by Pam Oliveira

Created on: March 02, 2010

I went back and forth on this issue for a while before I came to my final decision.  Students are already bringing their phones to school – regardless of the school’s policy.  They keep them in their UGGs (boots), purse, pocket, gym bag, lunch box, etc.  The phones are already in school and some of them have more capabilities than the laptops that were purchased.  They rarely have technical issues, are smaller and less cumbersome, and most students have a cell phone.  Today’s students, aka Digital Natives, are well versed in using their phones to record sound, capture videos, take pictures, and upload everything to websites with global access. As educators, instead of concentrating on what negative things can be done with the cell phone in a school setting, we should be concentrating on what positive contributions the cell phone can make to the classroom.

The most popular reason for having cell phones in school is a safety concern.  In Workable Cell Phone Policy, the article states that since the events in Columbine and the attacks on 9/11, parents want to be in closer contact with their children for safety reasons.  While cell phones should not be ringing during class, they provide a direct link to a parent or guardian should the situation arise.  My district has a policy where the students can have a phone in school, but they cannot be seen or heard.  Is this why the bathroom has become such a popular place?  On a recent cell phone bill in my house, I noticed my 17 year old son was texting all during school and his school has a strict “no cell phone in school” policy.  It is too hard to enforce, so we must look for ways to embrace the technology that is already in the classroom.

Cellphones into School talks about how with education moving in to the 21st century we must educate ourselves to the technologies that are students are using.  The article stated, “On average, there's a single IT staff member per 800 students, teachers, and administrators in U.S. public school districts, compared with one IT staff person per every 11 users in business”.  As we all know, having 30 students on laptops can be a nightmare with all of the technical issues that arise.  We have our students sign Acceptable Use Policies to gain access to the internet, why not include cell phone usage in that policy?  If we are comfortable letting our students use Google as a search engine, does the platform matter?

Using cell phones for education means many of the students will have access to a di gital camera and video recorder to create digital stories that are content related.  In my district, where close to 50% of the student body receives free and reduced lunch, over 90% of them have a cell phone.  This is not the case with access to computers (and internet), digital cameras, or video recorders outside of the classroom.  Cell phones in Learning contains a table showing the data on cell phone owners.  Many cell phones also contain calculators, internet access, music players, GPS navigators, and a host of  applications that could be useful in the classroom.

While there are disadvantages to having cell phones in the classroom, the advantages are plentiful.  There is a low cost factor, the students have them and know how to use them, websites like PollEverywhere can be used to gather instant results via SMS messaging, and they allow everyone equal access to digital technology.  With proper education, for students and teachers, cell phones will no longer be seen as a threat or distraction any more than colored chalk!

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