Students should be allowed to carry cell phone in school.
Is it Ok for students to carry and use cell phones in school?
Education has seen a significant change in the learning process and methodology. All the major changes are led by technology. However, innovation or technology, everything comes up with the side effects. If there is a good side then there is a bad side too. One of such product of technology is Cell Phones. Previously they were a luxury for indulgent grown ups, but now even a kid who is 7 year old is carrying a mobile phone. No doubt that it is a digital world but are they really necessary at school?
Yes
• In the present world kids are not safe anywhere, not even in schools. Allowing the use of cell phones in schools can allow them to contact the family whenever in need.
• There are many apps that are coming in the market to help the students in the learning. The use of such apps is a good way to move towards digital learning.
• Computers are allowed in school and the Smartphones are like the mini computers with internet technology. If computers are use din school then use of Smartphones should be fine.
• Even children can contact the emergency services like police, fire or medical whenever there is a sudden requirement.
• Parents can better keep a track of their children as they have the habit of eloping somewhere else after the school time.
• All the mobile phones can be kept at silent. This feature is good enough to stop them from any kind of distractions.
No
• Mobile phones are not just the screenless bricks of past that were used to call and text. Today it is the world of Smartphone and they can offer far more of a distraction to kids than they used to. It will hamper their ability to learn things.
• The mobile phones will have negative impact on the learning atmosphere. Everyone from teachers to the other students will be affected by the use of cell phones.
• Access to the Smartphones and the internet will open the gateways of cheating and copying for the students.
• It will unnecessarily create an additional expense for the school authorities to make mobile lockers to keep the mobile phones safe during the school time. Still the risk of mobile phone being stolen will exist.
• The students who cannot afford the expensive Smartphones can develop feeling of inferiority. It will create difference between students.
• The excessive use of cell phone at such a tender age can certainly pose threat to the health of the students and can lead to health problems.
Conclusion
Every situation has two sides and ample arguments to support the tow different perceptions. Sometimes there is no easy answer. If you look around you can see that the world is changing and even at a faster pace, and we need to change with it. However, before we do it, it is better to develop a solid plan to make things fall well in place.
Discussion
- RE: Students should be allowed to carry cell phone in school. -Preeti Mulay (04/08/14)
- We hear lots of things happening with children every day. In this era, mother of girl child need to be even more careful. At certain age of child, mother or parents do understand, how responsible their ward is and can they give him or her mobile phone just as safety device. A big chunk of training goes along with it, by quoting, in case of emergencies, to reach to parents this device is used. Todays kids do understand if explained properly.
I am planning to give mobile to my kids, from next year onwards so that I can reach them when required. I am sure they will be able to handle it properly. To begin with their mobile will have speed dialing, and limited balance. - RE: Students should be allowed to carry cell phone in school. -Babu Suresh (04/07/14)
- Cell phone would prove more dangerous than the other three since its wrong usage could be more clandestine than the others and it would take a long time to realize the damage it has done.
More importantly, "responsible parenting" is an issue that need to be addressed when we talk about a child's access to cell phone or internet. As long as parents are more responsible to how the child uses such technology, it may not do much harm, on the contrary, it will help them to be future ready. But the problem is parents are not homogenous in "responsible parenting". This results in some of the children invariably entering the ill-uses area of technology. It does not then stop with them. Peer-influence will lead the children, who have responsible parents, also ending up moving to the danger zone. For all these reasons, in my opinion, cell phone should be a strict-NO at least upto class 12. - RE: Students should be allowed to carry cell phone in school. -Babu Suresh (04/07/14)
- Most certainly not. I am not being against "appropriate" level of technology exposure and access to a very young age group, but the crux of the matter is the chances of its "inappropriate" use. It might sound preposterous to club a cell phone with cigarettes, alcohol, adult movies (not to be mistaken with porn, but any movie which has an overdose of violence, use of expletives, more bare skin, or any content that require a mature age to understand), but if you apply the kind of logic which prohibits the use of latter three below a certain age group say 18 or 21, you would be forced to include cell phone in the same category. Now why are the latter three having an age restriction?, because it is commonly understood that those below a certain age may not be able to use discretion and discern between the ill effects of the latter three.
