usage of cellphone in school essay

The Use of Mobile Phones in Schools

The use of cell phones in schools by students has become a fiercely debatable topic that concerns all segments of society, including students, parents, teachers, scholars, and officials. People who mostly advocate for using mobile phones consider that these devices are beneficial in providing safety and seamless connection of pupils with parents and are useful for education overall. Nevertheless, I hold to the firm conviction that the use of cell phones should be banned or maximum restricted in schools since, in most cases, they disrupt the learning process and notably impair student’s performance. Thus, in this essay, I will present valid arguments supported by statistics, credible opinions, and facts, which prove the harm of using gadgets in educational premises.

The first argument is that mobile phones disrupt the learning process by causing interruptions and distractions of students’ attention from classroom activities. It is evident that any educational material requires intense mental concentration from individuals to be adequately comprehended and memorized. This aspect is fundamental in further student’s performance and progress since one missing or misunderstood item makes it impossible to master the whole topic or even subject successfully. Moreover, because of this, students become increasingly uninterested, bored, and sometimes contemptuous towards a particular subject. Thus, the primary task and responsibility of every school or educational establishment are to create a conducive environment that promotes the learning process and helps students attain excellent outcomes.

In this context, the students who have gadgets during school classes are usually inclined to use them for communication in social networks and viewing pictures and videos on the Internet, which produces unwanted distractions. Additionally, a constant risk exists that pupils can watch embarrassing videos or content of pornographic nature via smartphones, which corrupts the students’ morals and even makes them incapable of perceiving useful, educational information. As Danielle Einstein, a clinical psychologist from the University of Sydney, asserts, the overall situation is complicated because these devices provoke dopamine release leading to strong psychological addiction (Heizer). Furthermore, Henderson, a journalist for The Independent , describes a phenomenon called phantom vibrations that occur as a result of “learned bodily behavior” (Henderson). Namely, even the slightest vibration can make an individual feel like the phone vibrates, although, in fact, vibrations were absent. Numerous phone calls from outsiders, that is, parents, relatives, and friends, also cause interruptions in learning the material taught by the teacher.

Besides, many scholars have confirmed via experiments that the presence of mobile phones in school disrupts the learning process. For example, two researchers from Western Carolina University, Lawson and Henderson, conducted the study involving 120 first-year students, which demonstrated that students who were texting during lectures obtained considerably less score regarding comprehension and performance (Lawson and Henderson 121). This study only confirmed the results of the previous similar research indicating that “texting can reduce comprehension of class material at a rate of 10–20%” (Lawson and Henderson 119). It is worth noting that these results were related to comparatively simple material.

The second argument that can be advanced against the gadgets’ use is that they can adversely affect the individual’s cognitive capabilities that are vital for students’ performance and studying. For example, the recent research performed by Ward et al. concluded that even the close location of a smartphone near the user, for instance, on the desk, can worsen cognitive capacity and fluid intelligence (140). Moreover, cognitive damage is directly proportional to the dependence from a smartphone. The research indicates that “the presence of students’ mobile devices in educational environments may undermine both learning and test performance” (Ward et al. 151). It should be mentioned that the study consisted of two experiments that involved 520 and 275 smartphone users, respectively.

The third argument is connected with cheating since many students tend to use smartphones while taking a test or even an exam. For example, according to a Pew Research Center study, 35 percent of pupils use their phones to complete tests or assignments, and 65 percent of teens reported that they see how smartphones were used by others (Morin). Overall, in the educational environment, not only does cheating make it impossible to evaluate students correctly and rightly but also allows them not to prepare for exams appropriately. This has adverse consequences for their performance and the ability to master the necessary knowledge.

Another issue that gains the increasing alert among pedagogues and parents is that cell phones can promote cyberbullying that implies threats, harassments, humiliation, or torments by means of technology. Cyberbullying can be executed through social media sites or other websites and text messages or emails. Besides, this phenomenon has various forms, including impersonation, that is, fake accounts, trolling, flaming, namely, posting derogatory comments, cyberstalking, trickery, and denigration, that is, posting gossip and rumors about someone. According to the survey conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center in 2016, around 34 percent of middle and high school students have experienced cyberbullying; some of them cyberbullied several times (McCullum). It should be specified that cyberbullying leads to significant negative outcomes and can cause depression, anxiety, feelings of isolation, low self-esteem, loss of interest in studies, and even using alcohol and drugs. Moreover, this type of bullying is difficult for teachers to track and stop.

The last argument is correlated with disconnection from face-to-face communication and a decrease in the students’ participation in outside and social activities. Working together and leading in-person discussions about a particular topic is an indispensable part of education. Moreover, involvement in sports and social activities play an essential role in the psychological and physical development of children and adolescents. With the excessive use of gadgets, many teens tend to avoid traditional, alive conversations and outside games and prefer to communicate using smartphones, play digital games, and hang on the Internet. In this regard, secondary schools in the UK began establishing stricter rules regarding cell phones, prohibiting using them in school premises individuals under sixteen years of age (Hymas). This measure has resulted in the fact that students become more active, alert, and sociable in the school setting.

To summarize, in this essay, I have advanced valid and persuasive arguments against the use of mobile phones in schools, maintained by statistics, credible opinions, and facts. These arguments include the disruption of the learning process, the adverse effect on the individual’s cognitive capabilities, cheating, cyberbullying, and disconnection from face-to-face communication. For example, the disruption of the learning process caused by possible distractions related to phone calls or communication in social networks while cyberbullying is accompanied by threats, harassments, humiliation, or torments using technology. In conclusion, as Nick Gibb, a British politician, said, “Every hour spent online and on a smartphone is an hour less talking to family, and it’s an hour less exercise, and it’s an hour less sleep” (Austin). Thus, people, especially teachers, students, and parents, should be aware of the harm of using mobile phones in schools to prevent unfortunate consequences concerning students’ performance, education, their mental health, overall.

Works Cited

Austin, H. “ Mobile Phones ‘Should be Banned from Schools,’ Minister Says. ” Independent , 2019, Web.

Heizer, S. “ What do Five Experts Think about Mobile Phones in Schools? ” Guardian , 2018, Web.

Henderson, E. “ Phantom Vibration Syndrome: Up to 90 Percent of People Suffer Phenomenon while Mobile Phone Is in Pocket ”. The Independent , Web. 2016.

Hymas, C. “Secondary Schools Are Introducing Strict New Bans on Mobile Phones.” The Telegraph–UK , 2018.

Lawson, Dakota, and Henderson, Bruce B. “The Costs of Texting in the Classroom.” College Teaching , vol. 63, no. 3, 2015, pp. 119-124.

McCullum, K. “ Cyberbullying in School: Prevention and Support. ” Accredited Schools Online. Web.

Morin, A. “ How Teens Use Technology to Cheat in School. ” Verywell Family , 2019, Web.

Ward, Adrian F., Duke, K., Gneezy, A., and Bos, M.W. “Brain drain: The Mere Presence of one’s Own Smartphone Reduces Available Cognitive Capacity.” Journal of the Association for Consumer Research , vol. 2, no. 2, 2017, pp. 140-154.

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Do phones belong in schools.

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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.

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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The Use of Mobile Phones in the Classroom Can Help Students Learn Better Essay

Introduction.

It is undeniable that today’s world revolves around technology due to its growth over the past decades. Mobile phones as a part of technology have become increasingly common in modern society. Today, it is impossible to imagine an adolescent or an adult without a cell phone. Students have started to use mobile phones in classrooms, which has raised many concerns among teachers, schools’ authorities, and parents. While there are several disadvantages of the utilization of technology during classes, the advantages of it prevail.

The benefits of technology for students are evident. First, mobile phones can substitute textbooks and notebooks, which may have a positive impact on individuals’ health as they do not have to carry heavy bags to schools. Students can download learning materials in electronic form and use them during classes. Moreover, they can find the information faster and save time to perform other important tasks. Second, with the help of mobile phones, students can have access to their textbooks, lectures, and notes anywhere and at any time. They can read on the bus on their way to school, which may increase the time they dedicate to the analysis of the learning materials and help them to reflect on the topics of discussions.

Furthermore, students can use mobile phones as dictionaries in language classes. It may save their time and ensure that the long learning process does not discourage them. Also, they can download applications that are designed to assist in acquiring new language skills.

It is necessary to mention that students can use mobile phones as organizational or planning tools. They can plan their time based on the deadlines, arrange their activities and track their grades and performance in class. While many students use notebooks for such purposes, the utilization of mobile phones allows for having all the information in one place and ensuring that no important data is lost. Moreover, teachers can be involved in the organizational process too by sharing the necessary information about due dates and requirements via applications. It may improve teacher-student relationships and increase individuals’ performance in class.

There are several drawbacks associated with the use of mobile phones in the classroom. The primary one is that they can distract students from learning, as they may prefer to play games or use social networks. Moreover, individuals can become aggressive if the teachers or school authorities try to forbid the use of technology in class. To eliminate the possible negative outcomes, it is necessary for students to learn how to avoid distraction while working with mobile phones.

For example, they can delete unnecessary applications or restrict their use during classes. Apart from that, students can improve their performance by studying the factors that can cause distraction and avoiding them. Teachers and schools’ authorities should also consider investigating the benefits of the technology to prevent the establishment of unnecessary policies related to its use in the classroom.

The use of mobile phones in the classroom can improve student’s performance and help them to have better learning outcomes. It can save their time, prevent them from carrying heavy bags with textbooks and notebooks and increase the accessibility of course materials. The possible drawbacks of the use of technology in class are individuals’ distraction and aggression. However, students can eliminate the disadvantages of the utilization of mobile phones by avoiding the factors that can cause negative learning outcomes.

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Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Cellphones in Schools

• Posted August 10, 2022
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Typically, the discussion around cellphones in school — whether they are learning tools or distractions — has revolved around their impact on measures of academic success like test scores or grades. But in his research, Ed School alum Dylan Lukes looks at other outcomes policymakers should be considering.

“I’m hoping to move beyond thinking about test scores and consider the potential importance of other outcomes like discipline and school culture which may factor into student wellbeing,” says Lukes, Ph.D.’22.

As schools are gearing up for the fall, with some considering new and amended policies on the use of cellphones in class, Luke gets into his findings — including how the New York City Department of Education’s (NYCDOE) recently reversed cellphone ban impacted student suspensions and school culture — and gives his thoughts on what schools and districts should be considering when creating policies around technology moving forward. 

Why are cellphones in schools such a contested topic among educators, parents, and students? The motivation for many of these policies comes from a desire to limit distractions. If you think about it, from a school’s perspective, if a cellphone ban can improve student learning, that’s a great low-cost intervention with a favorable benefit-cost ratio. However, from a parent’s perspective, the calculus is a bit different, and the cost of not being able to get a hold of their kid(s) may outweigh any potential benefit accrued from the ban. 

How have cellphone policies evolved over the years? Over the past several decades, many large urban school districts have intermittently experimented with cellphone bans. However, most cellphone bans have been repealed due to their unpopularity with parents and students and concerns over equity [ as low income students often have mobile-only access to the internet ]. In March 2015, the NYCDOE lifted their longstanding districtwide cellphone ban and provided schools with significant discretion in designing and implementing school-level policies governing student cellphone use — and that shift is what I explore in my research.

Most research around cellphone use in schools looks at the impact on test scores, reaction time, and the ability to focus. You look instead at two areas: discipline and a sense of safety.  The existing studies provide evidence that allowing phones in the classroom negatively impacts test scores and long-term learning retention. There are some correlational studies that suggest negative relationships between off-task device use and student achievement. Further, in psychology, research on multitasking generally finds negative effects on learning and task completion and, more generally, research has shown that cellphones distract and negatively impact reaction times, performance, enjoyment of focal tasks, and cognitive capacity.

In my research, my thinking was that as schools consider removal of bans or enforcement, they should also consider often overlooked dimensions of school culture that could play a role in educational productivity and student wellbeing. That is not to say academic achievement is not important — it is — but there are other potentially important inputs that contribute to educational productivity such as school discipline and culture.  

Why? From a disciplinary standpoint, if the school has a cellphone ban and there are students breaking that cellphone ban, it’s possible that over time — and I’ve seen this from survey responses from NYCDOE school principals and parent coordinators — at some point there can be some punitive measures if you’re caught breaking that ban. That’s one of the reasons I explore the impact on discipline and suspension — you could be using a cellphone which, yes, could be distracting, but even more negatively, have the student removed from school. That kind of impact on learning could be a net-negative, even when you consider that against the positive effects a cellphone ban may have on a student’s learning and their peers’ learning. 

I also think it’s important to look at other factors we don’t typically think about, like school culture, that might also have a big impact on learning. 

And what did you find? So just as a disclaimer, there might be policies I can’t control for that impact these outcomes. For example, in 2014, there was a new chancellor [in New York] who made changes to the discipline code. With that caveat, I do find that the ban removal positively impacted school discipline but had negative impacts on student perception of school culture across the dimensions of respect, student behavior, and school safety. It also had negative impacts on teacher perception of school safety. My findings suggest an improvement in educational productivity due to the NYCDOE’s ban removal. But there’s a tradeoff — a cost to school culture. 

What do you mean by safety? When it comes to emergencies, students likely feel safer having access to a phone. But the day-in and day-out component of school safety is how students use phones within school. This might include things like bullying, harassment, videotaping, and posting to social media. Those are reasons why having phones within schools could potentially be accelerators of negative student behavior. These safety measures which look at how safe students feel in classrooms, hallways, locker rooms, cafeterias, show a pretty negative jump after the ban has been lifted, which suggest to me that having a phone is at least interrupting a student’s ability to safely navigate those spaces.

So what should policymakers think about moving forward? This is just the tip of the iceberg. It would be interesting to look at how cellphones further contribute to school culture using more robust measures across time. And to be clear, I don’t think there’s anything inherently bad about cellphones but I do think it’s key to engage in a discussion around the tradeoffs of having them in schools and classrooms. There might be some interesting ways to balance the tradeoffs of their distractions and their benefits — something like having magnetized pouches and allowing students to take out cellphones under special circumstances (e.g., class activity, lunch). Some schools are already experimenting with these alternatives and there are some prime opportunities in this space to evaluate impacts of these polices on educational outcomes, including school discipline and school culture. 

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Cell Phones in School: An Argumentative Perspective

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Banning mobile phones in schools: beneficial or risky? Here’s what the evidence says

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Victorian education minister James Merlino’s announcement mobile phones will be banned for all students at state primary and secondary schools is certainly a bold move.

The policy has been justified as a direct response to mounting levels of cyberbullying, concerns over distractions and schools struggling with discipline relating to students’ misuse of phones.

Students will have to switch off their phones and store them in lockers from the start of the school day until the final bell. In case of an emergency, parents or guardians can reach their child by calling the school.

The minister said in a statement :

The only exceptions to the ban will be where students use phones to monitor health conditions, or where teachers instruct students to bring their phone for a particular classroom activity.

Whether to allow student use of mobile phones in school is certainly a hot topic in education. The Victorian announcement follows a French government ban on mobiles in school in 2018. Debates on the issue are also taking place in Denmark , Sweden and the United Kingdom .

There is considerable public support for banning mobiles. In our recently conducted survey of more than 2,000 Australian adults, nearly 80% supported a ban on mobile phones in classrooms. Just under one-third supported an outright ban from schools altogether.

Support for a classroom ban was remarkably consistent across different demographics, including political affiliation and age group.

But while banning phones from classrooms, and from school altogether, might seem sensible, there are number of reasons to be cautious. It’s clear we need to carefully consider how we want to make use of digital devices being brought into schools. But previous experience, such as in New York, suggests a blanket ban might introduce even more problems.

And the little research evidence that addresses the issue is mixed.

What’s the evidence?

Reports of cyberbullying have clearly gone up among school-aged children and young people over the past ten years, but the nature and precedents of cyberbullying are complex.

Research suggests there is a large overlap between cyberbullying and traditional forms of bullying, which wouldn’t then follow that digital devices are somehow causing these behaviours.

Cyberbullying also often takes place outside school hours and premises. There is a danger banning phones from classrooms might distract education staff from having to continue with efforts to address the more immediate causes of cyberbullying.

Read more: Teenagers need our support, not criticism, as they navigate life online

There is also a growing literature exploring the links between digital devices and classroom distractions. The presence of phones in the classroom is certainly found to be a source of multi-tasking among students of all ages – some of which can be educationally relevant and much of which might not.

But the impact of these off-task behaviours on student learning outcomes is difficult to determine. A review of 132 academic studies concluded, it is

difficult to determine directions and mechanisms of the causal relations between mobile phone multitasking and academic performance.

There is also a strong sense from classroom research that issues of distraction apply equally to laptops , iPads and other digital devices.

All told, the sense from academic literature is that the realities of smartphone use in classrooms are complex and decidedly messy. Our own research into how smartphones are being used in Victorian classrooms highlighted the difficulties teachers face in policing student use (what some teachers described as requiring “five minutes of firefighting” at the beginning of every lesson).

Despite this, we also found instances of students using smartphones for a range of beneficial purposes – from impromptu information seeking to live-streaming lessons for sick classmates.

Read more: Schools are asking students to bring digital devices to class, but are they actually being used?

These benefits are also reflected in classroom studies elsewhere in the world. Research from Stanford University has demonstrated , for instance, that with proper support and preparation, teachers in even the most challenging schools can “build on the ways students already use technology outside of school to help them learn in the classroom”.

There is now a whole academic field known as “ m-Learning ” where researchers have explored the pedagogical and learning advantages of using mobile devices (including phones) in lessons.

But what about a blanket ban from school altogether? Experience from elsewhere suggests enforcing a mobile ban in schools may not be as easy as it sounds.

What we can learn from others

The New South Wales government announced a review into the benefits and risks of mobile phone use in schools in June 2018, led by child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg. At the review’s completion, the government said it would only ban mobile phones from the state’s primary schools, leaving secondary schools free to make their own choice.

We recognise that technology plays an important and increasing role as students progress through their education […] We want to give secondary schools the flexibility to balance the benefits and risks of technology in the way that best supports their students.

Perhaps the most pertinent example is the ban enforced in New York City from 2006, that was eventually lifted in 2015.

The reasons given for this reversal highlighted several of the concerns the new ban in Victoria will likely face. They include practical difficulties of enforcing a ban in the classroom being exacerbated by banning of phone use during break times and lunchtimes.

First, it was clear the New York ban was being inconsistently enforced by schools – with better resourced schools in more affluent areas more likely to bend the rules and permit student use. In contrast, schools in lower-income areas with metal detectors were more likely to be rigidly enforcing the ban.

Other motivations for lifting the ban were concerns over student safety such as the need for students to contact family members during break times and lunchtimes. Families were also incurring costs to store phones securely outside of the school. There was also a recognition teachers should be trusted to exercise their professional judgement as to how they could be making good educational use of devices in their lessons.

Read more: Should mobile phones be banned in schools? We asked five experts

At the same time, it was reckoned government resources were better directed toward supporting students to learn how to use technology responsibly through cyber-safety lessons.

All these reasons are as relevant now to Victorian schools as they were to New York City schools in 2015. The use (and non-use) of mobile phones in schools is certainly an issue we need to have a proper conversation about. But it might not be as clear-cut as the recent policy announcements suggest.

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Should Cell Phones Be Used in the Classroom?

When schools welcome the use of cell phones and other technologies in the classroom.

Sherry Turkle, the author of the new book  Reclaiming Conversation,  is focusing attention on the ways that new technology—smartphones in particular—are changing the nature of our interactions with others. This is a big issue for schools, which have an obvious role to play in shaping young people’s relationships with their devices.

In a 2008 paper for The English Journal, high school teachers Nancy Frey and Douglas Fisher explained how they helped craft a new policy to encourage students to use phones in a responsible, polite way.

Initially, the school required students to keep their phones off and put away during the school day. Phones could be confiscated if students were found using them.

This is common policy, but Frey and Fisher write that it created a lot of frustration. Teachers and administrators weren’t happy with the amount of time they had to spend enforcing the rules, and some parents got upset when their children’s phones were taken away for the day.

Beyond that, Frey and Fisher believed they were missing out on the value of integrating technology into the curriculum.

So, with input from their colleagues, they helped draft what they called a “courtesy policy” to replace the old technology policy. The new plan offered a very general mandate that students and staff “interact with one another in positive, respectful ways” that went beyond specifically limiting the use of technology. The policy promoted things like saying “please” and “thank you”, how to clean up trash properly, not texting during class, and not “hogging bandwidth and/or computer time.”

This meant that students were now permitted to text during lunch and listen to music on their iPods while doing independent work in class.

Frey and Fisher write that the faculty knew it might be hard for students to adjust to the new freedoms, but hoped the process would lead to useful conversations. They describe one student who repeatedly violated the “no texting in class” rule. By meeting with her daily, the teachers discovered that she was worried that not replying immediately to texts would damage her relationship with a newly-formed circle of friends. This gave the teachers the opportunity to talk with her about the difficulty of navigating the school’s social landscape.

The teachers also found new ways to use technology in the classroom. They added a podcast of classic stories to the English curriculum and began sending reminders about homework and “pop quiz” questions to students after school hours.

Beyond specific uses of technology, Frey and Fisher’s basic goal was closely connected to the issues Turkle is addressing: the question of how to use technology without harming our relationships with other humans.

“Our concern grew out of recognition that merely banning technology would do little to teach students how to use it responsibly,” they write. “…We have found that the basic premise—that classmates and teachers are entitled to courteous treatment—has served as a touchstone.”

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Argumentative Essay on the Use of Mobile Phones in Schools

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Maryam Ghalib

Αργύρης Κυρίδης

The continuing and rapid evolution of mobile telephony seems to effect contemporary life and especially students life. In our research we investigate Greek high school students' beliefs and attitudes about mobile telephony and their stance on mobile phone usage. A total of 194 students of high school, participated in the study (99 boys and 95 girls). A closed form questionnaire with 16 sentences has been given. The data that has been collected analyzed using Factor Analysis method. In this way the data grouped according to their interrelation, in order to project special categories and fully describe students' attitudes. Based on the Factor Analysis five independent axes arise, which interpret the 69% of the total sample. The results show that although students consider mobile phone as a necessity, they treat it as a life style gadget. (Mobile telephony, high school, greek students) I.

Global Foundation for Nursing Profession & Social Services

GFNPSS International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research

Now a day’s mobile phone usability increased in students and society. There are many benefits of using mobile phone along with excessive use of mobile phone become stress in our life. Currently use of mobile phone more concern in students and society. Various efforts have been made through research to identify increased use of mobile phone. At present, mobile phones are being used everywhere. The mobile radiations may give harmful effects, will give major problems also in males’ infertility, Ear problems, Immunity system, Eye vision problems, high blood pressure, tiredness, stress, sleep distribution, impaired concentration, memory and finally gets DNA problems.1 Key words: Impact, mobile phone, student and society.

Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences

IOSR Journals

In 21 st century the revolution of using mobile phone is the most significant issue in the information technology of the modern world. Bangladesh is not beyond the atmospheric. Most of the people either poor or rich use this device widely. Specially the teenagers who are the learners of secondary level are addicted to this technological device. For this reason, they are becoming lag behind from academic study/performance. The research work aims at finding out the above problems and its solutions with keen observations. It also expects to make the learners of secondary level involve in classroom study. The Research work has been done according to the quantitative or some somehow mixed method. To make this research authentic, all the information has been collected from various primary and secondary sources, such as research works, journal articles, newspaper articles etc. Questionnaire with survey method has directly been followed among the learners, teachers, guardians and concerned elites. Here in the manuscript the author has desired to make a result that learners, teachers, guardians, concerned elites, the authority of educational institutions and even the government will realize the harmful effect of excessive use of mobile phone among the learners of secondary level and try to solve this problem collectively. Finally, this study established that excessive use of mobile phone among the learners of secondary level made the quality of education very less than before in Bangladesh especially in Sirajganj district of Bangladesh.

International Journal of Emerging Technologies in Learning (iJET)

Mohammad Salehi

Mobile phones are widely used by university students and there is a controversial topic whether students should be able to use them freely during lectures. A survey was distributed seeking student opinions on using mobile phones in classroom. We used two-phase sampling method to reduce the nonresponse bias. There were 392 valid responses. To test the effect of different factors on students’ opinions a number of statistical techniques were utilized. The results showed Qatar University students marginally favored using mobile in classroom but using mobile phone distracted some students who are less in favor of using phone during lectures. The proportion of students who believe that student should decide to use or not use mobile in the classes is 0.635. Apparently, students expected implementation of a policy that controls the use of mobile phones in class. Recommendations include a blanket policy for the University on the use of mobile phones during class, mobile phone breaks given by...

Carmen Cano

Pakistan Journal of Social Research

Dr.Azmat Ali Shah

The study investigated the uses of a cell phone in educational activities of students at a higher level. The recommendation of National Professional Standards on the use of ICT in education provides a strong theoretical background for the study. The objectives of the study focused on the investigation of the perception of teachers and students regarding the uses of the cell phone in educational activities and effective communication between students and teachers for educational progress. Adopting a descriptive research design, a survey was carried out to investigate one hundred respondents by using a self-developed questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed through percentage and findings were tabulated consequently which show that majority of respondent uses a cell phone for instructive activities and having positive effects on students’ educational performances. Furthermore, the uses of a cell phone in educational activities facilitate teachers and students at the same level i...

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Asian Journal of Empirical Research

This study is an effort to investigate the “Impacts of Cell Phone Using Habits on the Studies of Students of University of Sargodha and Punjab University Lahore. The study used the survey method for data collection. A sample of 100 respondents consisting of 50 Teachers and 50 Parents was selected by using purposive and convenience sampling technique. The findings show that respondents frequently use cell phone and overwhelming majority spent lots of money in their daily lives. Respondents frequently use cell phone to contact with parents followed by friends, close friends whereas somewhat with classmates and rarely with teachers. But according to teachers and parents students mostly use cell phone to contact with parents; classmates, friends, and close friends with little difference. Students frequently use cell phone in class room not for lecture recording but for the purpose of SMS texting etc. It is also observed that students mostly use cell phone for un-educational activities and according to teachers and parents due the use of cell phone respondents are losing focus on their studies and parents are decreasing their parental control on their children due to the use of cell phone.

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Student Apathy Is a Big Classroom Challenge, Teachers Say. Cellphones Aren’t Helping

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The stakes are high: Students have a lot of academic ground to make up following the pandemic. Yet they’re not fully engaged in the classroom, teachers report in a new national survey .

Nearly half of teachers—and 58 percent of high school teachers—say that their students showing little to no interest in learning is a major problem in their classroom. And 72 percent of high school teachers and a third of middle school teachers say that students being distracted by cellphones is a major problem.

Those results are from a new survey by the Pew Research Center of more than 2,500 public school teachers, which was conducted from Oct. 17 to Nov. 14. (The teachers surveyed are members of the RAND Corp.'s nationally representative American Teacher Panel.) The survey covers a wide breadth of topics, including teachers’ job satisfaction, workload, and challenges in the classroom.

About half of the teachers who responded to the survey gave low marks to both the academic performance and behavior of students at their school. Teachers from high-poverty schools are much more likely to hold these negative views than their peers at low-poverty schools.

When teachers were asked about the problems affecting students at their schools, poverty, chronic absenteeism (generally defined as missing 10 percent or more of school days for any reason), and anxiety and depression topped the list. More than a third of middle school teachers also cited bullying.

And inside the classroom, distractions reign.

Natoria Kennell-Foster, a 7th grade English/language arts teacher in Mississippi, said she’s still seeing the lingering effects of school shutdowns and remote learning in her classroom this year.

Some of her students are “really hungry to learn,” she said. “They want all the things I have to give.”

Others, however, are still not used to the structure of the school day and have been reluctant to engage in class, she said: “Pulling them in can be difficult.”

Kennell-Foster said she’s found some success by pairing her eager students with the disengaged ones. And she’s optimistic that some of these problems will dissipate in the next few years.

“The further we’ve been removed from quarantine, each year has gotten a little closer to being normal,” Kennell-Foster said.

Cellphones are an ‘addiction,’ teachers say

While 71 percent of high school teachers say their school or district has policies regarding students’ use of cellphones in the classroom, 60 percent said those policies were difficult to enforce.

Tamika Kimble, an 8th and 9th grade science teacher at Sylvan Hill Junior High School in Sherwood, Arkansas, has a sign posted in her classroom that cellphones are not allowed. Even so, she frequently has to confiscate phones.

“Sometimes I’ll be teaching, and I notice their heads are down—I know they’re on their phones,” Kimble said. “If I’m paid to teach you to learn something, that’s what I need you to do. I’m not going to allow you to play games on your phone. You are there to learn.”

Yet keeping students engaged in instruction and off their phones is a constant battle for many teachers.

“It’s like an addiction,” said Kelly Chevalier, a science teacher at Crown Point High School in northwest Indiana. “They can’t put them away for any amount of time.”

Her students are constantly messaging their friends, scrolling social media, Googling information, listening to music, watching shows, and playing games on their phones.

And when students were told to turn their phones off and put them away for the duration of a standardized exam, they panicked: “The idea of being without their phone for three hours—it literally causes some of them physiological anxiety,” Chevalier said.

Chevalier said she sees phones akin to cars. Parents would never give their children the car keys and tell them to drive without any preparation, she said. Students need to learn how to use phones—and the unfettered access to a world of both information and mis- and disinformation—responsibly, too.

Yet parents are not always partners in teachers’ efforts to stem the use of phones in class, teachers say.

Sometimes, Chevalier will tell a student to put away their phone—and they’ll respond that they’re texting their mom, who’s asking them what they want from the store.

Kimble said she’s experienced pushback from parents when she or school leaders have taken students’ phones.

“The parents feel like, ‘This is my phone, I bought it. You have no right to take it,’” Kimble said. “But this is my classroom. I have a right to take it, and I have a right to teach.”

The Pew survey found that 79 percent of teachers say parents do too little when it comes to holding their children accountable if they misbehave in school. Sixty-three percent of all teachers—and three-fourths of high school teachers—say parents do too little to ensure their children’s attendance.

“I think one striking finding [from the survey] is that while teachers navigate through all these challenges, they just don’t feel like they’re getting the support or reinforcement they need from parents,” said Luona Lin, a research associate at Pew Research Center.

Most teachers—65 percent—do say that parents show appreciation for their efforts at least sometimes, with about a quarter saying it happens frequently.

Even so, 40 percent of teachers say that parents at least sometimes communicate with them in a disrespectful way.

Teachers are less satisfied with their jobs than other workers

Only a third of teachers say they’re “extremely” or “very” satisfied with their job overall, compared to about half of all U.S. workers. EdWeek’s The State of Teaching survey , released last month, found similar themes of low morale, an ambivalence toward recommending their profession to loved ones, and a heavy workload.

Indeed, the Pew survey found that more than 8 in 10 teachers said there’s not enough time in the day to get all their work done—mostly because they simply have too much work to do, respondents said, but also because they have other responsibilities, like hallway or lunch duty, that cut into their core work .

A strong majority of teachers said their job is often stressful (77 percent) or overwhelming (68 percent). Smaller majorities said their job is often fulfilling (56 percent) or enjoyable (53 percent).

Female teachers are more likely than male teachers to say their job is frequently stressful or overwhelming. Similarly, female teachers are more likely to say that work-life balance is difficult for them to achieve.

Lin pointed to prior Pew research that shows that female workers overall are more likely than male workers to say their job is stressful and overwhelming all or most of the time. That’s perhaps in part because research shows women in opposite-sex marriages typically take on a heavier load at home with household chores and caregiving responsibilities.

The Pew survey also found that 82 percent of teachers say that the overall state of public K-12 education has gotten worse in the last five years, with large shares pointing to the current political climate, the lasting effects of the pandemic, and changes in the availability of funding and resources.

About half of teachers expect the state of education to be worse five years from now.

Meanwhile, Pew separately surveyed about 5,000 U.S. adults in November and found that about half say the public K-12 education system is going in the wrong direction . Just 16 percent say it’s going in the right direction; the rest aren’t sure.

Large shares of people who held a negative view of the education system pointed to the following reasons: schools are not spending enough time on core academic subjects; teachers are bringing their personal political and social views into the classroom; and schools don’t have the funding and resources they need.

Lin highlighted the fact that while both teachers and the general public hold a largely negative view of education, their reasons for doing so are mostly different.

“All these issues that teachers are facing in the classroom ... they’re not known to the general public,” she said. “We definitely hope that our report sparks some discussion.”

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Persuasive Essay: Should Cell Phones Be Allowed in Schools

Banning cell phones in school? Allowing students to use their cellphones in the classroom is 

a controversial topic. But students have already found ways of using cell phones in school for academic purposes. After all, allowing cell phone usage can help students during the day by learning in a way they are comfortable, keeping in contact with their parents, and devices provide easy access to information. I do not agree with the cell phone ban!

First of all, allowing cell phone usage lets students learn in a way where they're comfortable.  

Cell phones are like a tool to students these days, it helps them in many ways and it makes them feel comfortable and learn better.  According to the text, “Smartphones are young-person intuitive.  More and more students know how to use them, and they are becoming the most used "tool" by teens "(The SHARE team, resilient educator). In addition, allowing students to use their cell phones keeps them in contact with their parents. And know there are phones in schools but parents feel safe to know that their children can reach them at any moment. Based on the text, "Contacting parents mediated by school sometimes takes time so one of the best options is if the student can contact them directly.  This is especially useful during medical emergencies.  There are also times where the parents need to get ahold of their child for some important reason or just to check up on them on why they are running late "(Todd VanDuzer, student-tutor). 

In fact, letting students use their phones in schools also lets them access information easier.  

Some students may find it hard to keep on top of all their assignmens and by giving them access to information on the internet they can learn more about the topic and help them be on top of their work.  As said in the text, "If smartphones are allowed in school, students will have easy access to more information and therefore will be more participative during the class discussion" (Todd VanDuzer, student-tutor).  Being able to search up facts in just a few clicks is one of the biggest advantages of using technology.

On the other hand, Cell phones in the classroom promote cheating.  There are many websites, online forums, and tutors available online.  Most of the websites require subscriptions.  These resources, allow students to ask a question about their homework and they will be provided the answer.  If a student is allowed to bring their cell phone, he will have access to submit his question and receive the answer.  As said in the text "As said before, kids are getting distracted and not paying attention, so when it comes to taking a test they have no idea what the answers are so many students will cheat and not even learn anything" (Amie Vitello, Middle Borough TV).

In conclusion, cell phones should not be banned from schools because they are used for academic purposes. They provide quick access to knowledge, and they are learning in a method that is comfortable for them, and they can maintain in touch with their parents. In the end mobile devices have their benefits. So, should we ban them?

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Cell Phones in School, Essay Example

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The use of cell phones has become a part of teenagers’ everyday life.   As a result, teachers and parents are both concerned by the excessive use of cell phones by teens.  Parents and teachers are divided on the actual use or harm that cell phones may present for it users. While others are optimistic that cell phones uses may outweigh the cons. A recent study showed that more than 1.3 billion teenagers had cell phones with access to the Internet.  Teenagers spend a lot of time on their phones. Many believe it has become an addiction. On average, teenagers spend more than 7 hours per day on their phones. Yes, teenagers spend time updating accounts, posting pictures, following, and liking others topics, but sometimes they use their cell phones for educational purposes. This is especially true when they are allowed to use them in the classroom. When it is implemented in the classroom, students will enjoy learning because it doesn’t really seem like work. How many teen-agers don’t have a cell phone these days? The brilliant thing about cell phones is that they are no longer just used for calling or texting. They have become an way to have access to nearly anything at one’s fingertips. Today’s cell phone is equivalent to having a computer in your back pocket. According to Sterner, “Remember everything about that cell phone in your student’s pocket is vastly more powerful than the computer used by Neil Armstrong to land on the moon” (57). Take advantage of that power! With all of these advantages, should students be permitted to have and use cell phones in school? I believe students should be permitted to use cell phones in school because they allow students to have access to family and friends, they are also an excellent learning resource, and they teach students to use technology responsibly.

Cell phones are a great communication resource. With school violence being on the rise, parents can sigh a breath of relief knowing that their children can contact them if they need to. Cell phones are a great way to keep in touch with friends as well. First, cell phones make it possible for students to stay in touch with family and friends. A student can call home and ask a family member to bring them a forgotten assignment or to come pick them up if they are sick. Also, cell phones allow parents to keep track of their children’s whereabouts before, during, and after school. There’s always the possibility of a student needing to contact a parent because of a dangerous situation. Students can also connect with friends. A teacher may asks students to text or email other students when they are absent to let them know what’s going on in class. Some teachers even allow students to text or email assignments directly to them. Also, some teachers use it as an instrument of producing desired behaviors. “The cell phone is a tangible symbol of teens’ independence. Its power with my students makes it a useful instrument for getting the behavior needed in class However, only few teachers are implementing the use of cell phones into their classes”(57). When used responsibly, a cell phone can be an excellent communication tool.

Also, smart phones are a fabulous learning resource that nearly every student has access to. Turkle said,

“Almost all teenagers in America today have used social media. Nine out of 10 (90%) 13- to 17-year-olds have used some form of social media. Three out of four (75%) teenagers currently have a profile on a social networking site, and one in five (22%) has a current Twitter account (27% have ever used Twitter). Facebook utterly dominates social networking use among teens: 68% of all teens say Facebook is their main social networking site, compared to 6% for Twitter, 1% for Google Plus, and 1% for MySpace (25% don’t have a social networking site” (Turkle, 11 ).

With numbers like these, why wouldn’t teachers use them as a resource? Also, students can use tools such as the calculator, the map finder, and the calendar. Some students use their cell phones in Math and Geography to keep track of homework or search about information that is unfamiliar to them. Some science and history teachers allow students to use smart phones to do research when they are doing group work or working on a project. For example, Mr. Sterner, the author of the article, says he adheres to the school and building policies about the use of cell phones; however, he sets clear rules for his classroom. Students know that once they have broken those rules they will lose their cell phone use privileges (57). Cell phones are a quick and easy way to incorporate technology in the classroom.

All teachers agree that their role is to prepare students for the real world. Technology is a great part of the real world. Filling out job applications, paying bills, and even registering to vote can be completed online via the use of technology now. In most cases, the use of technology has taken the place of the traditional learning environment. Many educators are afraid that this trend is leading to the death of knowledge; however, it is only leading to a new way of obtaining and using knowledge. The use of pencil and paper has been replaced with keypads and wireless internet. Yes, there are some cons to the excessive use of technology. For example, many students have poor penmanship and spelling skills because of the constant use of text lingo. As a result, many students have great difficulty writing using formal standards. When texting and emailing, there are really no grammar rules. Studies have proven that daily use of technology is restructuring the brains of our younger generation. Is that such a bad thing? The world is changing daily and the brains of teens are changing in order to keep up with the changes around them. Another drawback that has been noted is that young people are unable to face challenges and solve problems they may encounter in face to face situations. As a result, many youngsters a very confrontational. They are unable to adequately express themselves.

A final reason is that cell phones encourage the responsible use of technology and will power. Sterner mentioned a study that was conducted in the 60s and 70s by Walter Mischel called the Marshmallow test. The test was conducted to determine if the desire to do something could be altered or delayed. It was determined that it could be and that the development of this strategy would be helpful later in life. Mischel conducted several delayed gratification tests in which subjects were able to use their own will power to delay actions. He concluded that those with will power were more socially accepted, popular, and successful in academics (Sterner, 58). Students often cannot resist looking at their phones to check Facebook or Twitter. However, having their phone in their pocket, but resisting the urge to check their phones instills work ethics and professionalism. Students can learn when and how to use their cell phones to enhance their learning or just for fun. They will become more independent in their work and more motivated to learn. Students like being allowed to make choices. If a student is texting when he/she should be paying attention to the teacher, the teacher should take the cell phone away from the student. By allowing the use of cell phones, students will feel like they are being treated like responsible young adults, and they will appreciate that. In one study, it was concluded that teachers who allow student to use their phones at designated times had a higher rate of compliancy to classroom rules. The teachers who participated in the study stated that they defined specific rules that students had to abide by. They knew when they were in a “free zone” or could use their phones without consequences. More than 88 percent of those teachers felt that by allowing them to use their phones improved classroom behavior issues. In many cases, students who did not have cell phones were able to partner with another student to complete work. Students participated more in class and were willing to respond without reluctance. One teacher said she allowed her students to use cell phones for specific activities on specific days per week. For example, he said:

“I have my students use their cell phones for things like: l Poetry analysis (dictionary) and composition (thesaurus); l Tweeting from a character’s point of view to aid character analysis; l Research (short-term, brief only); and l Photojournalism for viewing examples and creating our own photo essays” (Sterner, 57).

Of course, teachers will have to have guidelines and rules for the proper use of cell phones in the classroom. Nevertheless, they are such a great resource every teachers needs to consider implementing them in their classroom.

In conclusion, cell phones ensure communication, are a learning resource, and encourage appropriate use of technology and build will power. People who oppose the use of cell phones in school do so because of the disruptions and distractions cell phones can cause; however, we must accept that we live in the technology era and that cell phones are an important and very useful part of the educational world. Students miss out if teachers fail to take advantage of the educational power of the cell phone. Let’s make the most of the day and age we are living in!

Works Cited

Sterner, R. “4 Things You’ll Miss By Banning Cell Phones in Your Classroom.” Education Digest 81.2(2015):56 MasterFile Premier, Web, 2 Nov. 2015

Turkle, S. (2004). How computers change the way we think. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 50 (21), 10-15

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Essay on Use of Mobile Phones in Education

Students are often asked to write an essay on Use of Mobile Phones in Education in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Use of Mobile Phones in Education

Introduction.

Mobile phones, once considered a distraction, are now a valuable tool in education. They provide a wealth of resources and opportunities for learning.

Learning Tools

Mobile phones offer various educational apps, like dictionaries, encyclopedias, and learning games, which aid in understanding complex topics.

Easy Access to Information

With internet connectivity, mobile phones provide instant access to vast amounts of information, making learning more dynamic and interactive.

Communication and Collaboration

Mobile phones facilitate communication between students and teachers, promoting collaboration and the sharing of ideas.

While it’s crucial to monitor usage, the educational benefits of mobile phones are undeniable. They have transformed the way we learn.

250 Words Essay on Use of Mobile Phones in Education

Mobile phones, once viewed as distractions, are now recognized as powerful tools in the realm of education. Their role in enhancing learning experiences and outcomes cannot be understated.

Transforming Learning Experiences

The ubiquity of mobile phones has revolutionized the learning landscape. They serve as portable knowledge hubs, bringing a wealth of information to students’ fingertips. With educational apps, e-books, and online courses, mobiles facilitate self-paced learning, allowing students to explore topics beyond the classroom curriculum.

Collaborative Learning

Mobile phones foster a collaborative learning environment. They enable students to engage in group discussions, share resources, and work on projects remotely, thereby promoting teamwork and enhancing communication skills.

Real-time Feedback

Mobile phones also provide platforms for real-time feedback. Teachers can monitor students’ progress, address doubts, and provide personalized guidance. This immediate feedback mechanism helps in identifying and rectifying learning gaps promptly.

Challenges and Conclusion

Despite the advantages, the use of mobile phones in education is not without challenges. Issues like digital distraction, cyberbullying, and data privacy require careful management. Moreover, the digital divide can exacerbate educational inequalities. Therefore, while leveraging mobile phones for education, it is crucial to establish a balanced and responsible approach to their use. In conclusion, when used effectively, mobile phones can significantly enrich the educational journey, transforming it into an engaging, collaborative, and personalized experience.

500 Words Essay on Use of Mobile Phones in Education

Mobile phones, once considered a distraction in educational environments, have transformed into an indispensable tool for learning. The advent of smartphones and the proliferation of apps have revolutionized the way we learn, making education more accessible, interactive, and personalized.

The Role of Mobile Phones in Education

Mobile phones, with their ubiquitous presence, have become a gateway to a wealth of knowledge. The internet connectivity they provide allows students to access a plethora of educational resources and platforms. From e-books to educational apps, online courses, and interactive learning tools, mobile phones have made it possible for students to learn anytime, anywhere.

Enhancing Learning Experience

Mobile phones also enhance the learning experience by making it interactive and engaging. They support multimedia learning, enabling students to learn through videos, animations, and interactive quizzes. This multimedia approach caters to different learning styles, making education more inclusive. Mobile phones also facilitate collaborative learning. Through various apps, students can work on projects together, share notes, and engage in peer-to-peer learning.

Personalized Learning

Personalized learning has become a reality with mobile phones. Educational apps can adapt to individual learning styles and pace, ensuring that no student is left behind. They also provide instant feedback, allowing students to identify their weak areas and work on them. In addition, mobile phones can also support self-paced learning, enabling students to learn at their own convenience.

Challenges and Solutions

Despite the benefits, the use of mobile phones in education also presents challenges. The most significant one is the digital divide. Not all students have access to smartphones or a stable internet connection, which can lead to inequalities in educational opportunities. It is crucial for educational institutions and policymakers to work towards bridging this digital divide.

Another challenge is the potential for distraction. However, with proper guidelines and digital literacy education, students can be taught to use mobile phones responsibly for educational purposes.

In conclusion, mobile phones have the potential to transform education by making it more accessible, personalized, and engaging. However, it is important to address the challenges they present to ensure equitable access to education. The future of education lies in leveraging technology like mobile phones to provide quality education to all, irrespective of their geographical location or socio-economic status.

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Uses of Mobile Phones Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on uses of mobile phones.

Mobile phones are one of the most commonly used gadgets in today’s world. Everyone from a child to an adult uses mobile phones these days. They are indeed very useful and help us in so many ways.

Mobile phones indeed make our lives easy and convenient but at what cost? They are a blessing only till we use it correctly. As when we use them for more than a fixed time, they become harmful for us.

Uses of Mobile Phone

We use mobile phones for almost everything now. Gone are the days when we used them for only calling. Now, our lives revolve around it. They come in use for communicating through voice, messages, and mails. We can also surf the internet using a phone. Most importantly, we also click photos and record videos through our mobile’s camera.

The phones of this age are known as smartphones . They are no less than a computer and sometimes even more. You can video call people using this phone, and also manage your official documents. You get the chance to use social media and play music through it.

Moreover, we see how mobile phones have replaced computers and laptops . We carry out all the tasks through mobile phones which we initially did use our computers. We can even make powerpoint presentations on our phones and use it as a calculator to ease our work.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Disadvantages of Mobile Phones

While mobile phones are very beneficial, they also come to a lot of disadvantages. Firstly, they create a distance between people. As people spend time on their phones, they don’t talk to each other much. People will sit in the same room and be busy on their phones instead of talking to each other.

Subsequently, phones waste a lot of time. People get distracted by them easily and spend hours on their phones. They are becoming dumber while using smartphones . They do not do their work and focus on using phones.

Most importantly, mobile phones are a cause of many ailments. When we use phones for a long time, our eyesight gets weaker. They cause strain on our brains. We also suffer from headaches, watery eyes, sleeplessness and more.

Moreover, mobile phones have created a lack of privacy in people’s lives. As all your information is stored on your phone and social media , anyone can access it easily. We become vulnerable to hackers. Also, mobile phones consume a lot of money. They are anyway expensive and to top it, we buy expensive gadgets to enhance our user experience.

In short, we see how it is both a bane and a boon. It depends on us how we can use it to our advantage. We must limit our usage of mobile phones and not let it control us. As mobile phones are taking over our lives, we must know when to draw the line. After all, we are the owners and not the smartphone.

FAQs on Uses of Mobile Phones

Q.1 How do mobile phones help us?

A.1 Mobile phones are very advantageous. They help us in making our lives easy and convenient. They help us communicate with our loved ones and carry out our work efficiently. Furthermore, they also do the work of the computer, calculator, and cameras.

Q.2 What is the abuse of mobile phone use?

A.2 People are nowadays not using but abusing mobile phones. They are using them endlessly which is ruining their lives. They are the cause of many ailments. They distract us and keep us away from important work. Moreover, they also compromise with our privacy making us vulnerable to hackers.

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Banning Cell Phones in Schools Essay Example

Do schools care that cell phones are creating an unhealthy environment for students? In almost every free period, students sit on their cell phones with their heads down. Why would schools want their students to waste free time when they can spend that time working on school work or interacting with others? Students are also missing out on so much information just from being on their cell phone during a class. Cell phones cause distractions, fewer interactions, and failure. Schools should care about their students by banning cell phones. 

The main reason why students are becoming more distracted during class is because of their cell phones. When students sit on their cell phones during a class, it makes it very difficult for them to stay focused. Since the use of cell phones are increasing, bullying over social media is also starting to increase. Because of this, students face emotional hits if they see that they are left out of a group chat or see photos of which they compare themselves to. If this happens to a student during the schoolday, it can make it very difficult for them to stay engaged during class or when they are doing school work (“Smartphones”). 

Along with students being distracted, cell phones have caused fewer interactions between students. U.S. government teacher, Joe Clemet, and teacher, Matt Miles, have said that free periods have deteriorated from lively talk among students and teachers to silent screen reading. Clement thought that he could bring back the lively talk of students during free period classes by restricting cell phones. Students responded by not showing up. Instead, students went to a different free period class where cell phones were not restricted (Mathews). Also, it has been found that cell phone use increases the rate of depression. Face-to-face interactions with friends helps decreases the rate of depression (“Smartphones”). Creating a school environment without cell phones will help give students the opportunity to have face-to-face interactions with other students. Creating a school environment without cell phones will also help create a healthy environment for students. 

Furthermore, cell phone in school does not boost achievement. Students who interact with their cell phones during class tend to perform poorly on tests (usually a full letter grade or more). Some schools that have decided to change their cell phone policy saw an increase in test scores by 6.41%. Based on a study in 2017, some participants were told to keep their cell phones nearby and the other participants were told to put their cell phones in a different room. Then, each participant was asked to perform a memory test. The participants who didn’t have their cell phones performed much better than the participants who had their cell phones (“Smartphones”).

Finally, some schools believe that allowing students to use their cell phones during the school day isn’t a bad thing. Some schools have even worked cell phones into the daily curriculum. From text reminders to school apps, cell phones are making the learning system much more easier (Kennedy). Even though cell phones are making the learning system much more easier, there will be a higher chance that students will cheat, cell phones will still cause distractions, and there will still be fewer interactions between students.Working cell phones into the daily curriculum won’t solve these problems.

In conclusion, cell phones create an unhealthy school environment for students. They cause distractions, failure, and fewer interactions. It has been proven that students perform poorly in school if cell phones are allowed. It has also been proven that decreasing cell phone use in school will help increase interactions between students. Schools should want their students to have a healthy environment. Cell phones should be banned in schools.

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Jessica Grose

Screens are everywhere in schools. do they actually help kids learn.

By Jessica Grose

Opinion Writer

A few weeks ago, a parent who lives in Texas asked me how much my kids were using screens to do schoolwork in their classrooms. She wasn’t talking about personal devices. (Smartwatches and smartphones are banned in my children’s schools during the school day, which I’m very happy about; I find any argument for allowing these devices in the classroom to be risible.) No, this parent was talking about screens that are school sanctioned, like iPads and Chromebooks issued to children individually for educational activities.

I’m embarrassed to say that I couldn’t answer her question because I had never asked or even thought about asking. Partly because the Covid-19 era made screens imperative in an instant — as one ed-tech executive told my colleague Natasha Singer in 2021, the pandemic “sped the adoption of technology in education by easily five to 10 years.” In the early Covid years, when my older daughter started using a Chromebook to do assignments for second and third grade, I was mostly just relieved that she had great teachers and seemed to be learning what she needed to know. By the time she was in fifth grade and the world was mostly back to normal, I knew she took her laptop to school for in-class assignments, but I never asked for specifics about how devices were being used. I trusted her teachers and her school implicitly.

In New York State, ed tech is often discussed as an equity problem — with good reason: At home, less privileged children might not have access to personal devices and high-speed internet that would allow them to complete digital assignments. But in our learn-to-code society, in which computer skills are seen as a meal ticket and the humanities as a ticket to the unemployment line, there seems to be less chatter about whether there are too many screens in our kids’ day-to-day educational environment beyond the classes that are specifically tech focused. I rarely heard details about what these screens are adding to our children’s literacy, math, science or history skills.

And screens truly are everywhere. For example, according to 2022 data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, only about 8 percent of eighth graders in public schools said their math teachers “never or hardly ever” used computers or digital devices to teach math, 37 percent said their math teachers used this technology half or more than half the time, and 44 percent said their math teachers used this technology all or most of the time.

As is often the case with rapid change, “the speed at which new technologies and intervention models are reaching the market has far outpaced the ability of policy researchers to keep up with evaluating them,” according to a dazzlingly thorough review of the research on education technology by Maya Escueta, Andre Joshua Nickow, Philip Oreopoulos and Vincent Quan published in The Journal of Economic Literature in 2020.

Despite the relative paucity of research, particularly on in-class use of tech, Escueta and her co-authors put together “a comprehensive list of all publicly available studies on technology-based education interventions that report findings from studies following either of two research designs, randomized controlled trials or regression discontinuity designs.”

They found that increasing access to devices didn’t always lead to positive academic outcomes. In a couple of cases, it just increased the amount of time kids were spending on devices playing games. They wrote, “We found that simply providing students with access to technology yields largely mixed results. At the K-12 level, much of the experimental evidence suggests that giving a child a computer may have limited impacts on learning outcomes but generally improves computer proficiency and other cognitive outcomes.”

Some of the most promising research is around computer-assisted learning, which the researchers defined as “computer programs and other software applications designed to improve academic skills.” They cited a 2016 randomized study of 2,850 seventh-grade math students in Maine who used an online homework tool. The authors of that study “found that the program improved math scores for treatment students by 0.18 standard deviations. This impact is particularly noteworthy, given that treatment students used the program, on average, for less than 10 minutes per night, three to four nights per week,” according to Escueta and her co-authors.

They also explained that in the classroom, computer programs may help teachers meet the needs of students who are at different levels, since “when confronted with a wide range of student ability, teachers often end up teaching the core curriculum and tailoring instruction to the middle of the class.” A good program, they found, could help provide individual attention and skill building for kids at the bottom and the top, as well. There are computer programs for reading comprehension that have shown similar positive results in the research. Anecdotally: My older daughter practices her Spanish language skills using an app, and she hand-writes Spanish vocabulary words on index cards. The combination seems to be working well for her.

Though their review was published in 2020, before the data was out on our grand remote-learning experiment, Escueta and her co-authors found that fully online remote learning did not work as well as hybrid or in-person school. I called Thomas Dee, a professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, who said that in light of earlier studies “and what we’re coming to understand about the long-lived effects of the pandemic on learning, it underscores for me that there’s a social dimension to learning that we ignore at our peril. And I think technology can often strip that away.”

Still, Dee summarized the entire topic of ed tech to me this way: “I don’t want to be black and white about this. I think there are really positive things coming from technology.” But he said that they are “meaningful supports on the margins, not fundamental changes in the modality of how people learn.”

I’d add that the implementation of any technology also matters a great deal; any educational tool can be great or awful, depending on how it’s used.

I’m neither a tech evangelist nor a Luddite. (Though I haven’t even touched on the potential implications of classroom teaching with artificial intelligence, a technology that, in other contexts, has so much destructive potential .) What I do want is the most effective educational experience for all kids.

Because there’s such a lag in the data and a lack of granularity to the information we do have, I want to hear from my readers: If you’re a teacher or a parent of a current K-12 student, I want to know how you and they are using technology — the good and the bad. Please complete the questionnaire below and let me know. I may reach out to you for further conversation.

Do your children or your students use technology in the classroom?

If you’re a parent, an educator or both, I want to hear from you.

Jessica Grose is an Opinion writer for The Times, covering family, religion, education, culture and the way we live now.

• Smartphones

Cell Phone Pouches Promise to Improve Focus at School. Kids Aren’t Convinced

W hen the students at Eastlake High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., returned to their school building in January 2021 following the COVID-19 lockdowns, principal Cassandra Berry noticed that they were glued to their phones even more than before. Students texted throughout classes, ignoring teachers. Fights broke out, sparked by nasty missives sent over DMs and posted on social media. 

“We had a couple of fights, and unfortunately, one of them was taped by a student in the classroom and posted on social media,” Berry says. “We wanted to make sure to nip that in the bud.” 

After mulling different solutions, Berry signed a contract this year with Yondr, an ed-tech company that sells locked pouches for cell phones. Berry learned about them when she went to a Dave Chappelle comedy show that required audience members to stow their phones during the performance. She liked the experience and thought it could be effective for her students as well. 

Eastlake High School now is one of thousands of schools across the world that have turned to Yondr in order to combat phone addiction and distraction. Founded in 2014, Yondr has rapidly expanded since the pandemic and now serves more than 1 million students in 21 countries. The company has had more than a tenfold increase in sales from government contracts since 2021, from $174,000 to $2.13 million, according to GovSpend , a data service. 

Some teachers swear by Yondr, saying it has dramatically transformed their classrooms to allow students to actually focus on learning. But many students have decried it as invasive and paternalistic, and some parents argue that phones are a safety tool, especially given the proliferation of school shootings. Some experts also worry that the money spent on Yondr could be better spent on other resources. 

“I would call into question if you’re putting it into schools that are quote-unquote under-resourced academically,” says Tanji Reed Marshall, CEO and principal consultant of Liaison Educational Partners. ‘“So you don't want to support my academics, but you want to put my money on buying a tool to keep me off my phone?’”

The debate over whether phones belong in schools has raged for more than a decade. A 2015 study found that test scores rose by as much as 6% after cell phone bans were enacted. Phone usage has only escalated since then: A Pew Research Center study last year found that a third of teens were on social media “almost constantly.” 

A majority of parents support limits on cell phone usage in schools, one study found, and many schools already have cell phone bans in place. But the same study found that parents are largely skeptical of taking phones away from kids outright. And many students have tried to resist these more restrictive measures. At least 80 petitions calling for schools to stop using Yondr have been created on Change.org. “They are inconvenient and a waste of money,” reads one petition started in January 2023, which has garnered over 600 signatures. 

Nevertheless, some U.S. school districts, including in Holyoke, Mass., and Akron, Ohio , have mandated it for middle and high school students, and legislative efforts may be coming as well: Both Republican and Democratic Senators have flagged tamping down cell phone use as a priority this congressional year. Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton told CBS News , "Teachers dislike cell phones the way the devil hates holy water."

A Yondr spokesperson addressed student concerns in an email, writing, “There will always be students who try to push boundaries, but in our experience, we see 90/95% compliance in the vast majority of our schools, practically overnight….Yondr is not a punishment, we know that when students are given the opportunity to experience a phone-free school environment, they feel the benefits and can then fully understand why it's a good idea to have regular breaks from their phones/social media.” The spokesperson added that the company’s reach in schools is expected to “grow significantly” for the next academic year. 

At the start of every day at Eastlake High School, students turn off their phones and put them in individual Yondr pouches. They keep their ensconced phones on them and then unlock them by tapping them on a magnetic device at the end of each day as they leave. After more than a month of Yondr usage, Berry says the experiment is helping students focus. “We had a young lady who half the time she's engaged and half the time she's not. After we started doing Yondr, one day she told the teacher, ‘Well, I guess I gotta do classwork, because I don’t have anything else to do,’” Berry says. 

Berry says the number of fights between students has decreased, because there are fewer impetuses to start them. “They don't have to worry about what someone's saying about them or what someone thinks about them, because they don’t see it throughout the day,” Berry says. “They're all working on their work.” 

Yondr typically costs $25 to $30 a student. Berry says that Eastlake High School used Title IV funds to pay about $2,400 for 80 pouches. She acknowledges that Eastlake’s small size—fewer than 100 kids—allowed them to keep the costs down.  

One public school teacher in New South Wales in Australia, who was contacted by TIME via Reddit direct message, has also been very happy with Yondr since their school district implemented it two years ago. “We know that a number of students don't use them correctly and still have their phones accessible, but they're rarely being brought out and used in class or during breaks, which was a significant problem before,” the teacher wrote. “I'm not paranoid about students filming or photographing me during class to then post on social media and rant about me. We've also noticed that our students are far more active and social during their breaks.” (The teacher, who teaches 12- to 18-year-olds, asked TIME not to use their name because they were not authorized to speak about school policies.)

But Yondr’s rollout has been far from perfect. Marshall consulted for a large public school in Massachusetts that tried to introduce it last fall. For a while, the effort was successful: “The administration found that the building didn't have as much high energy, because their weekend drama isn't coming to school with all the texting,” Marshall says. 

Within weeks, however, students began to fight back against the program, which they perceived as a control mechanism—especially because the other two schools that shared the same building did not require the pouches. “The students felt put upon. They didn't feel as though they were part of the process and felt this was targeted towards Black and brown kids in schools that are under-resourced,” she says. 

And once students started to rebel, they found ways to get to their phones in spite of the pouch.  “Students were very adept at adapting to this new environment,” Marshall says. “They found ways to keep phones and pretend they had Yondr. They found ways to break into the Yondr; they found ways to ignore it altogether.” Within 60 days, Marshall says the teachers at the school stopped enforcing the use of Yondr. 

Similarly, Regina Galinski, a New York City parent, says that her child’s school’s use of Yondr has been relatively ineffective. “It’s pretty useless, since kids have access to Chromebooks and just chat that way,” she wrote over Facebook Messenger. “It helps in the lower grades when kids follow rules, but as they get older, they are pointless. If you hit the pouch hard enough, it pops open.” 

“The pouch is very durable,” a Yondr spokesperson said, “and schools are provided with guidance and processes in which they can ensure students are compliant.” 

Improving schools via technology and other novel solutions has proved challenging. A February 2024 report examined a $1.4 billion Department of Education initiative to develop and test new ideas in the classroom and found that only a quarter of those innovations yielded any positive benefits for students and no negative harms.

Marshall says she’s not against Yondr but believes it needs to be rolled out in a conscientious way, and with the buy-in of everyone involved: students, parents, and teachers. “Yondr is neither good nor bad,” Marshall says. “It’s as good or bad as the systems and the conditions around which it is meant to operate.”

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Home — Essay Samples — Information Science and Technology — Cell Phones — Argumentative Essay On Cell Phones In School

Argumentative Essay on Cell Phones in School

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How to Achieve Success in School When Spring Fever Sets In

Tips to help your adhd child get through the end-of-the-school-year slump..

Posted April 12, 2024 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods

• What Is ADHD?
• Find counselling to overcome ADHD
• Neurodivergent students may find it especially difficult to maintain focus at the end of the school year.
• Helping your child prioritize and implement strategies can help with the end-of-year slump.
• To help your child finish the school year with confidence, focus on their strengths and praise their effort.

The sun is shining, birds are chirping, days are getting longer, and focus is waning. That’s right, it’s the end of the school year. It’s difficult to maintain focus on those end-of-year tasks like studying for exams or final projects when summer vacation occupies your thoughts. I’m sure most of us can remember these feelings when we were in school, imagine how much worse it is for your neurodivergent student who struggles daily to maintain focus, stay organized and complete tasks. Children with ADHD , for example, become under-stimulated more easily than their non-ADHD peers, so when spring fever hits, there are some strategies that can help your student push through when they would rather be enjoying some summer fun.

Maintain routines

Maintaining a structured homework schedule will help students stay on track and finish out the school year strong. In addition, it will alleviate frustration from both kids and parents if established routines stay in place.

Help your child prioritize end-of-year tasks

Executive functioning is a neurological process that enables us to pay attention to what is most important at the time so we can perform the appropriate behaviors. Additionally, executive functioning is important for planning and initiating tasks, time management , organization, and emotional control . Neurodivergent students with deficits in executive functioning will, for example, struggle with making a schedule to study for a comprehensive final exam, often unable to break down the large task into smaller, more manageable ones. Helping your student make a plan and prioritize end-of-year tasks can help prevent feelings of being overwhelmed and subsequently ignoring the tasks altogether. Remember, it’s important to help your child to set reasonable goals when making the end-of-year plan (e.g., studying five chapters of biology in one night may be too many, but two may be doable). If your child is a visual learner (most neurodivergent students are), then setting up a color-coded calendar may be useful with different colors for different priority levels. Using reminders on digital calendars may also be useful.

Establish accountability

We are all familiar with the phrase, “Misery loves company.” This is especially true for neurodivergent students, like those with ADHD. According to developmental pediatrician Patricia Quinn, “Hard work is simply more fun when someone else is nearby.” Enlisting the help of a body double may increase focus and productivity in kids with ADHD. The body double may sit quietly or participate in the activity with your child (e.g., a study buddy). If you are the body double for your child, you can remind them that help is available and gently re-direct them to the task when you see them getting distracted.

As a college student, my ADHD son likes to meet with friends in a quiet location, away from the distractions of his dorm room, to study. In addition to a study buddy, younger and older students alike can establish accountability by sharing digital calendars with friends or family members.

Use a study aid

Ever since my ADHD son was in elementary school, he has used a white noise generator when doing homework or studying; his favorite sound is the thunderstorm. White noise can help your neurodivergent student tune out distractions (like the birds singing outside on a bright, sunny afternoon great for playing outside), and help them to focus on the necessary (mundane and boring ) task at hand. Listening to music can also help with maintaining focus.

Acknowledge achievements

Identifying the small steps your neurodivergent learner takes to complete tasks, and their success, can help them to confidently finish out the school year. Little steps of encouragement can go a long way to overall success. Interestingly, studies have found that providing neurodivergent learners with daily report cards, which focus on positive behaviors, can increase a student’s academic success. Additionally, praising your child for their effort can help them to develop a growth mindset . Children with ADHD often have a fixed mindset and feel frustrated when they struggle to complete a task they believe they are not good at (e.g., I am not good at math, so why should I study for the final exam?). In contrast, individuals with a growth mindset view mistakes as learning opportunities to help them perform better in the future. So, try to remind your child of all they have accomplished already during the school year.

Although neurodivergent students live in the here and now, and rewarding behavior usually doesn’t work, you may be able to provide incentives for students who have goals in mind. I know for my son, his desire to stay at college is a motivator for him to do well academically.

Allow creativity

Neurodivergent students are creative, outside-the-box thinkers with intense interests (hyperfocus). It may be possible to use their creativity to get through difficult school assignments. For example: Can your child write a final paper on a topic they enjoy learning about? Can your son pretend he is an engineer and the math he is reviewing for an exam is important for building a sky scrapper or a rocket? Can your daughter pretend she is a forensic scientist when studying for a biology test?

It may not be time for sun and fun at the beach just yet, but get outdoors and move

Regular exercise can improve focus in children with ADHD, according to John Ratey, associate clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. Exercise increases levels of the brain chemicals dopamine and norepinephrine, helping to alleviate the inattention associated with ADHD. Exercise can also help regulate emotional control and fidgetiness. I saw improvement in my son’s focus when he would take homework breaks to go outside and ride his bike around the block. He would come back inside, mood improved, and ready to tackle another homework assignment. Now in college, my son will take breaks to go rock climbing, ride his electric skateboard, or shoot some hockey pucks at the local ice rink (I find it humorous that he didn’t become interested in ice hockey until he went to college in sunny Florida).

Fabiano, G. (2023, August 15). Daily report cards can decrease disruptions for children with ADHD . The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/daily-report-cards-can-decrease-disruptions-for-children-with-adhd-210229

Jacobson, R. (2023, November 6). School Success Kit for Kids With ADHD . Child Mind Institute. https://childmind.org/article/school-success-kit-for-kids-with-adhd

Quinn, P. (2024, April 8). Get More Done with a Body Double . Additude. https://www.additudemag.com/getting-stuff-done-easier-with-a-friend-body-double

Ratey, J.J., & Hagerman, E. (2013). Spark: The revolutionary new science of exercise and the brain . Little, Brown.

Kristin Wilcox, Ph.D. , has spent over 20 years in academia as a behavioral pharmacologist studying drug abuse behavior and ADHD medications at Emory University and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

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