Should Smartphones Be Allowed in the Classroom?

There is no doubt that technology has become an integrated part of our lives. Seriously, can you think of the last time you didn’t use your TV, laptop, tablet, or cell phone in a day? These items have become so valuable in our everyday lives that we often completely forget just how much they really have become a part of our lives. I can’t even leave the house without my smartphone without feeling like I have lost something important.

However, with all this new technology emerging, there is one area in which we are hesitant to use it: in the classroom. The use of smartphones and tablets in the classroom has come under critical debate as both parents and teachers aren’t sure where to draw the line on safe and acceptable use. Parents are concerned that they may involved themselves with teachers in manners deemed inappropriate through platforms such as Facebook or Twitter. Some teachers, on the other hand, are concerned that students will abuse the gadget they were given – frequently looking up videos on YouTube and updating Facebook pages.

Both parents and teachers have their right to be concerned about how tablets and smartphones could effect the classroom, but they should also realize that these devices are used by adolescents for more than just Facebooking to see who just called you an inappropriate name.

In Portland, Oregon, a teacher brought tablets into the classroom and allowed students to research projects on the devices and interact with one another on Facebook. Not only were the students more inclined to do their assigned work, but their took their learning a step further and began pursuing it on their own. The students were able to collaborate better on projects, and effectively assigned one another duties through the social media application.

These gadgets and devices are already a strong part of our children’s lives, and will only continue to be so. Their reliance on them will continue to grow, and allowing them to work on a day-to-day basis with tablets, smartphones, and other pieces of technology will only help them more readily adapt to advancements in the future. Illicit programs can be banned through web servers and teachers should know when and where to draw the line with Facebook relationships.

Using web content as an excuse for not having smartphones and tablets in classrooms is a poor excuse. Although there is filth all across the web, there are thousands of sites that can be just as beneficial to the growth and development of our children.