BabyButteredBiscuit's Book of Updates

Essay

I finished my essay FINALLY! I'm so tired now, because I stayed up until 1am doing it...

Here it is if you want to read it:

We've all heard it; The unwanted disturbance caused by a text message notification at the worst possible time. The constant ding of these notifications are loud and annoying, but they also pull you in, leaving you wanting to know who texted you and what they sent. But have you ever thought about the psychological side of things? Studies show it takes an average of 20 minutes for a brain to refocus after looking at a screen! Phones are extremely addicting and are a constant source of distraction. The wide variety of apps and games distract students from learning, which results in delayed growth and learning.

Phones can be as addicting to teens as candy is to toddlers. A study found that college students also are spending more class time using their smartphones. In fact, the study found that students check their phones more than 11 times a day on average. But It's not just a quick check to see if someone is trying to reach them. Instead, they are spending up to 20% of their classroom time texting, surfing the web, checking social media, and even playing games. Students feel compelled to constantly check for notifications and then are sucked in as they keep interacting with the programs. In this way, phones can be used as more than a communication device. The games, social media platforms, and free range of the internet, give students free will to do whatever they want. When they enjoy this freedom, they want to keep coming back for more.

The distractions caused by phones can also prevent students from learning at their fullest. At any given moment, a text message could come through, catching their attention. Most teenagers have anywhere from 10- 125 different apps on their phones. A recent study shows that from all the apps students have, they tend to get an average of 200 notifications each day. When students are having a hard time with their lessons, they are sometimes all too willing to be interrupted, as if they're almost looking for a distraction. Research shows that having these interruptions to our thought process impact our ability to focus for long periods of time. Instead of concentrating fully on the task at hand, students' attention is divided among different apps, texting, social media, and much, much, more. This effect on their learning is a negative one. Along these lines, phones and the plethora of apps they come with, are just a distraction waiting to happen,

While there are many arguments against the use of phones in schools, others disagree. Phones can be used to contact parents in the case of an emergency, or to just contact someone in general. Phones also have access to classroom tools, such as calculators, dictionaries, and spell check. Those who believe phones will benefit children in the classroom have a fair point, but there are solutions, so phones won't be needed. For example, in the case of an emergency, a teacher or school official can notify the parents with their phones. Calculators and dictionaries aren't only digital, they are also in the real world as objects. While these are valid points for the use of phones in schools, the disadvantages to student learning outweigh them.

Overall, when approaching the subject of phone use in school, there is evidence for both sides of the argument. But when sending your child to school, would you expect them to be involved in a lesson, or sitting in a corner, scrolling on their phone? When going to school, they are going to learn, not to be distracted by a buzzing screen. Skip the distractions and leave the phone at home. 

Y'all, I WANT phones in school so I can be a little weirdo and read fanfics in class. I swear to god, If my teacher is using these essays to ban cell phones, I WILL DIE. But I do pretty much sit in the corner, giggling like an idiot when I read fanfics...