Frederick B Wilcox, who was an author once said, “Progress always
involves risk. You can’t steal second base and still keep your foot on first.”
I feel progress is necessary in this school, and I realize the risk, but I want
to propose an idea. I feel we should allow smartphones to be used in a class
setting. Being homeschooled for most of the day, I realize the benefits of
having this tool at one’s disposal. If I find something interesting, or
intriguing, I can easily look it up on the Internet, and it furthers my
education. On the contrary, if the teacher says something in class that I might
be interested in, I have no outlet for any ideas, and most often forget it by
the end of the day, or misplace a piece of paper that I’ve written it on. The
option of using smartphones in class can increase organization, give room for
further learning, and provoke innovation in the younger generation.
The opportunity of using smartphones in class can increase
organization and time management. I realize that the school equips students
with student handbooks (which can be very expensive), but with smartphones,
they are unnecessary. With smartphones, students can set reminders, put
appointments on their calendars, and write notes to remind them of project due
dates, homework assignments, and days to remember (e.g. basketball practices,
sports games, concerts). I still think we should have these handbooks available
and optional, but the exorbitant amount of them used is a strain on our natural
resources. Also, a phone is much more unlikely to be misplaced or forgotten. I
know I struggle with organization, and my smartphone has helped me
tremendously.
Furthermore, the option to use a smartphone promotes further
learning on a subject one might be interested in. If the teacher is talking on
a subject that a student takes particular interest in, then that student may
look up studies that have been done and questions the teacher may not be able
to answer. Jim Rohn once said, “Formal education will make you a living, but
self-education will make you a fortune.” Smartphones can not only be helpful,
but it can actually begin to spark interest in knowledge. Instead of just going
through the normal day, they are actually able to educate themselves. This
interest motivates students to further their study and actually do something
about things they have learned about, or unfold their ideas.
Also,
having the usage of a smartphone can introduce what the American spirit and
economy runs off of; innovation. The advantage of being allowed to use a
smartphone can enable the students to have ideas, and further pursue them. For
example, while I was homeschooling I learned a theory that in prehistoric times
animals were larger because the oxygen levels were much higher with the amount
of vegetation that was currently present the earth. Having the use of the
internet, I was able to almost instantly look up cage prices, oxygen tanks, and
gizmos that read oxygen levels, in order to conduct an experiment for myself,
because I could not find any studies done on it. With the internet at my
disposal, I did not have to delay to be able to further my idea. Having this
type of thing available, and not exercising it is honestly, quite ridiculous.
Smartphones are helpful for organization, learning, and
innovation. All qualities which schools hope to teach their students before
they graduate. The point I’m trying to get at is that most likely, with the
benefits of this technology, this type of change in schools is going to happen.
The question is if we’re going to embrace this change early, or resist it. It
can boost grades, interest in school, and knowledge, and make our school a
place where kids think of learning as a positive thing. I hope to be a part of
such a place.
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