Juan Gutierrez

Education 1100
Professor Pate
December 4, 2015

Cell Phone Usage in the Classroom

Over the last few decades technology has been improving and getting better. The most
used device the phone is a great tool that people use to communicate, search thru the web, and so
much more. Students in particular are starting to use more their phones in class in two different
ways. One way is by using their phones for social media and the other way is by using them for
maybe class assignments. Since there's no efficient way to stopping students of bringing their
phones to school, some schools establish the BYOT policy which stands for bring your own
technology.
What makes this a hot topic is that teachers who are against this are saying that it could
lead to students who bring their technology to distract others which would lower grades. Which
could reflect on the teacher's performance in the class. While other teachers are saying that it
could be used more as a teaching tool than a distraction. They are also saying that if teachers are
willing to take time to implant it into the curriculum then it wouldn't be a problem anymore.
Kinjo from the National Education Association wrote the article As school Lift Bans on Cell
Phones, Educators weigh Pros and Cons, explains how Kolb talks about how schools are
already reversing their policies on cell phone bans Liz Kolb, an assistant professor at the
University of Michigan School of Education and author of Toys to Tools: Connecting Student
Cell Phones to Education, says it's already happening. According to Kolb, close to 70 percent of
schools that had cell phone bans in place five years ago are reversing their policies(Kinjo 2).

Then says that First it was a very slow domino fall, and now were seeing more of a tidal
wave, Kolb explains. Part of it is because its hard to fight the tidal wave and theres so many
students with cell phones. The second part is that theyre really seeing them as a learning tool,
not just a toy for entertainment, and theyre seeing that they can be cost effective for the schools
instead of having to purchase technology for students (Kinjo 3). From what Kolb been saying
we can see now on how it would be very beneficial to schools if they were to let students to have
their cellphones in school.
The ones who are the most affected by this are the students, teachers, and the school. The
school because it can be very cost effective for them (Kinjo 3). Meaning that they could use the
funds for something more important that would benefit the students. Especially since In today's
economy it's hard for schools to get funds so that their students have access to a computer or a
laptop (Graham 1). Even if the school has a set of few hundred laptops or computer not everyone
can have access to them every day. When it comes to a classroom to get access to computers or
laptops the teacher may have to fill out some kind of paperwork and check the schedule if no one
is using them in advantage. Which makes it really hard for teachers to just having a set of laptop
for their students to use for a certain day or period. Especially when in a High school there an
average of about 1500 students it would be hard to have enough laptops and computers so that
every students can use them at the same time (NCEF 1). It affects the students because if they are
using them during inappropriate times then it would distract them which would lead to bad
grades. It reflects on the teacher because if teachers aren't paying attention the it would led to
students of getting a bad grade which would reflect on the teacher but that is only if the teachers
aren't using them as a teaching tool. If they were to use them as teaching tools then it could lead
to student to be more engage in the activities.

This trend started when in the early 1990s schools started to banned all electronic devices
because it was being associated with drug dealing and gangs. During the 1999-2002 After the
Columbine High School shooting, new policies were created that let schools to be less strict so
that parents could communicate with their kids in case of emergencies. In the mid-2000s
technology advanced and the industry made phones no longer a luxury item which would led to
phones being cheaper. Which mean that it was easy to acquire one. By 2007 some schools were
starting to use them as learning tools and by 2008 many colleges were utilizing cell phone
technologies in educational practices. By 2010 changes in school policy we're starting to happen
again.
The significance of this trend is that it could lead to teachers using more technology in
the classroom, using teaching apps, and to allow students to use their phones only for academic
work. Which would lead students to be more involved in the classroom. Teachers who want to
use them as teachers tool are saying that cell phones can help strengthen the essential
connections between students with teachers, make students more self-directed, and they can
make education more applicable to real life.
Tina who wrote How Teachers Make Cell Phone Work in the Classroom talks about
how an AP Chemistry teacher uses Remind101 to send out a challenge question messages to
students and as a reward they get candy so that they are motivated to learn and stay focus in
class. As soon as kids walk in, Musallam sends out a text blast through Remind101, asking
them a challenge question thats related to the days lesson. First person to tell me the units on
K for a second order reaction gets chocolate, he types and sends off. His students know he does
this regularly, so theyre constantly anticipating the question during the day, in and out of class
(Barseghian 1). This kind of application using cellphones in the classroom is how teachers

motivate students to pay attention. Musallam then says Sure, thats kind of cute, he says,
admitting that it can be seen as gimmicky. But more importantly, in my mind thats saying,
Youre carrying around something that I can contact you with. Its a fun ways to stay motivated
in our day, which can be pretty dry sometimes. Its a chance to think about what were learning
outside the context of state testing (Barseghian 2). Which I think is a great way to motivate
students in the classroom to learn. Another way that they are being used in the classroom is by
using websites such as kahoot, which is a game that teachers can make that can be used as a pop
quiz. Also by using the Google drive app to send and retrieve papers to both students and
teachers is another way that using cellphone in the class can very useful.
Work Cited
Barseghian, Tina. "How Teachers Make Cell Phones Work in the Classroom | Spotlight
on Digital Media and Learning." How Teachers Make Cell Phones Work in the
Classroom. Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Graham, Edward. "Using Smartphones in the Classroom." NEA. National Education
Association, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Howard, Greg. "Allowing Cell Phones In School: Benefits and Risks." Cyberbully Hotline
Anonymous Bullying Reporting. N.p., 09 July 2013. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Kiema, Kinjo. "As Schools Lift Bans on Cell Phones, Educators Weigh Pros and Cons NEA Today." NEA Today. N.p., 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
"NCEF - Data & Statistics." NCEF - Data & Statistics. NAtional Clearinghouse For
Educational Facilities, n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Ormiston, Meg. "How to Use Cell Phones as Learning Tools." TeachHUB. N.p., 2009.
Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
"The Average Size for New Elementary, Middle and High Schools in 2008 and 2010.
"NCEF. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
Trump, Kennenth S. "Is It Safe to Allow Cell Phones in School?" District Administration
Magazine. N.p., Nov. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.
"5 Benefits of Using Cellphones in School: Smartphones as Learning Tools." Concordia
Portland Online. Concordia Online Education, 9 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2015.