When my kids were late middle school age, we bought them cell phones. They had late practices and were old enough to be out with their friends or dropped off at the movies without me. I liked being able to contact them, and I felt they were old enough to be responsible with them. But that was OUTSIDE a classroom. I’d never allow them to be on their phones during class. The idea of that seems crazy to me.
School is for learning, and heaven knows there are plenty of other things to distract kids at that age (cute boys, the latest gossip, squirrels). I don’t think giving them the option to have their phones on during class is a good idea at all. Research backs that up as well, finding that student test scores improve by 6.4 percent when cell phones are banned at schools!
I’ve heard lately of more and more schools allowing cell phones in class. It seems like an obvious time-waster and distraction to me, but maybe not everyone sees it that way. I suspect most teachers do, as I can’t image it’s easy without cell phones to keep student’s attention. It would be an added element in their fight to properly educate our kids.
What do you think? What age do you think kids should have phones and why? Do you think there’s ever a reason for them to be in the classroom? Do you think cell phones will soon become the norm in all classrooms and we should prepare for the inevitable? Weigh in below!
Peace out,
Mavis
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Layne says
I’m currently going to community college…and I had one professor that rather then pretend like cell phones didn’t exist she would have us take them out, put them on silent and put them face down on our desks. No secret texting under the table, no glancing down to check your facebook. In high school some kids are going to have phones. I think it’s better to deal with that reality then to pretend that they are not allowed at school.
Cheri says
I am a substitute teacher for grades 2-12, so I am in many classrooms and schools on a frequent basis. School policies in my district generally frown on in-class cell phone usage, but teachers often create their own, more specific policies. According to students and the notes I am provided with each day, almost no teacher gives free reign for cell phones in class. Most allow a controlled usage, such as allowing students to listen to music on their phones while they do independent work.
I used to be incensed about having cell phones visible in class, but I am beginning to relax. If a phone was just a phone, there would be no question–they don’t belong in class, period. But phones are so useful with all of the things they can do that it’s difficult to prohibit them anymore. Teens these days “need” to listen to music more than teens of the past have when they work.; they focus better. Also, because parents and teens communicate so much via texting, students are sometimes in communication with their parents about important things, like after-school pickup. On occasion a student legitimately needs to respond to a parent, which I sometimes allow during class and sometimes don’t until after class, depending on the urgency. Even more compelling is the fact that many teachers ask students to do assignments for which they need a computer. Many times I have called students on using their phones in class when in reality they were researching for an assignment. Yes, I have seen abuse and have had to confiscate phones. I am pretty strict about what I will and will not allow. But times have changed, and they are an indispensable tool for both teens and adults. I have been forced to acknowledge this and accept their legitimate–albeit limited– role in a classroom.
Julia says
We homeschool however my son recently expressed an interest in going to public school so we sat down with the school counselor (he is in 7th grade) and she was very helpful to him in his decision making process. He was hoping to be challenged but when he was tested he was grades above in every level – she told him they would not be able to challenge him in any way compared to his current education. Anyhow the part that really got me was when she described the classroom setting to him…she said you spend the first 15 minutes waiting for everyone to quite down, get off their phones, etc they’re constantly distracted by a text message and so on. Get this though – there are ZERO filters on the school wifi adn especially so if they have their own LTE service she warned him that the other kids have access to any and all websites, wow.
Lindsey says
My sons ELEEMENTARY SCHOOL allows cell phones and other devices which I think is crazy. The kids use them during recess instead of playing. Now that he is in middle school he is getting a phone for safety reasons like knowing he made it to the bus stop ok and logistics like a club got canceled after school and now he needs a ride home early. But the sad reality is that it’s not the same world we grew up in and there are lots of scary things hat happen I schools nowadays so I for one like the idea of being able to reach my kids in school.
Tisha says
I have a son in middle school. He does not have a phone but I was surprised by the ways that they were incorporated into class. Teachers mentioned kids using their phones to take pictures of important notes. Some used phones to access apps where assignment information was located. One teacher even mentioned that kids could text her during class if they were uncomfortable asking a question out loud. It definitely gave me a different perspective on the use of phones in school and also made me question how much of a barrier this will put between the haves and have nots.
Suzanne says
As a high school teacher for many years, I can tell you that this drives most of us crazy. But, when we were still banning cell phones completely, we spent so much time policing cell phones that we often could not accomplish the academic things we needed to. For the past few years, our policy has been that they can have them between class and at lunch and during class it is up to the teacher. In my class, I allow them to listen to music during work times, but only if they can turn it on and leave it alone. That has been much easier on myself and the students than not allowing them at all since they are far more likely to comply with it.
Tammy says
I don’t think that cell phones should be in classrooms, it doesn’t make sense to allow something so distracting into the class. However, I just want to say that they belong in the class for April Fool’s: https://youtu.be/R9rymEWJX38 Hahaha
Brianna says
I hate the dependency of young minds on constantly being wired with phones. My kids know they will not get a personal phone before they get a drivers license. That’s my rule.
My 2nd grade son often has homework assignments that require a specific cell phone app and isn’t compatible with a home laptop. I let his teacher know that I will not be putting the app on my phone and he will not be using it on a phone and she is still searching for a solution for him for his homework assignments. I mentioned she could send home a paper packet or find a similar website he can access online via laptop, but still no solution from her. My husbands phone is for his job, so that isn’t an option at all. My phone isn’t a smart phone either and I’m not going to buy a new one for his homework app, it just isn’t in our budget. Unfortunately we live in a school district where phones are nearly mandatory in high school and almost every student has one going to pre-k on up.
bobbi says
This is a shame. Maybe the teacher should provide the phone, lol. She needs to come up with a better solution. Stay on her.
Cheri says
I think it’s worth noting that teachers are often asked and/or required to use certain technology. My kids’ school, for example, requires kids to use Google Drive and Google Classroom with their teachers. I don’t think teachers always have a choice, so having to scramble for an alternative may be genuinely challenging and not reflective of thoughtless planning.
Cassandra says
Absolutely! My sons use their phones to record lectures, take notes, calendar assignment due dates and record daily homework. They also use them to take pictures of class notes just in case they missed something when copying them from the whiteboard. One of my sons has a disability that means handwriting most things is not an option so he carries an iPad for all of his in class work. He can download teacher notes, power points, and any worksheet that needs to be completed during class. He also has an OT app that allows him to take a photo of any worksheet he is unable to download. The app allows him to type the answers directly onto the worksheet. He then either emails the completed worksheet to the teacher or he prints it at home that night and turns it in the next day.
April says
Cassandra, what is the name of that app your son uses. My daughter has difficulties with handwriting due to fine motor issues. She is only in 5th grade, but I am always looking for ways to make things easier for everyone!
Pam says
My high school aged daughter actually is expected to have her phone in German class so she can do research with the class needing computers. The assumption is that all kids have them. I’m not sure that I agree with this, but it is not a battle I’m willing to take on. I do love the idea of teachers having charging stations so the kids can plug in their phones during class. That way they aren’t on them!
KT says
I think cell phones can be used constructively in school. We went to back-to-school night for my high school daughter last night and the teachers were telling us ways they can be used–kids take pictures of their assignments on the board, they use them to study for quizzes, etc. One teacher even uses an app that lets the kids race each other to answer questions with. Like anything else, they can be used to further the kids learning or they can be a distraction. When my son was in high school he did not have a smart phone, but he had a smart calculator that he played games on during class! Not exactly how we intended him to use it!
pamela sheppard says
I think the question should be phrased differently. It should be “Should cell phones be used in school when students are supposed to be doing other things?” That answer is NO. When you are supposed to be doing one thing (at any point in life) and you are being distracted by something else, that isn’t a good thing.
Patty P says
As a teacher I have had many experiences with cell phones in the classroom. In general, my rule has been if I can’t see it and can’t hear it, then I don’t care if you have it. However, cell phones were becoming a huge distraction in class (I teach in the middle school), so this year all of the middle school teachers have agreed to the “No Cells Between Bells” policy. The kids can either leave their cell phones in their lockers or can put them in a basket on the teacher’s desk (I have a closet shoe holder thingy that is see through). It really has helped a lot, just in the first few weeks! Also, our students have school issued laptops, so they can use their technology that way. What I like about the laptop is that I can see if it is open when it’s not supposed to be open…So far so good! I do agree that kids need to know how to access the technology of today, but they also have to turn their brains on to actual conversation, teamwork, and learning too.
On that note, my son, who is in third grade, will not be getting a cell phone for quite a while. Even my cell phone is one of those old ones that doesn’t even have a camera…
Julie says
When phones can be used as a tool, great — but we need to make sure that everyone in the class has access to the tool. Is it really fair if one kid can simply take a picture of notes while another has to write them by hand? By the way, I do think there’s a benefit to writing them by hand — more interaction with the information.
Some schools provide iPads or laptops for their students. I would think using a cell phone as a tool in those classrooms would be redundant.
How do you make sure students aren’t using the phones for texting or gaming or something else they shouldn’t be doing during class?
KAte says
A major stumbling block for many educators is that we are increasingly being expected to deign digital lessons and have students working on digital platforms, but we are not provided with the technology to make that happen. My classes average 36 students each, and I only have 18 chromebooks in my classroom. What happens when it’s time to type up a google doc? Or listen to a quick audio clip? You can’t have students switch that halves the time they have to work on the assignment and just overall makes planning the day a nightmare. I end up allowing cell phones to be used as learning tools in my classroom.
I have a big streetlight in my room. If it’s on red, there is no cell phone use for the day. Yellow means restricted use, they can only have it out during some of the time, and only for specific reasons. Green means that they can use it to play music while working independantly (as long as they have headphones so the rest of us don’t have to hear their music choices.
I definitely echo what some other commenters have said about having a hard “no phones” rule. You spend so much time enforcing it that it’s more of a hassle than it’s worth.
Cheri says
I love your streetlight idea. That is great! Realistically, it’s hard to completely ban cell phones anymore, and I have seen how they can be a good tool even in a high school classroom. Your idea gives that reality a useful framework kids can understand and use.
Andi says
My son is deaf and during class, he would only use his interpreter to communicate. But during lunch, breaks, etc. having a phone made it easier for him to communicate with friends and it was much more comfortable socially than writing on paper. One time I happened to be in his class when the teacher told the kids they needed a certain book as soon as possible. He asked her if he could use his phone, went on Amazon, bought and downloaded it. She was thrilled! Told all the kids to get out their phones and call or text whoever and ask them to get it, too. Like any other tool, it should be used responsibly and this can give kids another chance to learn how to use it appropriately. Also useful when taking Spanish and Italian. He could type in a response and have it voice him.
Lynn says
As an older adult, I took a class before work at a university. The prof made it very clear what his policy was and he stuck to it. If he saw a phone out once class started, or if he heard it ring, ding, or vibrate, the student was kicked out of class for the day. He stuck to this and there was no policing needed after the first student was kicked out of class for the day. There was just too much material to cover to mess around with phones going off.
Holly G says
In my class, students use cell phones to photograph and share lab results. record audio of group discussions, do research, play review games, and record group data recorded on the board. I, along with my students that have limited English proficiency use cell phone apps to translate information back and forth to allow use to communicate more effectively. For the most part, when we discuss the proper use of phone in the classroom, I have found that students tend to be respectful. One think that I do notice is how often the calls and texts that are coming in to students phones are from their parents. It would be most helpful if parents could limit communications to emergencies and lunch hour.