Cell Phones in the Learning Environment

Schooling and education is extremely important in the world we live in. Unfortunately cell phone usage is changing the school atmosphere and student priorities. In most cases cell phones are misuse in the classroom. Technology may have its place in the classroom, but cell phones do not

Technology, mainly cell phones, are responsible for a lot of distraction in the classroom. We would rather be on our phones playing games or checking SnapChat than learning how to diagram a sentence. Students that spend more time on their phones rather than paying attention will make lower test grades. Some students even use their phones while trying to do homework. The distraction may not cause them to fail but it will hinder their ability to make higher grades. An even bigger issue is that the people around them may be distracted by their phone use. Which means students aren’t only affecting their classroom performance, but the performance of their friends. As a whole, classes would be better if cell phone use was limited to a minimum and only used in school appropriate ways.

We live in a world where more people talk through texting and social media than face to face. Before social media was so popular, kids would hang out after school talking and interacting with each other in person. Social skills are an important part of growing up. When we rely on social media to make friends we don’t use basic social skills, skills we will need when we get a job. In reality, most of the “friends” you meet online aren’t true friends. Social media and online games is a way to escape what is really going on in life. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it is bad when people become unhappy with their real lives. They want their lives to be what they see, the big problem with that is that posts on media may not be true. In the same way, we want our posts to be reality, the we only post the parts of our lives that look good to others. In general social media is made up with what could possibly be complete lies, but that is all people care about instead of living in the moment.

Technology in the classroom isn’t all bad, it can be very helpful, but only if it used properly. In the classroom phones or tablets are used for research. Having apps that are school related can be helpful, especially when it comes to homework. Parents and students can stay connected with assignments and grades through educational apps. Students are not always honest about why they are on their phones. If asked why we are on our phones we can simply say that we are checking grades when we are actually on instagram or playing a game. Therefore, even though it can be helpful if it is not properly monitored it can do more harm than good.

Cell phones definitely have their place in the educational world, but they are greatly overused. Phones can cause distractions for everybody in the classroom. It affects test scores and students ability to succeed at school. There need to be stronger guidelines on phone usage to prevent them from being a distraction. 

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