Should Mobile Phones be Banned From Classrooms?

For now, absolutely.

The classroom currently has no place for mobile phones. Although many children have them, use revolves around constant messaging back and forth with friends.

MAX: Hey. What u doin?

BILL2015: Im learnin stuff. u?

MAX: Yeah. Learnin suff here 2.

BILL2015: Kewl.

One of the biggest problems that effects our society today is that people are overly connected. As teachers, we should educate students to seek reflective time away from electronic devices. Living in a fast-paced environment of rapid communication and multi-tasking is becoming normal, however, our brains are built in such a way that required time to "download." Our students need time to absorb.

Turning back to the classroom environment: Kolb, a supporter of having mobile phones in the classroom casts them as "the students’ “Swiss Army knife” of technology. Cell phones can be audio recorders, digital video camcorders, still cameras, note-taking devices, calculation devices, scheduling and management tools, phone conferencing devices, Internet researching tools, faxing and scanning devices, blog and Web page editors, or even audio assessment recorders."

Although Kolb is correct in her assertion, the problem of using cell phones as a classroom tool centers around two pieces. 1) The distraction factor and 2) Lack of oversight.

The distraction factor relates directly to the students natural need to use a mobile phone for all available functions...even if it's just supposedly being used as an audio recorder in class. While being used, an incoming message or phone call directly disrupts learning...much like a note had been passed or a student walking in late causes a learning distraction. Both of these are not tolerated, and the related use of a mobile phone is class should be considered equally disrupting.

Second, a lack of oversight. Schools have no control over the messages sent or received on a student's mobile device. All websites are open. This becomes an issue of student safety and quality of the learning environment.

Now, if there were ways to have a mobile phone go to "airplane mode" upon walking on campus, there may be a place for mobile phones in the classroom. Yes, they are "Swiss Army Knives" in a way. But until that time they are still a distraction that is better suited to life outside the classroom.

Questions moving forward:

1) Phones and computers are becoming more synonymous every day. How do we incorporate these tools into the classroom without undue distraction? (The "Airplane Mode" idea sounds great, but maybe a more specific "Learning Mode?")

2) Where does the will of the school against electronic devices clash with the rights of students? (Is this something that schools are coming down too hard on and need to adapt? How can this be done?)