“The more powerful the goals that we establish for ourselves, and the more we feel ownership over those goals, the more we are able to pursue them in the face of both internal and external distractions.” (Lang)

I both agree and disagree with what is stated above. Powerful goals certainly enhance the classroom experience, and by extension, the ability to resist internal and external distraction. But that does not necessarily mean that students must be the ones creating these goals for themselves. While every student will struggle with the temptation of their phone at some point, the majority of students who we find consistently on their phones (not passively reading their notifications) are those who struggle with intrinsic motivation. Internally motivated students need less assistance from their teachers in setting powerful goals, but those who are externally motivated will likely need an external influence or stressor to keep them on task.

“If I ban cellphones outright, I can’t have this conversation about what the future may hold for my students.” (Sterner)

I find this to be an insufficient argument for why teachers shouldn’t ban the use of cellphones in the classroom. Students can learn about the dangers of the internet without directly using their phones in class. Furthermore, if a teacher truly desired to spend an entire day teaching this, they could have students pull out their phones for one day in class. Teaching students to unplug for at least one class per day should be encouraged. Freeing them from the grasps of the internet will teach students how to function without the internet at their fingertips, which is a skill that everyone could do well with learning.

“By having a classroom policy that permits students to have and use their cellphones in a responsible manner with consequences for breaking my rules, I’m teaching more than just English.  I’m teaching responsibility.” (Sterner)

I appreciate this point of view and see it as a valid argument to my own opinions about phones in class. By asking students to use their phones responsibly, a teacher is encouraging real-world skills based firstly in self-control. There is a high-risk, high-reward with this technique, though, that most teachers may not be comfortable using. All in all, I think that each teacher must use their discrepancy and judgement with each class and know their students well before enacting a policy that permits, even encourages, cell phone use.