Does Costly Cell Phones Affect Student Performance?

Allowing cellphones in school classrooms across America is a widely debated topic in most school systems today. With cellphone use amongst teenagers so much more widespread today than it has been in the past decade, teenagers seem to always have their cellphone with them, especially in school. During school hours, having a cellphone can be a beneficial asset in emergency situations, but it can also carry negative aspects along with it. As many people have pointed out, having a cell phone in the classroom can be a temptation to cheat on tests and other assignments. Also, some argue the fact that cellphones can become a distraction in class when students are simply bored, do not want to listen, or take notes. Personally, I believe that cellphones

Sylvia McDonald’s “The effects and predictor value of in-class texting behavior on final course grades” discusses the negative correlation between cell phone use in schools and final grades through research, examples, and charts. McDonald states that while cell phones can be an excellent form of communication, they can oftentimes be a very big distraction. Studies were given to further support the argument. The researchers conducted a study that included three different colleges, all with different cell phone policies. The results of the study were very self evident. The study showed a negative correlation between the cell phone policy and the test average. The college with the most lenient policy tended to have the lowest test score. Overall, the author explains the relevance of cell phone use and how much of a

2. The hypothesis of the article “effects of classroom cell phone: use on expected and actual learning”, is if a person will get distracted if they are using their phone while doing an activity.

Every teacher has a different policy on cell phone use in class. In past years, cell phones were essentially banned from classrooms while more recently teachers have been more lenient with their policy. Educational devices such as computers and online learning have been embraced by many school districts, while cell phones which offer the same effect on learning have been outlawed. Advancements in technology can provide students with a new learning tools where the learning tools will be used in the real world. Students who use cell phones to access research information are able to reach a wide variety of current information. Teachers are also able to teach students the proper way to use cell phones in a professional setting. Cell phones can also raise engagement levels in classes. In the article Cell Phones in the Classroom by George Engel and Tim Green, “There was an observable rise in class participation when cell phones were used in the class” (44). While cell phones were once considered a distraction, the way society uses cell phones has changed. Likewise, the purpose of cell phones has shifted from solely communication to a variety of benefits. Cell phones should be allowed in classrooms for educational uses because there are so many different ways to learn and study using them.

When people talk about cell phones in classrooms, people can be very split. People say that it can distract students and fellow classmates, with text messaging and video games so present with our day and age. But, what I believe is that with new and upcoming age of technology, Cellphones are going to be much more relevant in the world we live in. This is the reason students should be allowed to use this tool in places like the classroom.

One problem with cell phones in today’s society is that they have become major distractions. Cell phones are distracting employees in the workplace and are leaving them with their jobs halfway done. Everywhere in the business industries, the employees are hard at work re-tweeting and catching up on the latest newsfeed rather than managing their time more wisely. Not only are cell phones a distraction in the workplace, they are also a distraction and disruptive in school districts, causing students’ attention to be elsewhere. Many students would rather text in the middle of class instead of pay attention to what the teacher is reviewing. In this case, students do not gain the amount of education provided for them. In addition to cell phones being distracting, people often like to multi-task by walking or driving while texting. These things cause them to be unaware of their surroundings. Texting while driving has become a major issue because texting and driving can lead to car crashes which are often fatal. On the other hand, texting and walking isn’t too bad, but can cause a little bit of embarrassment. There are stories of people walking into walls and bumping into people or tripping over a table because their nose seems to be stuck in their phone. To some, being on their cell phone is more important than grades, clients, and others around them.

To begin with, the “Bring Your Own Device” policy drastically influences the academic performance of students using three methods with a variety of studies conducted and facts observed to justify. Firstly, cell phones are utter distractions for society. For instance, when a teacher assigns a project where a rigorous amount of research is imperative, students can finally use their beloved cell phones. As soon as they begin to assimilate new concepts about their project, more than ten notifications from social media and millions of text messages shall erupt and invade the screens of the devices. Would they continue researching

In the article “Hang It Up” written by Jesse Scaccia, discuss the negative effects of cellphones in the classroom. As a former public school teacher, Scaccia thinks that cellphones are too much of an interruption to be used while a teacher is teaching and shouldn’t be allowed in classrooms. Due to the level of distractions cellphones cause in the class some students will fail at the end of the school year. She also states the parents and students point of view, in which they feel cellphones are needed in case of an emergency. Scaccia feels, students weren’t being honest with their parents because they would use their phones when there was no emergency, only for social purposes during class time. I agree both ways on the matter because as a safety issue they are needed during the day but they aren’t always used in that nature while school is in session.

cell phone rings on academic performance. After completing the study, they said, “Findings indicated that cell phone rings during a video presentation impaired academic performance. Specifically, participants in the ringing condition performed worse on disrupted test items and were less likely to have recorded pertinent test information” (End, Worthman, Matthews, & Wetterau, 2010, p. 55-57). The study shows that just the ringer on a cell phone alone can have an impact on how a student takes notes. However, not everyone thinks that cell phones are a bad idea. Authors Kevin Thomas and Blanche Obannon wrote an article titled ‘Cell Phones in The Classroom: Preservice Teachers’

When a cell phone rings in a class, not only does it disrupt the class but it also breaks everyone’s concentration. Students can use cell phones to exchange work or answers in an examination or in a class.

Many students have used their cell phones to share answers to tests and quizzes, and to report inaccurate and offensive information about other students and their school. Cell phones can be distractions in the school environment, evading classroom time and reducing student’s academic success.

Unfortunately, cell phones have become one of the biggest challenges instructors face in college classrooms as these devices have become a pervasive part of young people's lives. What used to only make phone calls and send text messages, now does our emailing, sends us Facebook and Snapchat notifications, and plays music. Additionally, our cell phones are not only used for personal activities, but for school and work life. We want to be reachable in case of an emergency, but the constant stream of notifications has led our productivity to significantly tumble down. Recently, I noticed that in many of my classes, even though the professor says there is a “no phone” policy, many students are scrolling through their social media feeds or responding to a text rather than paying attention to the lecture of the day. I admit to using my phone constantly during class, which often has led my grades to suffer poorly. Rather than paying attention to the lesson, I was checking on buzzing notifications of entertainment news and random trivia. Because I was not listening to my professor earlier in the day, I had a difficult time trying to complete the homework assignment. Thus, in an attempt to be epistemic temperate, for the last two days, I tried to not use my phone during class lectures and study time to measure my productivity.

The students would not have to make time to go to the computer lab to use a computer, they could instantly research at their desk (Funding , 2014). For students to use a cell phone in the classroom, they would have to be greatly monitored to keep them focused on research, not playing games, texting, or browsing social media. If the students are not monitored when using a cell phone in class, their learning process is hindered greatly. Statistics show that seventy-three percent of teachers admitted that they or their students use cell phones in the classroom (Bautista, 2013). Cell phones can be a distraction for teachers as well as students, if teachers are too wrapped up in their social networking profiles and not concerned with the students sitting before them, they are failing to do their job

According to Lenhart, in 2012 three quarters of teens, ages 12-17, owned cell phones. Of those teens, twenty three percent of them indicated they possessed a smartphone. With the technology advancing in cell phones, it has become yet another classroom distraction and a serious concern for cheating. With cell phones on hand, it has created an easy way to become distracted during class. Assistant Professor Campbell from the University of Kansas brought to attention, “one study found that a third of university students in the US play video games on their mobile phones and laptops during class (Gilroy, 2004 as cited in Katz, 2005).” The majority of researchers have found that mobile phones have lead to problematic use in the school environment

Cell phones and technology in general has advanced a lot over the last ten years. Allowing students to be able to take their phones or devices wherever they want in today’s society. Thus bringing forward the issue of cell phone distraction in the classroom.