Teens and Tech

There was a time not so long ago when having a cellular phone was not the norm.
In fact, the cellular phones during that time were remarkably large and veritably archaic in comparison with what is available today.
By the beginning of 2011, many have acquired what is called a smart phone. It is more than a phone and only slightly less than a computer.
It is a technological tool used to connect each person with the world as they see fit, no matter where in the world they may be.
It is text messaging, email, internet, et cetera; all found in a tiny device that easily fits into your back pocket.
These smart phones are affordable and widely available.
A growing problem now is many middle and high school students have their very own smart phones that they carry with them each day to school.
Though this technology has enriched the life of many, it has also created difficulties for those whose job it is to supervise and teach these students.
“Many schools have a no cell phone policy, or at the very least, require students to turn the phones off and leave them in their backpacks or lockers,” says Melissa Campbell, staff member at Chrysalis Charter School in Palo Cedro.
Campbell has also worked at numerous schools throughout Shasta County and the Bay Area.
In early years, it had been fairly easy to see if a student was breaking the rule. The act of talking on a phone is usually fairly easy to detect and/or hear.
Now, as innovation would have it, text messaging complicated this clear cut view. It is a silent activity and can be done without bringing too much attention to oneself.
It can be done right in the midst of class, when students should be learning and not focusing on their next text message.
To further complicate the matter, there now are students using their phones to surf the internet, and even chatting with virtual strangers we know nothing about.
They are quietly doing it right in class, in the hallways, or in the bathrooms; and they are doing it without anyone able to monitor their online activities.
The school districts normally get parental permission for students to use the school’s internet, which all have filtering programs that control and monitor the online activities of the students.
The schools recognize that the internet is a powerful educational tool if used appropriately. Therefore, school districts have taken these precautions to enrich the learning environment of the students, while protecting these kids.
Now, school districts are faced with the difficulty of trying to protect its students with the inability to monitor or control cell phone usage.
Are these phones important learning tools, or are they actually impeding learning? Is having a cell phone truly safer for a student, or is it in fact creating more possible dangers?
“Many teachers and school staff members feel the situation is not a good one, and that very soon something will need to change,” says Campbell.
All of the aspects of this issue should be carefully considered, and the benefits and drawbacks weighed accordingly.