Our means of communication have changed; habits have shifted; our routine altered. These are the changes technology has brought to our society, which the different societal institutions have learned to adapt to.
But a closer look at our societal institutions reveals that the school system in the country needs to be more responsive to these changes. As an institution that teaches dealing with real life situations, the school system shall be more accepting of technological advances and their benefits, just like the benefits of using cellular phones.
Different schools have only three different policies when it comes to the use of cellular phones in the classroom. Some schools allow the use of mobile phones anytime. Some allow it only on break times. But more schools impose a total mobile phone ban in the school grounds.
True enough, letting the use of mobile phones in the classroom unsanctioned can be detrimental to the learning process because of the following possibilities:
• Students sending and receiving text messages during class time;
• Students sending and receiving answers during exams;
• Students playing on their phone during discussion;
• Students bullying others by sending unwanted hate text messages; and/or,
• Students taking and distributing inappropriate digital materials.
However, it shall be taken into consideration that these are just possibilities. Allowing the use of mobile phones in the school, coupled by proper regulation imposed by teachers and administrators, could lead to an improved digital education process.
Here are some of the uses of mobile phones in the classroom:
• As paper and pencil for taking down notes;
• As a calculator in math and other classes that needs computation;
• As an organizer for saving reminders;
• As a dictionary for literature or English classes;
• As a translator for foreign language classes; and,
• As a personal computer, which you can use to access the internet for information, to open an e-book to read, to open a document to study, and many others.
Using mobile phones in classroom has many benefits. Teachers just need to learn and teach their students how to properly use them.
Terry Freedman. “The Importance of Mobile Phones in Education.” ICT in Education. (Posted on July 20, 2010). Retrieved on February 18, 2012 from http://www.ictineducation.org/home-page/2010/7/20/the-importance-of-mobile-phones-in-education.html
Shaw McClain. “The Use of Mobile Phones in School.” eHow.com. Retrieved on February 18, 2012 from http://www.ehow.com/about_6465273_use-mobile-phones-school.html
“Cell phones in School.” HubPages. Retrieved on February 18, 2012 from http://sam13207.hubpages.com/hub/Cell-phones-in-School
“Cell phones in the Classroom.” Teaching Today. Retrieved on February 18, 2012 from http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/cell-phones-in-the-classroom