ARE CELL PHONES THE NEW UNLISCENCED GUN?

Would you give a teenager a gun? Of course not! With pedophiles potentially lurking behind IP addresses and explicit content available at just a click, there is no telling who your child could be talking to! Yet, very young children are being given cell phones! Why would any sensible thinking adult give a child a cell phone without proper instructions and or training? A cell phone in the hands of a minor is like giving them access to a gun-- DANGEROUS! But just because something is dangerous to use, does this mean, one can't learn to use that tool with wisdom? Hell, I mean crossing the road can be dangerous but we risk our lives daily to do it. Right?

Are cell phones an appropriate learning tool for the classroom?

With a cell phone, teenagers do not waste precious time writing notes anymore on paper. A picture of the board notes can be taken and with the snap of a figure students have what they need. Smart phones keep students current with news and research. Because alot of the material is only a click away, there is no need for paper copies and we are all doing our part to save the trees simultaneously.The cell phone is smaller, not as bulky and lighter than a laptop. So for teachers and students, the cell phone is the post Covid choice! Gone are the bulky, hard copy textbooks! We have the digital versions now!

Should schools allow the use of cell phones as an educational tool on campus despite the dangers? I thought the pandemic had settled this annoying controversy by allowing students to use whatever device they had! Are the deviant behaviors of a few sufficient to justify a ban of cell phones in the classroom three years into the pandemic? Absolutely not! And if we do advocate for the use of the cell phone as a learning tool, how stiff should the penalty be for the misuse of this tool? These are questions and we need your answers. But first, let’s examine some of the pros and cons of using cell phones as a learning tool in the classroom.

With a cell phone, teenagers do not waste precious time writing notes anymore on paper. A picture of the board notes can be taken and with the snap of a figure students have what they need. Smart phones keep students current with news and research. Because alot of the material is only a click away, there is no need for paper copies and we are all doing our part to save the trees simultaneously. The cell phone is smaller, not as bulky and lighter than a laptop. So for teachers and students, the cell phone is the post Covid-19 choice! Gone are the bulky, hard copy textbooks! We have the digital versions now!

Let’s not forget a cell phone is the primary way parents who work strange hours keep tabs on their children. With a cell phone, students do not have to contend with being a bother to unaccommodating school personnel. Having a phone is the blanket parents and students all walk around with. With it at our side, we feel a little more safe knowing that our loved ones are within reach.

THE NITTY GRITTY

For teenagers, having a cell phone today is like having that pair of L.A. Gear, British Knights tennis or travel fox shoes we had as children in the 80's and 90's . Okay maybe you will get this one! Having a cell phone is like having that pair of Clarkes shoes in High School. You wore this style of shoe because you thought it was cool although there were other options available. Similarly, having a cell phone gives a teenager that cool factor among his or her peers. And don’t tell me, you don’t feel the need to be accepted by your peers because we all do!

But let us get to the nitty gritty! School officials seem to be up in arms over the use of cell phones on school campuses because of the nonsensical things teenagers sometimes use the cell phone to do while they are on campus. Some teenage nitwits record fights and altercations that may transpire on the campus and this is where it gets tricky. They are not sensitive to the impact this kind of digital content may have on the victims or the school they might attend.

GENERATION GAP

I truly believe that the cell phone war is more or less a generation gap. Why? School officials seem to be oblivious to the fact that teenagers simply do not believe posting material to Facebook or instagram is a big deal. This is due in part because there aren’t any consequences for posting the intimate details of people’s lives.

For the principal who is working assiduously to brand his school, the cell phone is a nightmare because once digital content from a cell phone is released to Facebook, Tiktok or instagram-- deleting this material is like trying to evade the secret service. Nearly impossible!

MISUSE OF CELL PHONES

I do believe that banning the use of cell phones on the campus is a poor response to a national problem that exists. If adults are misusing their cell phones by posting sex videos, fights, and other offensive material to the internet and social media, what do you think our teens will do? The gun we have placed in the hands of our teens is too serious of a problem for us to overlook any longer! Through a lack of proper guidance and stiff consequences for thier misuse of the cell phone, they are hurting themselves and their community! We must chart a newer more progressive course globally!

Thank you for your donations! They support the work that we do with Youth Thyme Productions. If there is a series you would like us to cover please email us.