Cell phones in school

Cell Phones Improve School Safety Supporters of cell phones in school contend that cell phones improve student safety by allowing students to contact authorities in the event of a school intrusion or medical emergency. Students with cell phones would also be able to contact their parents in an emergency to inform them that they are safe. In addition, schools can program emergency response systems to automatically call or text message students' cell phones with emergency information or instructions. This can reduce panic in an emergency and help schools keep students safe. Cell Phones Enhance Learning Cell phones, especially smart phones, can be used to enhance learning. Smart phones offer much of the functionality of a laptop, but are more portable and less expensive. For example, a class could download an interactive program and use it on their phones. Students doing lab work can take quick pictures with their cell phone rather than making a sketch. Students can also use their phones to record parts of a lecture, make a quick voice note or take a video of a science experiment. Stay Organized With Cell Phone Calendars Supporters of cell phones in schools also argue that students can also utilize the calendar function of the cell phone to stay organized. Rather than requiring a paper planner, students can simply input assignments and test dates into their phones. Convenient Communication With Cell Phones Cell phones offer a convenient way of communication, especially useful for students who have after-school activities. Rather than guessing what time practice will end or using a school phone, students can easily call or text their parents to let them know they need a ride or will be late. Parents and students also have an easy way to contact each other throughout the day if they need to send a message. Cell Phone Use in Schools Many schools struggle to develop policies for appropriate cell phone use. Cell phones have many beneficial uses, like helping students stay organized and keeping students safe, but they can also have negative impacts, including facilitating cheating on tests, texting during class and the spreading of rumors. As in business and social environments, there are always situations during which cell phone use is not appropriate. Parents considering whether to give their children cell phones should contact their child's school to learn the cell phone policies, including the punishments for inappropriate cell phone use during class. http://rebekahrichards.suite101.com... Pros of Cell Phones in School There are numerous positive outcomes that can emerge from permitting children and teens to bring their mobile phones into the classroom. Here are just a few that you should keep in mind the next time you enter a PTA meeting or other public debate. Instant Communication Although you hope that you will never have to do this, you sometimes need to get in contact with your school-aged child while they are in class. This could be because of a death in the family, an accident or other family emergency that may require his or her attention and/or attendance. By being able to call your child directly, you also help alleviate the workload off of the school's administrative team. This is particularly useful during recess and lunch hours when students aren't in classrooms anyways, and it may be more difficult to find your child. The problems with knowing where your children are after school could also be reduced if parents had the ability to call them (and vice versa). Text messages also make this easy (and discrete). Memory Aids Most cell phones have a camera these days, so children can use these to take pictures of things in class. This is great for science class, for example, where they may be exposed to certain creatures, plants and other things that they probably won't encounter anywhere else. This is much more effective that simply producing a quick sketch. Pictures are also useful for any sort of step-by-step process, so that they can later review the photos to better understand the procedure in metalwork, woodwork or other hands-on courses. Better still, give your child a camera phone with video capabilities! Voice Notes Sometimes, it takes too long to write down a note, so why not use the cell phone to record a quick voice note instead? Students may not always have immediate access to a notepad either, so using a cell phone to "jot down" important information is also useful. http://cellphones.lovetoknow.com... *** All in all these articles state that cell phones in school are good because they are there when there is an emergency. Cellphones are instant rather than going through the office or school phone to get ahold of a parent or 911. Cellphones are their to enhance many things such a memory and learning content. From a personal experience we had a bomb threat while i was in middle school, and children who had cellphones were able to call their parents or guardian to tell them they were safe and needed to be picked up from the school. Cellphones may be a distraction but there is always a time and place for them to be out and in use. *** Analise Bruno