Arianna Birth

Cell Phones in the Classroom

Cell phones are an amazing invention and help people gain information very
quickly. This works well when you are watching a movie and want to remember an
actors name. However in schools this instant access to information can be a problem. In
2009 about 35% of teen students admitted to using a cell phone to cheat (Schober, Para:
4). This number only goes up as more people own smartphones. Not only do high school
students own cell phones, many children now own cell phones as well. On average
children are getting their first smart phones at age 10 (Chen, Para: 3). This means there
are many children in the 4th and 5th grades that have access to endless information. It is
hard for teachers to know what to do in this situation. Some students need phones to get
in contact with their parents and it is important for students to learn how to use the
technology that we have. Many teachers tell students to put their phones away but this
doesnt completely solve the problem. Luckily much of the cell phone cheating is nonexistent in elementary school; but this doesnt mean that teachers shouldnt make sure to
keep a look out for cheating. It is important for elementary teachers to focus on the fact
that using a cell phone to look up answers is cheating and inform them that it is
unacceptable. Students should not be so worried about their grade that they feel as though
they need to cheat. Teachers should focus on the fact that students are there to learn and
that they will not be successful learners if they use their phones to tell them the right
answers. Teachers need to help their students learn to love learning. When students
understand that if they fail a test it really doesnt matter then they will not feel the need to
use their phone to cheat.
Works Cited
Schober, Scott. Cell Phones, Students and the Temptation to Cheat. Linkedin. Retrieved
from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cell-phones-students-temptation-cheatscott-schober.
Chen, Brian X. Whats the Right Age For A Child to Get a Smartphone? The New York
Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/21/technology/personaltech/whats-the-rightage-to-give-a-child-a-smartphone.html.