Should cell phones be banned in the classroom? No, they shouldn’t.

During this week’s debate, several concerns were raised regarding student cell phone use in the classroom including:

• Cell phones distract students from learning and reduce productivity.  According to KSL News: Too many texts: Cellphone experiment shows impact on learning, it takes students almost 20 minutes to refocus after looking at their phone.
• Persistent cell phone use results in poor academic performance.
• Cell phones allow students to record and share negative situations that occur in class.

I will admit I was surprised to learn that “A 2023 study by nonprofit Common Sense Media found that students receive a median of 237 phone notifications a day, a quarter of them during school”. I mean that’s a scary thought and 237 phone notifications a day is without a doubt distracting.

So you know what? I’m not even going to argue against these points. Yes, cell phones are a distraction. Yes, cell phones can impede a student’s learning. But when I look back on my own educational experience, I can find just as many distractions. My Tamagotchi and the constant note-passing have to be somewhat equivalent to cell phone use today, right? And I know someone thinks it isn’t, but I’ll end my point with this: One time in grade 5, my friend got caught passing me a note and she had her desk searched. The teacher found, and I’m not kidding, 100s of crunched-up pieces of paper. I had 2 Ziploc bags full of notes that I had to take home to my parents that night. Students will always be distracted with or without a cell phone.

I feel like I should add here that I do take my students’ phones away, but I take them away when necessary based on my professional judgment. If I am lecturing and students are taking notes? No phones! Phones during an exam? No way! But guess what? Almost every single time, my students find a way to distract themselves.

I was surprised by the question of teacher cell phone use. It has never crossed my mind that teachers should also have their cell phones banned in the classroom. I will be honest I think that this is comparing apples to oranges. At the end of the day, I am an adult and a professional and I should be treated as such. Do I go on my phone during class time? Yes, I do. Am I only going on it for work-related reasons? No, I’m not. Do I leave work every day having done my job to the best of my abilities? Yes, I do. In my seven years of teaching, there have been several situations where my cell phone has saved me. I won’t bore you with them all, but trust me taking my phone away is 100 percent, in my opinion, risking the safety of myself, my students, and my school.

I can’t wear jeans because I’m a professional, but can’t be trusted with a cell phone? What a paradox!

As noted during this week’s debate, there are several positives to cell phone use in the classroom:

•  Cell phones provide an additional tool for learning. This is beneficial for students when they don’t have access to technology in their everyday classroom.
• Cell phones improve communication with teachers. This allows students to ask questions and receive feedback when needed.
• Cell phones help students stay organized.
• Cell phones can allow teachers to explore a wider variety of resources that are available digitally but not physically due to budget constraints.

In my classroom, students use their phones frequently. As I have noted in previous posts, I am a Connected Educator so my students have access to 1:1 technology. This has been a blessing, but it isn’t perfect. It is much easier to get students to use their cell phones to do a Kahoot! at the start of class before we take notes on paper (no laptop required). Similarly, there have been several occasions where students have had to complete work on their phones. Everything I do is digital, but there are times when a student’s laptop won’t work and IT can’t get there right away to fix it. I’m certainly not going to tell the kid to do nothing for an hour so their cell phone is the only way for them to complete work.

For me, the benefits of cell phones outweigh the risks or at least for the time being.

Cell phones should be banned in the classroom: All students (including the debaters) should read the articles chosen by the two debate teams (listed below) and should also refer to the articles embedded in the debate description (above, under today’s activities – no need to read them all, but take a general overview) and compose a blog post reflecting on the articles as well as the debate itself.