Articles: https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-distracted-classroom/ and https://www.teachingquality.org/4-things-youll-miss-by-banning-cellphones-in-your-classroom/
“My student’s behavior in my class becomes linked with their desire to hold on to this symbolic totem, the cellphone.”
In the article “4 things you’ll miss by banning cellphones in your classroom” the author Rob Sterner claims that cell phones act as a “symbolic totem” for students in a classroom. Taking the cell phone away from them entirely can heavily upset students, even if they’re not prone to using their phones in class at all. Sterner suggests that treating students as if they’re incapable of holding onto their own cellphone can cause students to feel a certain way about the class and teacher. Sterner suggest that letting student at least keep their phones in their possession won’t provoke the students to act out.
“Remember everything about that cell phone in your student’s pocket is vastly more powerful than the computer used by Neil Armstrong to land on the Moon. Take advantage of that power!”
Sterner says this later in the article, basically saying that cell phones should be treated as a tool to help learn, and should not be taken away or heavily discouraged. The question I think about when discussing cell phones in classrooms is When is it ok for students to use their cell phones, and when is it not? The answer to this statement is easier said than done. Obviously, students shouldn’t be on their phones while engaging in the classroom, as well as doing independent work and such, but Sterner suggests in this quote that students can be given the opportunity to use their phones in order to do independent research during class, as well as engage in other activities. Today there are many applications on cell phones that can get students more engaged with the class, the best example that comes to mind would be “Poll Everywhere”, a cellphone and computer application that can allow students to answer a question given by the teacher during class.
“I try to make my classes as interactive as possible, with students engaged in discussions, group work, or other tasks.”
In the article “The Distracted Classroom” by James M. Lang, Lang put forward this quote somewhere near the beginning discussing how he combats cell phone use in his classroom. While this can be seen as the obvious answer to the cell phone problem, there can also be other ways to make cell phones useful in the classroom, as argued by Sterner. Giving students the opportunity to use their personal devices in the classroom to do different assignments or do some independent research can help turn cell phones into a learning tool. Overall, engaging students so they don’t have time to use their cell phones during class, as well as promoting cell phones as a tool to learn independently can help keep students engaged in classrooms.
