Cell phone on school property
Cell phone on school property
I remember once time, while I was trying to figure out the answer of my final exam, the cell phone of a girl who was sitting next to me kept ringing. Even though, she switched it to vibration but the vibrated – sound kept bother me. I couldn’t concentrate on thinking. That was one of those days that I was glad that my school has placed some restrictions on the usage cell phones of students. Some parents and adults would argue that cell phones should be allowed in school because cell phones are a landline between children and parents. They also argue that they will feel secure and relieve if their children having cell phones in their pocket. However, those in favor of banning cell phones on school campus believe cell phones not only cause children distracting in the classroom but also lead children committing crime and violence. Even though, cell phones help people to contact to another easily, I still believe that in order to promote school safety and help students focus more on learning, students should not be permitted to use cell phones on school property.
The first reason I believe cell phones should be banned in schools because they cause distraction in the classroom. If students carry cell phones to the class, they hardly focus on learning. For example, in the classroom, there are a lot of students using their phones to chat with friends, play games, send text messages or listen to music when they are supposed to be concentrating on their school work or their teachers’ lecture. Also, students, who are texting or chatting via their cell phones, will distract the other students as well. For instance, in the class, someone sending messages makes me start wondering who they are texting, why are they texting and what are they texting. That is the reason why in the article, “Classrooms Are No Place for Cell Phones,” Armstrong Williams believes the distraction of cell phones not only disrupts the student with the phone but also disturb those who are sitting around him or her as well. How students or even teachers feel when the lesson is disturbed by a ringing of cell phones or an alerting of text messages? How can students learn if they are distracting by their fellow classmates and cell phones? As everyone knows school is the place to study and all the cell phones do are creating distractions from learning. Students go to school in order to get education not to engage empowering with technology. Even more, the teachers also feel uncomfortable and irritating when their kids are having cell phones in the class because they worry what if they can be in one of the students’ video without even knowing it. In fact, there are a hundred videos of teachers that appear on the website. (“YouTube, Cell phones and Teachers”). Cell phones are nuisance for both students and teachers. Because cell phones are disturbing not only students’ learning experience but also the instructors’ teaching, so I think cell phones should not be used in schools.
In addition, the school should not allow students bringing their cell phones because cell phones are considered as a cheating device. In another way, cell phones can be “foster academic dishonesty” (Issues & Controversies: para, 27). Cell phones are becoming more or more advanced. It seems most of students like to carry cell phones to school because cell phones are secret tools that can help students during the examination. As people know in the past, students cheat by hiding crib sheet in their pocket or sneak it into their sleeves. (Etter, 2004, p.17) However, today, just a quick clicking on cell phones, students are easily either sending their quiz answers to their friend or asking help from someone. Another way cell phones considering as a cheating tools are such as students can use cell phones to share homework answers via IMs, email, record lectures or take pictures of the notes to use during the test. With a large size of memory card, cell phones can also be use to store definitions or information. Some students defend themselves that it is more easy and comfortable for them to study definitions on cell phones than in a large, thick note pad. Some parents and teachers believe what the students are saying. However, can they guarantee that students will delete those notes or in formations before the test? After all, cell phones could be useful but letting children bring their own phones to school is not really helpful. Once again, cheating is so easy on cell phones. If parents and schools are expecting children getting good grades by putting their best effort rather than receiving higher grades through cheating, cell phones should be banned from schools.
Most parents totally believe that cell phones should go together with their children to school because cell phones are allowing communication between their kids and themselves. Parents and children can get in touch with each other. Also, I think it is truth that cell phones help to protect and save students ‘lives but they also harm students as well. Although parents think cell phones make their kids safer at school, but I think allowing cell phones doesn’t create safer environment. In my opinion, I believe banning cell phones is one of the best ways helps to cut down potential crimes and violence. Also, if the use cell phones of students are eliminated, I am surely the number rate of crimes will drop. I know that there are some parents do not believe that cell phones can lead their children committing to crime, but cell phones really do. For example, students can use their cell phones to harass or bully the others through the use of texting messages such as spreading rumor, sending photos or videos which are taken or record in the locker room. Moreover, if looking back the case of cell phone-augmented fight that happened at Milwaukee Public Schools in the last five years, people also see cell phones not only use to contact the parents, but they also use to call in reinforcements. (Story from pantagraph.com) In other case, many students use texting on their cell phones to facilitate drug deals in school. As cell phones cause students many problems and even lead them to violence, I think students should stop taking their cell phones to school.
In conclusion, cell phones have become a part of our daily lives. Especially students, they always think they can’t survive in the classroom without sending text messages or listening to music. Also, parents believe it is easily for them to contact with their children if the kids are having cell phones. However, parents do not know allowing their children to bring cell phones to school creates unnecessary distraction in the classroom. Also, many students get caught and even suspend for using cell phones to cheat during the test. Furthermore, when some students use cell phones to report the crimes, but the others use cell phones to commit crimes. If there are many negative impacts of cell phones on students, why schools still let students bringing their cell phones to class? The idea allowing students carry cell phones to schools is totally wrong. In order to decrease the crimes on campus and to help students more conductive on learning, cell phones should be banned on school property.
Works Cited
- “Cellular Telephone Ban.” Issues & Controversies On File: n. pag. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 7 July 2006. Web. 3Dec. 2009 <http://www.2facts.com.ezproxy.vccs.edu:2048/article/i1100360>.
- “Cell Phones in the Classroom” Teaching Today. The McGraw-Hill Companies. Web. 3Dec. 2009 <http://teachingtoday.glencoe.com/howtoarticles/cell-phones-in-the-classroom>
- Frank, Wang. “We Shouldn’t Allow Students to Carry Cell Phones to School” Quazen.com. 22 March. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2009 <http://quazen.com/kids-and-teens/school-time/we-shouldnt-allow-students-to-carry-cell-phones-to-school/>
- Megan, Mathews. “Cell Phones in Schools: Do They Affect the Grades?” Associatedcontent.com. 7 Aug.2009. Web. 2 Dec.2009 <http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/47839/cell_phones_in_schools_do_they_affect.html?cat=9>
- Matt, Richtel. “Schools Relax Cellphones Bans, Nodding to Trend” The New York Times on The Web. 30 Sep. 2004. Web. 2 Dec. 2009 <http://www.nytimes.com/learning/teachers/featured_articles/20040930thursday.html>
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- Schultz, Marisa. “Worthy: Ban cell phones to diminish violence in Detroit Schools.” Detnews.com. 17 Aug. 2009. Web. 2 Dec. 2009 <http://m.detnews.com/news.jsp?key=508815>
- “Cell Phones: A Tool for Cheating.” Bamaed Education.com. Web. 2 Dec. 2009 <http://www.bamaed.ua.edu/edtechcases/casestudies/cell%20phones.pdf>
- “Students Using Cell Phones For High-Tech Cheating.” Mobiledia.com. 2 Mar. 2005. Web. 1 Dec. 2009 <http://www.mobiledia.com/news/26810.html>
- Chen, Grace. “Should Public Schools Ban Cell Phones?” Public School Review. 30 Oct. 2008. Web. 1 Dec. 2009 <http://www.publicschoolreview.com/articles/54>