discretion of the teacher. Personally, however, I believe that it's unnecessary, especially if teaching college or senior high school students. I believe in fostering a relaxed, less controlled learning environment. Students will voluntarily pay full attention to the lecture if the professor is teaching the subject well. If they are still not paying attention, maybe they aren't fond of the type of learning being presented by the teacher (i.e., didactics vs open learning).

Anyway, my overall point is if our purpose to ban gadgets is to eliminate distraction among older students (it's understandable for kids), I don't think it's going to work. If they aren't feeling the lecture, the students will not pay attention and zone out, regardless if smartphones are allowed or not.

 

[Vreeze]

I agree, no one is immune to distraction, and smartphones offer plenty of that. Prohibiting the use of such gadgets during class is really up to the discretion of the teacher. Personally, however, I believe that it's unnecessary, especially if teaching college or senior high school students. I believe in fostering a relaxed, less controlled learning environment. Students will voluntarily pay full attention to the lecture if the professor is teaching the subject well. If they are still not paying attention, maybe they aren't fond of the type of learning being presented by the teacher (i.e., didactics vs open learning).

Anyway, my overall point is if our purpose to ban gadgets is to eliminate distraction among older students (it's understandable for kids), I don't think it's going to work. If they aren't feeling the lecture, the students will not pay attention and zone out, regardless if smartphones are allowed or not.

I agree. However, my definition for "kids" is only up to elementary school. Once they hit their adolescent times, I personally think that banning gadgets to eliminate distractions already doesn't work. Students at those times are already identifying themselves whether they like the subject or not, whether they are willing to learn or not, etc. Even if we ban gadgets, they'll look for distractions. They'll zone off, chat, draw, write, hum, or do any other distractions.
Not only is it futile, but we also eliminate the many benefits of not banning them. Based on my personal experience, smartphone is the most convenient source of information up to date. When students are given any tasks, they'll search for answers using their smartphones and quickly learn and come up with the answers. That's only one of the many benefits of allowing gadgets in our classrooms, which is why I'm definitely in favor of using gadgets at school.

 

[Martinsx]

I agree, no one is immune to distraction, and smartphones offer plenty of that. Prohibiting the use of such gadgets during class is really up to the discretion of the teacher. Personally, however, I believe that it's unnecessary, especially if teaching college or senior high school students. I believe in fostering a relaxed, less controlled learning environment. Students will voluntarily pay full attention to the lecture if the professor is teaching the subject well. If they are still not paying attention, maybe they aren't fond of the type of learning being presented by the teacher (i.e., didactics vs open learning).

Anyway, my overall point is if our purpose to ban gadgets is to eliminate distraction among older students (it's understandable for kids), I don't think it's going to work. If they aren't feeling the lecture, the students will not pay attention and zone out, regardless if smartphones are allowed or not.

That's very true in reference to how good the teacher is in the subject. Once he or she flows well to the understanding level of the students, they will eventually put in more effort in the focus and concentration in the lecture and vice versa.