Write an argumentative essay on the use of mobile phones in schools.
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The most important impact on society and the world is the cell phone. The use of phones in classrooms bring a heated debate in different countries worldwide. According to Harris et al. (2019) the best contribution of mobile phones to the society is that it improves p roductivity. Mobile phones enable people to be connected with each other wherever, whenever, and whomever they want to connect with. The mobile also educate, entertain, add convenience to our lives and improve safety. In October 1983, the first mobile phone advertisement was aired (Harris et al., 2019). According to Crompton et al. (2018), A majority of adults own more than one phone, and the largest population of people that own the phones are 18-29-year olds which is the typical age of college students. “Research findings reveal that 74% involved undergraduate students and 54% took place in a formal educational context, and major findings include that the majority of the studies focused on the impact of mobile learning on student achievement” (Crompton et al., 2018, p.1). The education faculty encourage their students to use mobile phones during learning to expand their possibilities. The cell phone sold for 4000 dollars is the equivalent of 10000 dollars in today’s economy due to inflation. “In 1989, Motorola introduced the MicroTAC, a flip phone which by modern standards was large, but at 12.3 oz was small enough to fit into a coat pocket, the MicroTAC was affordable enough to become popular” (Harris et al., 2019 p.1). In the past, the cost of making calls was high, ie, 50 cents per minute and the receivers paid for the calls, which made them reluctant to receive the phone calls or give other people their phone numbers (Harris et al., 2019). Later on, in the 1990s, the prices dropped, and there were many annoying phone alerts. Thus, the use of phones has greatly benefited the society.
The phones also became more and more popular as their prices reduced and the impacts of the mobile phones in the community has been predominantly good than bad; This is because the phones enable people to talk and test with others. The use of phones has also been able to improve the economic situation of people. “One touching example is that of a poor woman in a village in India who obtains microfinancing to buy a cell phone and service; She then offers, at a nominal price, the use of her personal phone to farmers in her village to call the neighboring villages to find the best markets for their produce” (Harris et al., 2019, p.1); This is because all parties involved, the farmers and customers, all benefit from this and the goods are sold at good prices. The best way to manage the high use of cell phones poses a challenge to the teachers, leaders, school policymakers and all stakeholders of schools. “While there appears to be some support for integrating cell phones and related technologies into academic instruction, the cumulative risks and detrimental effects of their use may outweigh these potential educational benefits” (Smale et al., 2021, p.2). There are both advantages and disadvantages of using cellphones. “While there is no consensus on the benefits and drawbacks of using cell phones in the classroom, there is a great deal of discussion on the issue, especially since these technologies are relatively recent and their uses are often linked to environmental and social contexts” (Mainil, 2022, p.2). The use of mobile phones in classrooms has both pros and cons.
There are many advantages of using phones in schools. “These educators maintain that cell phones can be leveraged to enhance student collaboration, engagement, and idea-sharing across grade levels and subject areas” (Smale et al., 2021, p.2). There are many potential benefits of using phones in the classrooms to teach and for the students to learn. Many scholars suggest that phones connect the students with their forthcoming events and activities, do research, and teaching digital responsibility (Smale et al., 2021). “Other suggested benefits of using cell phones include enabling modern learning, expanding learning outside of classrooms, using cell phones as alternatives to textbooks, and providing students with virtual tours to many places previously unavailable” (Smale et al., 2021, p.2). A study showed that using phones in classrooms for the young as they get motivated to study, and it also supports innovation. Using mobile phones also enables distance learning, ensuring inclusion for all in the education system. A study of 92 preservice teacher candidates reported that 61% of the respondents reported that phones provided learning opportunities (Smale et al., 2021). The use of social networking, video recorders, Digital cameras, access to the Internet, and text messaging on cell phones are essential in classrooms. “For example, students can use digital cameras and video recorders to collect data for science experiments and to create podcasts, respectively, and teachers can use social media to post homework assignments” (Smale et al., 2021, p.2). A survey that was conducted found out that 80% of the people who responded thought that schools should adopt technology in schools (Smale et al., 2021). Thus, there are many potential benefits of using phones in the classrooms to teach and for the students to learn.
There are many cons of using mobile phones in schools. “In contrast to the studies suggesting the benefits of cell phones in academic environments, other studies reported that cell phones have potential disadvantages for student learning” (Smale et al., 2021, p.2). Limited attention has been put to investigate the impact of using phones in schools. A study that was conducted about the impact of using phones in schools showed that when the use of phones in schools was banned, their grades in their test scores improved up to 9% (Smale et al., 2021). There is an ongoing struggle to regulate the usage of cell phones in classrooms. “The researchers observed that the ban’s differential effect on previously underperforming students is especially significant in light of school-board equity policies, as “banning mobile phones could be a low-cost way for schools to reduce educational inequality” (Smale et al., 2021, p.2). The use of phones often leads to poor academic performance due to lack of concentration because of the updates in different social media pages and many entertainment options at people’s fingertips. The distraction makes them perform poorly and affects their learning experiences. Thus, the use of phones in schools should be regulated because it often leads to poor academic performance due to a lack of concentration.
In conclusion, the use of phones in schools in classrooms is a debatable issue with both pros and cons. The supporters of this notion stated that phones enable the students to improve their academic performance, and the opposers of this argue that phones are a distraction which thus leads to them having poor performances. The negative impacts of using phones in schools should be managed properly. There should be a balance in using phones in classrooms to ensure that the students focus on their studies and attain high performance. By establishing good and working guidelines when using mobile phones in school, then the students will use the phones responsibly.
Kiema, K. I. N. J. O. (2015). As schools lift bans on cell phones, educators weigh pros and cons. NEA Today. Kiema, K. I. N. J. O. (2015). As schools lift bans on cell phones, educators weigh pros and cons. NEA Today.
Mainil, P. (2022). Cell phones in the classroom: beyond the pros and cons. Pédagogie collégiale vol. 35, no3, spring 2022.
Smale, W. T., Hutcheson, R., & Russo, C. J. (2021). Cell phones, student rights, and school safety: Finding the right balance. Canadian Journal of Educational Administration and Policy, (195), 49-64.