With teachers including cell phone use in their policies to combat the use of these devices in classrooms, the influx of newer technology may just make it worse.
“Absolutely no cell phones allowed in my class, especially during lectures”, Pat Vacca, computer information systems professor, said. “You’ve got to concentrate during my lectures. If the phone rings and you got an emergency, leave the room, but we won’t wait for you.”
Some teachers are very strict when it comes to cell phone use, and with features like texting becoming more popular, teacher’s are cracking down on its uses.
“Students don’t even have time to be playing with their cell phones in my class because they will miss a lot and especially in lab. My colleague next door takes off points for cell phone use believe it or not”, Vacca said. “And I know they’re texting, but you know what? Let them text because they’ll miss information which I won’t repeat for them.”
Some teachers do tolerate the use of a cell phone for specific situations and have more different policies and views regarding its uses.
“I do believe it is very distracting when students answer their phones but, what if it’s an emergency?” Randy Firestone, philosophy professor, said. “If they bring their phones, it’s fine, just as long as it’s on vibrate or silent. They have life outside of class too.”
With the advancement of some cell phones, the issues regarding its uses may just get worse and much more difficult to contain for those who want to.
“I know people that sit in the back are texting, emailing, or listening to their I-phones,” Firestone said. “With the different types of phones nowadays, I can’t even notice my students when they do use them.”
With tolerance of cell phone use in classrooms dependent on professors, some have locked doors to prevent exiting for any reasons like phone use.
“I don’t care if it’s an emergency, it can wait. We’re all adults in college, can’t you spend an hour of your life trying to learn something and not worry about your phone?” Michael Braun, psychology professor, said.
With some policies reaching different extremes, students have begun to defend their uses of cell phones.
“That’s not right at all, what if it’s an emergency, they wouldn’t let us back in?” Tiffany Cheng, business major, said “It is rude and distracting, and teachers always say turn them off, but everyone is still using them regardless so what’s the point?”
Despite its distracting tendencies, the uses of new technology on cell phones such as texting have become addicting.
Advancement on phone models like the BlackJack, BlackBerry, iphone and Sidekick have made the problem, such as texting, worse.
“What were students doing before all of this technology? As a student I love the idea of cellphones but it can be distracting towards learning whether the class is boring or not,” Ann Nguyen, physiology, major, said. “I admit I do text in class but it is disrespectful.”
With students becoming more advanced users and with the technology of cell phones, teachers need to be more aware of students reading text messages and not textbooks.
“The ones sitting in front, I know for sure they’re not texting, but for the ones in the back, they might be looking at me with a hand in their pocket emailing or texting acting like they’re paying attention”, Firestone said.
