Throughout my entire academic career, the use of cell phones during class hours has been a debatable topic. There are individuals who believe the use of cell phones during class can be beneficial, and there are many people who believe cell phones should only be used outside of school. In my personal opinion, I feel that cell phones can be beneficial for students in the classroom.
While attending my internship this semester, I have had the opportunity to see the benefits of students using cell phones in the classroom. Although they aren’t necessarily referred to as cell phones, my cooperating teachers like to refer to them as “devices for learning”. During my first day at internship I noticed there were many students who were using iPads and tablets to complete their AM (Accelerated Math). Not only were some students using these devices, there were other students who were using cell phones to complete their objectives in AM. I automatically thought back to when I was in elementary school and even high school and how I was never allowed to use my cell phone during school hours. It’s important to note that technology is always changing therefore school systems are having to change with technology. Seeing the use of technology and cell phones in my internship has caused me to look at the use of cell phones from a different perspective.
Cell phones can be beneficial in the classroom in many ways. As I mentioned earlier, my students use their cell phones to complete AM during home room every morning. One other way my students use their devices is to complete assignments on Edmodo. Using their cell phones has allowed them to post assignments and socialize with other students in the classroom. Although this is beneficial for the students, it can also be beneficial to their teachers as well. I have noticed that my cooperating teacher spends less time printing out AM papers since students are able to complete their objectives using their devices. Also, I have noticed how students are more engaged with their learning if they are able to use technology (cell phones) to complete their assignments. This allows students a chance to use technology instead of the common form of pencil and paper assignments. Since I have been at my internship I haven’t noticed any students off task while using their cell phones, but I do feel that this may occur if teachers allow the use of cell phones in their classroom. Although it’s likely to occur, I feel that if teachers monitor the use of cell phones in their classroom, it can be beneficial to the students and the teachers.
missparker2015 
Tiffany, I really enjoyed reading your blog. My 6th graders also use their devices and cell phones to do Accelerated Math. I like that our students are having the opportunity to use technology in the classroom because I feel like so much of our society is moving in that direction so the more practice they have the better. I agree that teacher monitoring is necessary to make sure that the students are staying on task and not using their devices in an inappropriate way. I thought the reflection you had on being able to see this in your classroom was a good opportunity to know if you would want to use this method in your classroom. Great job!
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Tiffany, this is such an interesting topic! I wrote one of my posts on the same ideas. From the secondary level, it is crazy to see what all has changed in the past four years- my students actually went up to the board to take a picture of the notes so they could have it on their phones. They also are allowed to listen to music during independent work or quizzes, as long as they don’t touch their device. It’s crazy to me that elementary students even HAVE cell phones! Great read.
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The technological advances of the last five or so years really blows my mind. When I was in high school we took notes off the chalkboard and wrote them down in our binders. Now after reading yours and Cori’s blog posts, I can see that things are starting to change drastically in the classroom. It makes you wonder how easy school could have been back then if we had the technological abilities the children today do.
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This is definitely an interesting and pressing topic in the field of education today. I love how you pointed out that school systems are having to change with technology. It is not only the teachers who are having to adjust to ever changing technology, school systems are also having to adapt to the use of technology in the classrooms and schools. It really cool to see schools supporting the use of technology in this way!
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Tiffany, I definitely agree with you! This is very controversial and I also agree that using cellphones in classrooms has great educational potential. My theory is, if you give students a valid excuse to use their phones in an educational way, they’re less likely to be using it in other ways. Students using cellphones off-task is always going to be a problem, so why not just turn this problem around and let it help you teach? You made a great point in saying it needs to be monitored!
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As everyone has been saying, the use of cell phones in the classroom can definitely be controversial with a high risk for distraction. However I think that you did a great job of explaining the benefits of smart phone usage in the classroom. Going past the paper we are saving, think about how we could use these devices for assessment or collaboration. The possibilities are endless and the opportunity for engaging learning is ever-expanding. Thanks for sharing!
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