Should Phones Be Allowed in Classrooms?

The Case Against Phones in the Classroom

• Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1875 as a tool for speaking at a distance.
• Today's phones, especially cellular phones, allow for a diverse range of communication beyond what Bell invented.
• Cell phones can access not only people the user knows, but anyone throughout human history who has published information on the internet.
• Bringing a phone into a classroom is essentially bringing all these people and texts to school, making the room too crowded.
• Teachers must require students to turn off phones to avoid constant interruption by other voices.
• Allowing phones in class would result in students relying on their phones for answers rather than thinking critically.
• The phone is like Pandora's box, tempting users with novelty but once opened, unleashing a rush of information.
• Not everyone can afford a phone, and allowing phones in class would introduce inequality into the classroom.
• Removing phones from the classroom entirely is the only solution to avoid temptation and inequality.
• The phone-free classroom has been the status quo for nearly all of human history, and has not hurt anyone to maintain it.
• The phone itself should not be blamed for its detrimental effect on learning; the user has given in to the temptation to use the tool without understanding fully the consequences of their actions.
• Given the complexity of the way the phone changes the classroom, it is best to limit its effect.