I recently read an article that included the thoughts of parents when schools try to get a handle on the use of cell phones in schools. Schools often ban or restrict use of cell phones so that they're not a distraction to learning, but when banning becomes the school's choice, the opposition expresses their opinions. After polling 1,000 parents it was found that 95 percent of them want to remain in control of their child's cellular-phone use, rather than have schools set the rules.
Parents want their children to carry phones for safety; if and when a lock down takes place, they want contact with their child. The problem with this idea is that when hundreds of students make calls during a crisis the result is jammed emergency lines. Another reason is the parents' desire to stay connected during all the after-school activities that go on in schools. Students' days are filled with extracurricular activities and they want to be able to contact their child when plans change; that's when a cell phone becomes a great tool as well.
I still think that the technology advancements are emerging so fast that we may have to make a paradigm shift with regards to cell phones. After all, they are a link to the internet and a way to network for learning if done right. We keep saying that it would be nice if all students had their own computer. Well, to think outside the box, one can recognize that these are handheld computers.
