Cell Phones and Modern Technology

We live in a technological age, Modern technology has advanced the way we communicate, teach, explore, build, expand, perform and learn the world around us. It has become essential to modern life. Important to furthering knowledge, storing and retrieving information along with our overall happiness. Modern technology is always evolving becoming faster, advancing performances and more easily accessible. Children to adults are using it in schools, for leisure and even to run successful business. Everyone regardless to age have access to cell phones, laptops, or tablets, it's the world we live in. The question now arises, is it right for students to own or have cell phones? And more importantly should students be allowed to use their cell phones in school, during school hours? On one hand, one can argue that there are tons of benefits to cell phones. It allows families to keep in touch and allows us to share information through social media and the internet. On the other hand, cell phones can prove to be distracting. It can easily disrupt the learning environment and encourages student to cheat, which is less beneficial especially during the school hours.

Can a child learn if he or she is distracted? Even as adults, it is very difficult to stay focused when things are going on around us. As a student, it becomes even more difficult to pay attention. Some students use their phones to text and play games when they should very well be doing their school work. Others use it to take photos and keep up with social media. According to a recent report from CXC more than 11,000 students wrote cxc this year and only 20% of them passed their subjects. This means that 80% of our students failed. This percentage rate is alarming and can be easily be the result of students showing more interest in their cell phones or devices than their school work. It is the belief and has been said by many principals and even parents that years ago, students' grades were much better without the use of cell phones and social media. As a parent when you send your child or children to school you expect him or her learn and perform well. Nowadays, with all these distractions students' performances are decreasing. As Mrs. Camacho, one of my English instructors would say, it's because they're always on their cell phones and they would not let the device work for them.

Another reason why cell phones should be banned is school is because they can become disruptive.

Have you ever been in a class and all you hear is an annoying beep or a constant flash on a phone signaling a message is here. Mrs. Camacho is an ole school teacher and is very passionate about teaching. She always tells her students that she is very jealous especially when she thinks they are on their cell phones. When the cellphones ring or when a student asks to be excused because they would like to answer their phones, it becomes disruptive. And its proven when she voices her dissatisfaction on the matter every time it happens. It causes everyone to stop what they are doing, and focus their attention on that one student, disrupting the lesson, the teacher and the other students. It causes the teacher to lose her train of thought or students from regaining back their focus.

In addition, to distraction and disruption, cellphones can be used to easily cheat. I recall doing Law and Ethics with instructor Lisa Weste, at the beginning of each class we were instructed to put all our personal items at the back of the class on a table. The only thing we needed was a pen and a pencil. She even provided a blank paper if the need arises. Her reason for this was her experience of students cheating. They would do anything to cheat regardless of fact they were college students. So, if a younger student who is under pressure at home or in school to do well, needs to pass their classes, then we can expect they would cheat. Children these days are smarter and more technologically advanced, their devices are capable of more than just calling and texting, they have many more features, which can easily give them access to the internet, images and recorded information.

Overall cell phones have its advantages and disadvantages and although students have been using cell phones consistently in their daily lives for almost a decade, many school principals continue to resist allowing cell phones in schools. And rightly so, cell phones have its place and it's not in schools, it has proven to be a distraction, and can interrupt the learning environment and it can encourage the children to cheat on their exams.

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