by Kelly Kidd

Created on: June 15, 2010

I am an elementary teacher, and the answer to whether or not cell phones should be used in school is a simple one for me.  At this level, it is difficult to see a place for them.  With the integration of technology into curriculum being a gradual initiative in my building, we are not anywhere near using cell phones to enhance our lessons.  Many of my students do not even have cell phones let alone ones that would enable them to research topics or connect with others.  The pros and cons are out there, but for me, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.

According to Family Education, a valid list of cons is presented:

•Students often forget to turn off their phones in class, and ringing noises or text-message alerts disrupt learning.   

•Even if set to silent, cell phones can still cause distraction, since text messaging has become a high-tech method of passing notes in school.

•Students have been known to use cell phones to call in bomb threats to schools, to avoid or condense class time.  

•In the event of a widespread crisis, rampant cell phone use can overload communication systems and render them inoperable. 

•Student cell phone networks add to the spread of rumors and misinformation, which can be harmful during a widespread crisis.  

•Phones can be used as cheating devices during exams. 

•The long-term physical effects of cell phone use are still undetermined. 

My thoughts on the list of cons are as follows:

•Just the other day, I had a student in my class whose cell phone went off.  It not only took 5 minutes to find the cell phone, but another chunk of time was spent trying to redirect the students and to try to get back to the focus of the lesson. 

•The use of cell phones to pass notes is simply a hindrance to learning.  Students are not engaged in the lesson, and are showing disrespect to the teacher. By allowing students to have/use cell phones in the school setting, we are in a sense making it easier to participate in these immature, serious actions. 

•You may say that students would just find another way to make threats if cell phones were banned, but why make it readily available to them? For this reason alone, our students’ safety is on the line.  Why take the risk?

•The issue of cyber bullying and sexting are becoming more and more prevalent even in our fifth and sixth grade building.  Many behavior

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