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I believe students should have their phone in school encase their is an emergency or they have lunch breaks but I do believe that when students enter classrooms they should have to turn their phones into a cubby and they'll be able to retrieve it after class ends. This would take the use of the phone problem away and I would make sure that there was no way for the students to steal or lose their phones.

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I believe that students should be able to have their phones with them in case of emergency, but I do not think they should be able to be on them at any point during the day.

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I think students should be allowed to carry their phones with them, but that they should be put away in class or at least with the ringer off. If there is an emergency, they should be allowed to know about it immediately and without their phones, they wouldn't. They should stay off of them though and should get warnings if they don't that they can be taken away.

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I believe that students should be able to access their phones sometimes, not all the time. The times they should be able to is when there is an assignment in class that requires them to use their phones. Besides that, the only other time they should be used if its for an emergency.

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I believe students should be able to have their phones at school, but during class they should be put away. Just like in college. Turn the ringer off and step outside if you need to check your phone or make a call.

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I would say that students should not have access to their phones during school (or at least in class). I actually went to a high school where our phones had to be completely turned off and in our lockers. If we got caught with them, it was an instant detention. Now, I don't agree with that.. I think it was a little silly and unnecessary. I think it is fine for student to check their phones in the halls, at lunch, and at their lockers; but I definitely don't think they should be allowed to have them out in class.

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I personally do believe that students should have access to their phones during school, but to a certain extent. There are instances where a phone would come in handy for a classroom, like Kahoot or quick access to a calculator or a timer. There are times when a phone should not be accessible during school, like during a lecture or while doing independent classwork.

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Should Cell Phones Be Allowed in School? | American University

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Cell phone use is increasing, and policy makers, researchers and teachers are trying to decide if cell phones should be allowed in school. Learn more.

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I do believe that students should have access to their smart phones in school, but I believe that it should be little time they spend on them. I think smart phones should be used in free time that the students have throughout the day or if they need to contact their parent. By taking the phones, you are losing that trust between the student and the teacher. This video shows a great debate over this topic.

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From CTV Saskatoon's Carla Shynkaruk: After Ontario banned cellphone use in classrooms, some students here have hang-ups on the idea.

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I do think that students should have access to their smart phones during school, but only if they have free time and only if the class as a whole is caught up with assignments. I feel like if one student is allowed on their phone while others are working, then everyone else will be distracted by the student on their phone and not get their assignments finished.

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I do not feel that student's should not be allowed to have access to their phones during classroom instruction unless the teacher suggest it. It becomes a major distraction because there are no filters blocking the students from accessing unnecessary content that could be browsed. It can also be disrespectful to the teacher who is trying to teach students. I do feel that they could allow certain times to where the students can check their phones during the day.

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I feel students should be able to have their phone. They should be able to use them in the hallways, lunch or downtime in a classroom. Their phones can be used for valuable links such as Kahoot, if you don't allow phones you are gonna spend majority of your class time trying to keep them off of their devices.

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I think that students at the secondary level should be allowed their phones because as long as they are paying attention to your lesson and are performing well in your class, then there should be no reason to stop them unless they are causing interruptions within your class. As we move to middle school and elementary; however, I think that it should have more restrictions. If a student is having an emergency, then they can have access to their phone, but if it is just to be on it during class, it will mostly serve as just a distraction. Because I am going to be a middle school teacher, I do believe that students should be allowed access to their phones because it is not school property. This why I would provide brain breaks where they do an activity on their phone and can contact or message whoever they may want to socialize with in that time frame.

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I think that students should have access to their phones during school. I feel that students should be able to have this access for many reasons. One being that if there was an emergency  they would have a way to call for help. Two if they need to use there phone as a calculator or for educational purposes they will have access. And three, if college students can pay for an education and have access to their phones, I feel that school grace students should as well. I feel that this should be allowed, except for during tests. I found this website that goes more into detail on whether or not students should have their phones in class.

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These days, more and more students are bringing cell phones to class. Even elementary school-aged students have cell phones in their pockets and backpacks.

However, the news of Ontario's decision to ban cell phones in classrooms opens again the debate about whether or not students should have cellphones in school. It also brings up the question of whether it's possible for technology to exist in the classroom as a learning tool-rather than simply a distraction.

Ontario's Classroom Cell Phone Ban

Starting in September 2019, cell phones will be banned in Ontario classrooms during instructional time.

The new ban means elementary and secondary school students won't be able to use their cellphones in the classroom unless it is for educational purposes, medical reasons, or as a support for students with special needs. How the ban is enforced will be up to individual boards and schools.

By banning cellphones, Ontario's Education Ministry hopes to remove distractions so students can focus on acquiring foundational learning skills they need, including reading, writing and math.

The decision and renewed debate has many teachers and parents left wondering: can cell phones ever really benefit students in class, or are they best left tucked away?

Read on to learn more about the pros and cons of students having cell phones in school.

Cell Phone Use In The Classroom

Students check their phones in the classroom an average of more than 11 times a day. That can add up to a lot of time spent distracted from schoolwork. And when students are distracted, it's a recipe for extra stress, frustration, and catch-up time for everyone.

With students spending up to 20% of their in-class time texting, emailing, and checking social media, it's no wonder the debate about cell phones in the classroom is alive and well.

Students check their cell phones in the classroom more than 11 times a day.
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Learn more about the pros and cons of students bringing their cell phones into the classroom.

How Cell Phones Can Be Used Effectively In the Classroom

If properly managed, cell phones can be used as tools to help children learn in the classroom. The following are some of the pros of allowing cell phones in school:

1. Using educational learning apps

Cell phones give students access to tools and apps that can help them complete and stay on top of their class work. These tools can also teach students to develop better study habits, like time management and organization skills.

2. Incorporating digital platforms into lessons

Using social media can keep students interested in class and encourage them to participate in the discussion. Some teachers create twitter hashtags or message boards students can use during class discussions to share thoughts and ideas. This can be especially helpful for students who might not be comfortable speaking in class.

3. Supplementing lessons with digital materials

Teachers can take advantage of cell phones by providing students with resources to find more information about a topic. This can include videos, news stories, online discussion groups, and more. Allowing students to access these resources in class can help encourage participation and discussions.

4. Providing easy access to more information

Cell phones can give students access to more information, letting them research more about a topic while having class discussions. This is especially true for current events that have not yet been covered in school textbooks.

The Drawbacks Of Allowing Cell Phones In Classrooms

While cell phones can be used as learning tools, it is a challenge to make sure students are using them for school-related tasks. A cell phone can easily turn from "classroom learning tool" into "classroom disruption".

Cons of allowing cell phones in school include:

1. Distractions and interruptions

When students use their cell phones to check social media and text their friends in class, it leads to distractions for those students as well as for their peers. This can cause disruptions in class, particularly if the teacher is constantly telling students to turn their devices off.

2. Cyberbullying

Cell phones can also lead to increased problems with bullying on the schoolground. Cyberbullying can be harder to see than other forms of bullying, making it difficult for teachers to identify and stop when it is happening.

3. Cheating

Cell phones can be a helpful learning tool in class. But they can also be used by students to access information while taking a test, leading to cheating. Even if a student isn't caught, this can lead to him or her having a poor understanding of the material in the future, and is unfair to students who studied hard to do well.

4. Disconnection from face-to-face activities

While cell phones can help encourage participation by offering different channels, this can also lead to less in-person discussion and fewer learning opportunities. Learning to work together with others is an important part of students' education, and can be lost with too much dependence on cell phones and other digital technology.

The Bottom Line: Should Students Have Cell Phones In School?

There's no easy answer: there are both pros and cons to students having cell phones in school. Although they can be used as a learning tool in the classroom, this only works as long as students use them effectively.

This means for teachers who decide to use cell phones (or any other digital device) as part of their lessons, it's important to set ground rules and keep a close eye on how they are being used.

Where do you stand on the cell phone debate? Let us know by tweeting @oxfordlearning on Twitter!

Related Resources:

Is Multitasking Bad For Students?
How To Study Without Being Distracted

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Should Cell Phones Be Allowed In Classrooms? | Oxford Learning

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Should students have cell phones in the classroom? Learn more about the pros and cons of students having cell phones in school, and weigh in on the debate.

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I think that older students should be able to access their phones in school. It is okay if they use them on their breaks. They might need to get in contact with their family or friends. Also, their phones can be used for games such as kahoot. I do not think that younger students should be allowed to though. They will just get distracted and what do they really need it for? They may just be texting their parents because they miss them. They could also lose them or get them stolen very easily.