Cellphones: Benefit or Distraction?
Cellphones have become a popular tool for students in this generation. We see lots of people for example, in their offices, gyms, parks, airports etc. using their cellphones for various purposes.
Cell phones have proved to help us in numerous ways other than connecting with friends and family. In school, I have seen my friends having their cellphones taken away, and this has really made me thing of what would be the benefits of cellphones in classrooms? What is the true potential of cellphones for education? These days with different types of phones, one is able to now use a calculator, browse the internet, play interactive games etc. all on their phones themselves! This multi-purpose tool can be put to an effective use in a school environment for students to learn in a better and more cheap way. However, some may say that cellphones distract students from school work although this is true we must consider the fact that social media and games can be used as a learning tool as much as it is a learning distraction to some. One advantage of mandating cellphones in schools is because of its cost effectiveness, instead of spending on various textbooks/notebooks for individual subjects; the students can now take notes on their phone, research study material online, play educational games etc.
This greatly reduces a student’s cost which adds up to higher fees. In addition, cellphones are comparatively very easy to carry, they also decrease the costs for the school by not buying resources for their students. Furthermore, many schools are limited to the knowledge that can be provided from the text books. A student is only provided a small amount of knowledge on a particular topic. To develop qualities of having different perspectives, the students should be given access to a wider source of knowledge which can be provided by using a cell phone. The combination of using a textbook in school for learning and using mobile phones for fun games on educational material can make studying a lot more fun for the students.
However, various teachers and parents say that cellphones are a big distraction because students use it to go to social media and play games. This is true, but looking at the fact that nowadays social media and games have been used as a benefit for learning and used to teach students more about the world is a win-win situation. Games are a really fun past-time, and cellphones are a great tool to play games on. They make time go by faster and help you socialize with friends. This put together with benefits in knowledge makes everyone happy.
It even encourages students to do their homework on time since for students games are a fun tool to make time go by faster. In conclusion, cellphones are yet to have a major impact on schools as teachers aren’t realizing their true potential. Cell phones are of a greater importance to students now than they were ever before. With time, new and innovative tools, like laptops and calculators, are being invented to help students achieve a better educational experience. Hence, I believe that the use of technology in school should be greatly emphasized owing to its benefit for students in making their learning fun, and effectively reducing additional costs.
