Cell Phones

I had never thought about the concept of cell phone ownership being related to families spending less time together.  It makes sense to me, why else would a teen need a phone unless the were going to be away from their family and need to call them. I was pleased read that this is not the case, and in some cases communication in the family increases when there are cell phones. I was really surprised to read that 46% of kids ages 9-11 have cell phones and 20% of kids ages 6-8 have cell phones.

Some of the cons of cell phones in schools are cheating on tests, disruptions in the classroom, prank calls, and sexual harassment. Some of the pros of cell phones in schools are kids have access to a watch, calculator, alarm clock, camera, and games (which can be a pro or a con).  Some teachers even think that when students see the phone as a tool, it can make learning engaging for the students.

I really liked the ideas given to use the camera in lessons, because this can be used for all grade levels. They can take pictures that show the letters of the alphabet, geometric shapes, concepts learned during a field trip, or create inspiration for creative writing.  There are many lessons that can involve the camera on the phone, and anymore it's hard to find a phone without a camera, so if a kid has a phone it will most likely have a camera.

I also agree with them about the etiquette lesson about using cell phones in and out of the classroom; something some adults should have a lesson in as well!