Should Mobile Be Allowed in School

Technology has taken unimaginable strides in the past two and half decades. It has changed face of education. The whole mindscape of students at world scape has been changed by the cell phones or mobile as we call them. When we JBMSS discussed the matter with the principals of number of schools in Greater Noida we found that everyone is facing the challenge.
Though they crawled in our lives in 90’s it was around millennium years that mobile started taking epidemic proportions with wide usage and power in our hands, thereafter, the hands started clasping the mobile phones as if it was there vital body part. Students of today can stay without pizzas & food, without playing hours, without shopping, without parties but cannot sustain without phone. Ofcourse aping the family members at home.
As my grandparents point out it has given rise to the mumbling generation or children who don’t talk and resort to one way conversation, talking to family and friends interacting with them was normal earlier and now new normal is looking into your phone and talking. May be we look at the phone more than we look at the mirror. As a result we find number of children in the Foundation School of Smart Start who are reluctant to talk or have speech delays.
But let us give devil its due. Mobile is power in hands if used with discretion and it becomes our weakness if we get addicted to it with overuse, which has taken us away from our basic nature, our lifestyle, our play hours and exercise regime. We live in virtual world and not the real world. Let us use our rational mind and see how much is too much?
Since the topic is of immense interest for the parents as well as students I will try to take the rational view and sum up some Yes & No points or call them positive and negative points.

Also Read:  What is the Importance of Morning Assembly in Schools?

Positive Points:
1. Technology is changing the face of education. If personal digital devices like laptops and tablets have unavoidably found their way from student’s homes to their classroom so can phones.
2. In fact, you can charge your phone, take pictures of homework assignments
3. In developing areas, computers may be unavailable. Books may be rare. Tablets are uncommon. But mobile phones are cheap and easy to maintain.
4. Phones provide a link to infinite information.
5. Students curious about anything-can instantly find insights or new routes for thinking.
6. Classroom discussions can be enhanced by introducing content gleaned from a phone.
7. Students with phones can connect with their classmates or other students around the world anytime.
8. Online hubs can also be created for students to discuss topics.
9. Ensuring all students are safe is constantly on the minds of faculty and parents. With students having connection to their parents at any time and ongoing digital communication with their peers during breaks.
10. One proven fact is that cell phones in school can help accelerate a student’s learning.
11. Letting students use their phones for interactive classwork and activities is amazing.
12. Phones in schools are good for the environment.
13. Phones in school teach digital literacy.

14. Improve communication.
15. Cellphones increase flexibility and convenience
16. Increase sense of safety
17. Saves up money
18. Handy and functional
19. Promote independence
20. Keeps you connected to family

Also Read:  15 Reasons Why Preschool is Important

Negative Points :
1. Students will be distracted
2. camera phones are used to harass students
3. Happy slapping trend: Take away the camera phone = depression
4. Schools have phones, the students can use those.
5. no cell phones should not be allowed in school
6. they can be used to cheat on tests
7. It has been noticed the students in school with mobile phone becomes a loner.
8. Does not pay attention to the class lectures
9. Gets argumentative
10. Student spend more time doing business, watching movies, listening to music
11. Play phone games rather than using it as educational Aid
12. Eyes continuously get strained
13. Continuous exposure to radiation
14. Macro attention span goes for toss and micro attention remains that too without retentive memory
15. Students like sponge soak in negative content
16. Most important have hassle in handling and managing too much information
17. Too much knowledge too soon brings in early maturity and robs the children of innocence
18. Replaces normal social interactions
19. Students don’t go out to play instead spend more time with the cell phones
20. Appear to be always busy and preoccupied and do not maintain proper relations with the friends and family.
21. Eyes gets weaker by the day.
22. Convert teachers into felicitators and parents into mere providers.

Also Read:  BREAKING THE CYCLE OF CHILDHOOD

All in all there are definite positives and negatives. Caution and moderation are the key to balance out your life for happier times. As with all technological and scientific advancements we need to remember original state of human beings. To lead a joyful life balancing everything is the key.

At JBM Smart Start – best school in Greater Noida, we tried to put everything about children in social perspective and found that balancing act of phone use and misuse will have to be adopted.
Often parents are not giving quality time & patient ear to the children because they seem to be perpetually busy on social media or work calls. Spend quality time with children. Their childhood will never come back sums up Director of JBM Smart Start in Greater Noida.