Cell Phones at School
Our cell phones are smart, very smart. They can help us answer questions in math and science, provide driving directions, give us a weather forecast, andenable us to talk or text with our friends and family, anytime, anywhere. We use them to make purchases when we shop. We download electronic books that can help with our homework or research. Cell phones are an integral part of our daily lives. We, both children and adults, carry them everywhere we go.
Should students be allowed to have cell phones in elementary and high schools? School boards across America have discussed this question. With the first cell phones, only phone calls and texting were possible. Many schools set policy then to not allow their elementary and high school students to have cell phones in class. To allow students to have a cell phone in school would be a potential source of disruption in the classroom if used.
Each new cell phone on the market now, however,has more features that can potentially aid the educational process. As children are becoming more and more capable of understanding and using technology, a policy shift towards allowing cell phones in elementary and high schools under specific circumstances isunderway. Tragically, the December, 2012, shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut has brought this topic into focus.
Many of America’s schools are revisiting their school security and child safety policies. Lock-down plans are being revised. Periodic safety drills are beingrun. School officials are planning with police and fire fighters what steps should be taken in the event of an emergency. Effective communications with emergency personnel is crucial. Cell phones can play an important role, not only in first calling in an emergency, but also inkeeping our first responders in contact with our children and teachers in the school during anemergency.
The discussions and planning continues. The question of whether students should be allowed to have cell
Should students be allowed to have cell phones in elementary and high schools? School boards across America have discussed this question. With the first cell phones, only phone calls and texting were possible. Many schools set policy then to not allow their elementary and high school students to have cell phones in class. To allow students to have a cell phone in school would be a potential source of disruption in the classroom if used.
Each new cell phone on the market now, however,has more features that can potentially aid the educational process. As children are becoming more and more capable of understanding and using technology, a policy shift towards allowing cell phones in elementary and high schools under specific circumstances isunderway. Tragically, the December, 2012, shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut has brought this topic into focus.
Many of America’s schools are revisiting their school security and child safety policies. Lock-down plans are being revised. Periodic safety drills are beingrun. School officials are planning with police and fire fighters what steps should be taken in the event of an emergency. Effective communications with emergency personnel is crucial. Cell phones can play an important role, not only in first calling in an emergency, but also inkeeping our first responders in contact with our children and teachers in the school during anemergency.
The discussions and planning continues. The question of whether students should be allowed to have cell