Authority in the Classroom; The Teacher and...The Cellphone?

Nowadays, it seems that the Smartphone has overtaken life. It is a tool, a toy, and a distraction. The one place where the Smartphone shouldn't be a focus is in the classroom. Sadly, this is not the reality. Schools have been adapting their policies to give students more opportunities to use their phones during the school day. It is becoming an increasing battle of attention between the teacher and the students' phones.

Now, it's not just smartphones that have become a problem. It's technology in general. Laptops and Chromebooks have become the sole source for working. Many junior highs and high schools have all the classroom and homework done on a computer and emailed to the teacher. Pencils and paper are quickly becoming obsolete. This is frustrating, because there are many studies that prove writing things down on paper commits the information to memory better than typing it!! How are we as educators supposed to help students learn important information if we aren't giving them the best chance? For me, the most frustrating part of my day is when a student cannot figure out how to use a book to find the information they need. They rely solely on Google to give them all their answers.

Schools need to start realizing the implications of allowing technology, and especially cellphones, to take over the school. Bullying online is happening during the school day, students aren't paying attention in class, and they are accessing inappropriate material. Even with web restrictions set by the administration, the students can still find a way to bypass it or find an alternative. Schools are allowing the students to be in control when they give them this much power.

Technology does have the opportunity to be an important supplementary tool. Smartboards, computers, and table iPads are all great tools that can help a student's learning. But the problem comes when they are only using technology to learn.

What are your thoughts about technology in the classroom? Should it be restricted or should students, as young as second graders, be allowed to have free reign of their phones and the computers in the classroom?