Cell phones in the classroom
Alyssa Waller, Staff Writer
Everyone has a different stance on cell phone usage in the classroom. Some people may find it very helpful while others believe it is a distraction.
Dr. Jill Branyon, coordinator of the mathematics secondary education program shared his thoughts on the matter.
He claimed that we can use phones in the classroom to conduct research, view blackboard, include our classmates who are out sick, play Kahoots and conduct other assessments.
Branyon said, “Sometimes students will tune out and just check their phones for texts or Facebook, but my course is pretty fast-paced and engaging, so they are usually paying attention.”
If students are tuning out, Branyon feels that she needs to provide better content and engaging lessons.
According to Shirley Burgess, junior early childhood education major, cell phone usage in class can be useful to look up information if you didn’t bring your laptop with you. She has also had some classes that require certain apps.
As a student, Burgess isn’t distracted when other people are on their phone, but if a classmate plays music or a video in the middle of class, it gets distracting for her.
According to Angel Kelly, junior music education major, cell phone usage in classroom is distracting. It is distracting because if she drifts off, she ends up on her phone for a long while.
Kelly claimed that a pro of cell phones in the classroom would be its use for looking up information if she misunderstands something or does not know what something is.
Kori Morgan, a writer for Seattle Pi, agreed that cell phones can be a distraction that interferes with learning. She further mentioned how having a cell phone reduces cognitive ability, especially with having access to a calculator on a smart phone.
Morgan shared a study done by the University of New Hampshire showing that college students check their phones between one and five times during class.
Morgan mentioned a study done by Bellarmine University which concluded that teachers use cell phones as teaching tools. This study also found that students appreciate the convenience and speed of being able to text with their teachers and having reminders as well as the ability to ask questions.
Students can utilize their phones for a group project, and they can also access library resources and databases virtually anywhere and do not have to wait for access to a computer.
There are pros and cons on the subject of cell phones in the classroom, but the general divide is between distraction and information accessibility.
