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Rogerian Essay on Allowing Cell Phones In High School
With the evolving technology, things nowadays are seen to be easy, and most products and information can easily be accessed from just a click of a button. The issue of a cell phone being allowed in high school has sparked a different reaction from the community, teachers, students, and regulatory bodies. With the growing technology, almost everyone owns a cell phone. Having a cell phone has made our lives easy, and with the revolutionized technology, interconnecting through the web and social media is made possible. It is essential to understand how having a cell phone in a school compound can affect students. There are some benefits and disadvantages of allowing high school kids to possess a cell phone in school. We must get to understand how each plays in the growth of a student and how it impacts him or her socially. In this paper am going to talk about the importance of owning a cell phone in high school.
Here are some of the disadvantages of having a cell phone in school. Firstly, Cell phones do have many apps, such as games, videos, and social media. These can be destructive tools to a high school student, especially when he or she feels that they are tired and bored in class. They can sneak out of the course and spend almost the whole day hiding and playing with their phones. Having a phone may hinder students from playing and interacting with one another. The phone has many features that entertain; hence students may stay alone playing with their phone instead of being with their friends. Social media is a powerful tool, especially for young children below 16 years. These students should be monitored on how they use their phones and the sites they visit. When high school students are allowed to go with their phones in school, they can access these restricted sites and watch an-authorized content. Another disadvantage of having a cell phone is that it promotes cheating. Having a cell phone in class can encourage a student to cheat on an exam. This can create unfair competition among students as some will use their phones to get answers, while others will apply what they learned in school. Another disadvantage of allowing students to poses phones in school is that they can be influenced negatively by some content they view.
Without parental supervision, students tend to be mischievous and watch content they shouldn’t. They may choose some sites that may affect their mindset, personality, and also hinder their overall growth. Allowing cell phones in school can also create unhealthy and unwanted competition. Those with the latest model can show off to those with a low model or low-cost phone. This can create an esteem issue as those with old models can feel they are being looked down upon. Finally, having a cell phone in class can reduce the creativity and innovative nature of students. Having a phone may limit a student to think outside the box as they know they have a backup plan they can use. A phone can reduce the potential of a student to think about all the concepts and ideas learned in class. This is because he knows that he will get the information on the internet (Twebaze, 2016).
Besides the disadvantages, there are other benefits associated with a telephone in school. One of the advantages is, in case of an emergency, a student can call his or her parent. Having a cell in school gives parents some closure as they know their children are safe. A student can also call their parent if they forgot their books at home or if they have a problem with transportation, and the parent can act immediately. Having a phone in school also promotes the safety of a student. When a student has some activities or sometimes wants to visit a friend, he or she can call and inform their parents not to worry, and they are safe. Another advantage of bringing cell phones to school is that students can use them in research work. The internet is a store of many resources and knowledge, and having a phone will significantly expose a student to more of these materials (Matimbwa, 2016).
Having a hone in school can help a student to download educational materials and books in school, especially in areas that you feel you haven’t grasped the concept yet. After downloading the content, the students can remain behind to read more, and this helps them understand the concept better. Downloading material on their phone can also reduce the loads of caring many textbooks to and from their lockers; hence, saving them time to do something constructive. Cell phones may also play an essential role in units that a student does not understand. A student can record the lecture and study it later to get and understand more concepts. During classwork, a student can use their phones to research more on the information provided by the teacher. He or she can read more during breaks, and this may improve the performance of a student. Students can also use a cell phone to keep a reminder, such as an exam schedule, a lesson taught, and homework. Keeping this information on your book may be had to tract where you wrote and on which book is hence saving time. Cell phones are also said to promote socialization among students. When a student is absent, the others can check up on him to know what is wrong and update him on what they leaned (Bukaliya, 2017).
This is a century where the internet has proved to be a full power tool in solving many problems. I believe that allowing cell phones in school is going to change the way we teach our students and how they receive and perceive knowledge. Allowing phones in school may help students research more on areas they feel they are not comfortable in. The internet has many sources that students can use. Doing research using textbooks can be very exhausting for both the teachers and the students. Textbooks are large volumes, and flipping page to page in search of essential information is very tiresome and tedious excises. All this information can be accessed on the internet. Some of the materials found on the internet are summarized; hence a student and teacher can understand better and faster. There should be rules that the government can introduce to all high schools on how and when the phone should be used. The teachers can also play a significant role in ensuring that students do not play games or text during class time, and their phones are locked in their lockers. Parents, too, have a role to play by ensuring that students do not visit a restricted site by closing these sites on the children’s phone. They can monitor how their children are using their phones and ensure that they do control their use of social media too. Doing this will ensure that students stick to what is allowed of them and do not see an authorized content.
In summary, I feel digital learning is the way to go in this generation. We should realize the impact of technology on learning and how it brings out the creativity in schools. The internet has made many students understand their potential and their talents. There are many educational channels available a student can use it to grow in their education and also in their passion. Furthermore, cell phone does give parents peace as they know they can access and talk to their kids no matter the time. During emergencies and maybe a teacher is not around, a student can speak to their parents or even call the police to come and intervene. I feel we need to sit down and analyze the advantages and disadvantages mentioned earlier and come up with a strategy. Besides the problems of going with a cell to school, I believe we can come up with measures to ensure that students and their teachers do not take advantage of this and, in return, engage in unaccepted behavior. We should encourage students to read more information online and teach them how they can advance education by making use of their internet.
Work cited
Bukaliya, Richard. “Mobile phone usage among secondary school learners: Potential and challenges.” International Open and Distance Learning Journal 1.3 (2017).
Matimbwa, Ramadhani, and Vicent Naano Anney. “Teachers’ and students’ perceptions of self-driven acceptance of mobile phone use as an ICT teaching tool.” Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies 7.2 (2016): 91-106.
Twebaze, Richard Merichard. “MOBILE PHONE USE IN UGANDA’S BOARDING SECONDARY SCHOOLS: A CASE STUDY OF BUSHENYI DISTRICT.” MIER Journal of Educational Studies, Trends and Practices 5.1 (2016).