CELL PHONES: Essential or trivial in school?
Nowadays, cell phones are almost as ubiquitous as money allowance to teenagers. As the prices of cell phone, voice calls, and SMS go down, more and more parents can afford to buy one for their children.
Some true-to-life scenarios:
- A student will trade his/her merienda (snack, in English)to buy unlimited prepaid load.
- A student being tagged as “isang malaking daliri” (“one big finger”, in English) because he/she seems to be ‘texting’ all day long (probably, to maximize unlimited text promo).
- A teenager is ‘texting’ even while sleeping. (or to downplay, a teenager falling asleep while texting or sleeping with his/her cell phone)
Because of the cell phone’s pervasiveness in the teenage culture, there is now a question on whether it should be allowed to “invade” classrooms as well.
Supporters of cell phone ban in schools argue that if students before can study without it, then it is not necessary to bring one to school today. Teachers also unanimously agree that cell phones cause distraction while teaching classes. More alarming reasons that compelled most schools to call for cell phone ban are use of cell phones to cheat, to invade privacy (and use it for pornography), and to incite violence.
Minuteman School Committee member Paul Schlichtman stated, "High school students are social animals. A cell phone or pager can very easily become the focal point of a student's day. A page could signal a meeting at the lavatory, a call to skip fourth-period class in favor of a trip to Dunkin' Donuts, or any other message that distracts from teaching and learning." 1
On the other side of the fence, some teachers argue that bans don't teach students to use technology responsibly. They contest that outright prohibition of cell phones in schools inhibits students from using the technology to learn and know more. More importantly, parents consider cell phone as today’s most important, handy communication tool to reach their children, anytime, anywhere. As Kathleen Vail wrote on her article, “When it comes to cell phones, school board policies must weigh safety against disruption.”
Meeting Halfway
Like money, cell phone should not be treated as evil. It is how we use it that determines whether the end result will lead to good or bad.
Outright banning of the technology in schools will not necessarily stop students from being distracted, from cheating, from committing violence. However, high school students’ cell phone usage in schools (most especially during class) needs to be moderated to ensure they use these communication tools responsibly.
As Cobb County (Ga.) School Board member Curt Johnston correctly points out, “I would prefer to confiscate devices and charge in-school suspensions for in-school users or disrupters on a case-by-case basis but not ban possession by students who use them responsibly." 2
Sources:
McNally, Joel. The Capital Times. “Adults need to get a clue on school cell phone use.” Retrieved January 29, 2007 from
http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/index.php?ntid=116551&ntpid=0
1-2 Vail, Kathleen. National School Boards Association. ”Hold the Phone. Retrieved January 29, 2007 from http://www.electronic-school.com/2000/09/0900sbot.html
