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What's The Harm In Electronics During School?


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Why is it a rule that students are not allowed to listen to their I pods and use their cell phones in school? What if these electronic devices are for a good cause? Here’s a better question, why can’t we use electronics at certain times during school? It’s slightly unfair and I want to address this issue. I believe that the “No electronic devices including cell phones and I pods will be stored out of sight at the start of period one,” policy in Howard County public school system is inappropriate and on the behave of other students we believe it’s an unfair rule. In my opinion cell phones and I pods shall be used in case of an emergency, calculator and for organizing. I pods shall be used during free time and music helps with concentration. Electronics should be allowed because of emergencies, organization, concentration and for educational purposes.



First Electronics could help in an emergency! Now I understand that emergency cards are provided for the authority to call in case of a real emergency, but that is depending on the situation! Emergency cards are used if a student passed out, having an asthma attack or even a seizure. Now an emergency card does not always work. what if the authorities cannot reach anybody on the emergency card? What happens to that student? Now if the child is really sick, having an allergy attack or even injuries; if this student is capable to do so than that student should be allowed to use his or her cell phone. Now I did an interview and I asked an adult “Do you think that electronics should be allowed during school?” The Adult responded “Yes at certain times though, not during class.” I also did an observation this was during 4th period! I observed a young lady, who was not feeling well, texting her dad because the teacher wouldn’t send her to the nurse. In this situation I believe this was an appropriate move because the teacher would not send the young lady to the nurse to call her dad.



Next electronics can also help with concentration. I pods can be used for many different activities if necessary. I believe I pods should be used for concentration purposes like for example a computer assignment. Sites like Cognitive Tutor, HSA Practice Online Testing, and educational game sites require I pods. As long as the I pods are not distracting anybody than it shouldn’t be a problem. Authorities attempt to overreact and not see things from a child’s point of view. I interviewed a student who agreed with the adults “It’s dumb for a kid in school to listen to I pods and talk on Cell phones, it’s also a distraction.” I totally disagree with her response. I also observed during second period listening to his I pod while working on Cognitive Tutor. This student, before he listened to his I pod, was not getting his work done and he stayed on the same unit. When I pods were allowed in only that class this same student was able to complete his unit on Cognitive Tutor.



Finally electronics can be used for educational purposes. Cell phones should be allowed when the student is using his or her calculator to solve an equation. Cell phones should also be allowed when a student needs to copy down an assignment. Like an agenda book for example. Students does not always look through their agenda books, but a student is always looking through their cell phones. The student should be allowed to use their cell phones to stay organized. I pods can keep a student on track in class, but only for certain activities. Electronic devices are not just used for entertainment; they’re also used for educational purposes.



To conclude I do agree with not using electronic devices while the teacher is teaching because it does become a distraction. So why not just let students use it in the morning, during free time and in the after noon? What’s the harm in that? We’re in high school and we should be treated like mature young adults. Students can handle using electronics when they’re suppose to. Electronics should ONLY be used for educational purposes, concentration purposes, and emergency purposes. Electronics again is not only for entertainment pleasures but also for something constructive. As I said before electronics should be allowed during lunch time. Electronics are not hurting anybody, so why ban them right?






Sincerely,





Ashley S.



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This article has 56 comments. Post your own!

lTwist1607 said...
Apr. 23 at 11:06 am:
i think that this is a great example for why electronics should be allowed:]
 
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fly bird don't sky said...
Apr. 18 at 8:26 pm:
yes,but they cheat on stuff and it is not good.
 
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sadpie121 said...
Mar. 30 at 5:59 pm:
If think that if a student uses the electronics in class, that's fine. Maybe a kid's grades suffer because he keeps playing games when he is supposed to be doing homework. So what? That's his problem, not the teacher's. They need to learn to act responsibly at some point, so why not at high school? The whole point of high school is to get kids ready for the real world, and in the real world, people act responsibly on their own. High school students need to practice that.
 
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my hp said...
Feb. 27 at 1:58 am:
i believe electronics should not be used in classrooms.electronics are available 22 hours,only we have 2 hours in which we find a tellented teacher
 
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heather123456 said...
Jan. 30 at 10:24 am:
i think students should be able to use cell phones because, when we see the teachers using them we dont yell at them but when they see us using our phone its diffrents. isnt it a free country arnt we stupposed to be free. and be able to do what we want like the rest of us.
 
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Noble6 said...
Jan. 8 at 6:56 pm:
My School also lets you have your phons on you but not out. But this rule should be loosend up.
 
love teacher replied...
Jan. 17 at 2:49 pm :
I am a high school teacher and I feel cell phones and other electronics should not be allowed in school. I feel these electronics can be dangerous if used in the wrong content.
 
Lazygirl2 replied...
Jan. 18 at 1:40 pm :
I believe electronics should be used in class because music calms me down.. and expectually when teachers are telling you something you already know or don't want to hear you can tune them out in my opinion.Also ipods have apps on them that can help you on work i googled it..haha.
 
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5baby95 said...
Dec. 2, 2011 at 2:15 pm:
I think schools should let the use of electronics in school but only in free peroids not in actual class. school is a place for learning, not just to goof around. I would love to listen to music and use my own phone everyonce in a wile but we all know that will not happen for a long time, maby even never.
 
Rangergirl replied...
Dec. 6, 2011 at 6:01 pm :
hiney i totally agree wit yu!  If you see the school i go to it would be horrible and make  you scream that is wu2t i wanna do.  HMMM Hiney
 
cookie 123 replied...
Jan. 11 at 9:52 am :
i like chees
 
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Aelita said...
Sept. 29, 2011 at 9:48 am:
Your essay is oretty goood, but it needed a really thorough proofreading.  There were some typos.  Also, the points were very redundant.  I agree with you on this issue, but I still had a hard time buying into it in the context of this peice, since you only kept saying one, maybe two points.  Try and think outside the box.
 
sexy replied...
Dec. 5, 2011 at 9:00 am :
i love facebook
 
CLJCO replied...
May 3 at 12:49 pm :
You spelt pretty wrong.
 
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JoPepperThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Jun. 11, 2011 at 3:20 pm:
I totally agree with you One time I had to tell my mom that I needed to stay after school and the school's phone wouldn't work for me.  So I secretly used my  cellphone.  :O
 
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walle said...
Apr. 18, 2011 at 8:55 am:

wow ur hot

 

 
treyhdujt replied...
Nov. 2, 2011 at 8:12 am :
hahahhahahahahah^^^^ 
XD
 
Nelie4show replied...
Jan. 11 at 1:24 pm :
XD LMFAO ^^^^
 
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rockyrules said...
Apr. 11, 2011 at 1:31 pm:
i agree with having electroincs in school!!
 
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coolkid765 said...
Apr. 6, 2011 at 4:03 pm:
at my school as long as your phone is not out it is okay to have but if you did have your phone and their was a real emergency i bet the teachers would be fine with you calling although i would like to be able to use my phone freely throughout the day their is the issue of cheating some phones have internet and you could text a freind for test answers
 
Madigirl12 replied...
Apr. 15, 2011 at 10:14 am :
i  think  that at my school we should be allowed to  listen to our ipods and cell  phones.
 
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emmm123 said...
Mar. 24, 2011 at 6:37 am:
This is a great paper, and i agrre 100%
 
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odalis13 said...
Mar. 23, 2011 at 7:18 pm:
I think it would be cool to have our cell phones out. I'm okay not using it in classes but at least they could let us use it in lunch. all were doing is eating.
 
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Lucy said...
Mar. 22, 2011 at 8:57 am:

omg i need to hear my music

 

 
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Ronnie S. said...
Mar. 15, 2011 at 10:20 am:

This is true but also just the harm of our cell phone and why teachers want us to put them away is because were not focesing on what there teaching us.

And so the teachers are only teaching us ofcoures.... but also im say that it would be a nice thing if we could have our cell phones out when the teachers are not talking and not have them say put your phone away or anything!!

 
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7890jojo said...
Mar. 15, 2011 at 10:09 am:
I like this article because its true why do they not let us have our ipods or cell phones during class.
 
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loms said...
Mar. 14, 2011 at 10:16 am:
good job
 
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Lizzy321 said...
Mar. 7, 2011 at 12:52 pm:
HIIIII(:  girlfriend, I totally agree with you. Great point!
 
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jaydog123 said...
Mar. 7, 2011 at 12:51 pm:
Girl I straight up agree with you. I am sick of trying to contact my family while hiding my cellular
 
Sha La La replied...
Mar. 7, 2011 at 12:54 pm :
jaydog 123 you are really cool. KOOL KAT!
 
Lucy replied...
Mar. 22, 2011 at 8:55 am :
I NEED PROFF
 
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gap725 said...
Feb. 23, 2011 at 5:00 pm:
OMG! You guys are sooo lucky that you can even carry a cell phone around! At my school, if they even see that there is a phone in our pocket, you automatically get a detention!  Not once have we been able to bring a phone, much less an iPod! Plus Im in 7th grade! -.-
 
English Teacher replied...
May 6 at 4:43 pm :
gap, you may not like it that you can't have a phone with you, but I notice that your spelling, grammar and punctuation are excellent, whereas the other posters have a LOT of errors. Maybe one reason you are a better writer is because you've been in a school system that understands that paying attention is class is important, and its very hard to resist the call of facebook or games when its on your phone at your fingertips.  :)
 
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RedheadAtHeartThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Feb. 21, 2011 at 2:03 pm:
I see where you're coming from, but unfortunately, not everyone is mature enough to handle being allowed to use electronics. I come from a town where a huge (and I mean huge) percentage of students are lazy and immature. Letting our school have free use of electronics would be chaotic. Until we can teach everyone to be mature and responsible (which is a long way off), free-range use of electronics in school is also a long way off.
 
Lizzie Rae replied...
Mar. 7, 2011 at 12:36 pm :
I understand how you feel about the immaturity with the electronics
 
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Jesusandwordsfanatic said...
Jan. 20, 2011 at 12:14 pm:
you give a very nice argument and I'm inmpressed with your academic accuracy in your paper. ;) this is a big controversial issue in today's society and i must give you props on your article....however i do have to say that rules are made for a reason. If one person took advantage of the allowance of these electronics to cheat or anything still worse, then others would feel led to do the same and eventually there would be a LOT of chaos and disorder amongst the student body. what you say is true ... (more »)
 
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MarissaLaGrange said...
Jan. 11, 2011 at 7:54 am:

Cell phones and i-pods should be allowed at certain times, I agree. We have a rule where we cannot use them at all.

And the problem is, most of the time people have cell-phones for emergencies. So what if a family member died and they tried to call you but couldn't reach you? What then? You go to come home from school and no one is home because you couldn't answer your phone and didn't know what was going on?

Thats the way I see it, and music is a great way to f... (more »)

 
MarissaLaGrange replied...
Jan. 11, 2011 at 7:55 am :

I see no problems*

 

Sorry for the typo. :3 And Sorry that it repeated my comment. v-v

 
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AspiringauhorThis teenager is a 'regular' and has contributed a lot of work, comments and/or forum posts, and has received many votes and high ratings over a long period of time. said...
Jan. 8, 2011 at 8:59 pm:
As I do not have a cell phone, I don't care really. All I know is, my school allows this (creative thinking). It can sometimes be distracting, although it is nice to have music while you're working... Just not during tests/quizzes. Be careful what you wish for.
 
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smartchick118 said...
Jan. 8, 2011 at 8:10 pm:
I agree with the cellphone/ i pod thing. my school doesnt really allow it but for a final project during school, were allowed to bring in our ipods. but why not on other days? some questions may never be answered...
 
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JustTaz said...
Dec. 27, 2010 at 7:04 pm:

While I do agree about phones for emergencies, iPods or mp3 players during test is inappropriate. What is it is built into a phone? ^The student could text or maybe even look online for answers. One of my teachers used to allow that but a lot of people abused it by recording their study guide and listening to it during the test.

Although in free periods or after you finish independent work/test and it is near the end of a class maybe it could be allowed unless you don't hear a bell or ... (more »)

 
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cmb302 said...
Dec. 17, 2010 at 11:12 am:
i agree with everyone else on the cellphone part. We should be able to bring them to school incase of an emergency and we are not able to reach the main office for help anything can happen at school or leaving off the campus so to be safe we need cell phones. Ipods should be allowed at school because listening to music during test help relax some students and at recess they can listen until class starts again
 
llamagirl replied...
Jan. 8, 2011 at 1:00 pm :
I agree with the phone thing, but not so much the ipod.  You can hear music out the headphones, and that would be distracting.  I think tests should be off limits, but they should be allowed when doing like a quiet worksheet, project or when writing an essay. 
 
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BubbiG said...
Dec. 13, 2010 at 9:11 am:
I agree with everyone however cell phones should be allowed for emergency purposes. Ipods should only be used for maybe a test or a specific class work because some work better with music and others don't. As long as the Ipod is not loud enough to distract someone else....then it shouldn't be a problem. As far as robbery and bullying....people should hide their things in a safe place, like your backpack you carry everyday at all times or your purse. It would be not smart if you left it out in th... (more »)
 
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Purple Starz said...
Dec. 6, 2010 at 5:26 pm:

sry I mean phones. : )

 

 
BubbiG replied...
Dec. 13, 2010 at 9:04 am :
This is true.....but for emergency purposes cell phones should be allowed...
 
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Purple Starz said...
Dec. 6, 2010 at 5:24 pm:
Although I woudnt mind having a Ipod in school, its nice to think of others. If the music is to loud or a phoine ringes in the middle of class it grabs everybodys attention, and distracts them from their work. It also opens oppertunities for robers and cyber bullying.
 
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hahahaha said...
Nov. 18, 2010 at 9:18 am:
I Have pudding in my toobsocks
 
Angel replied...
Dec. 16, 2010 at 9:32 am :
slowslow LOLZ
 
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Ariveria This work has been published in the Teen Ink monthly print magazine. said...
Nov. 3, 2010 at 8:03 pm:

I get what you mean about not having electronics, and I agree to an extent. My county actually allows electronics in the halls and during lunch, but not in class, and I honestly agree that it's for the best. The problem is that we should be responsible about using cell phones during class, but we're not going to be. There are too many students who would take advantage of it and just do whatever they want.

And a lot of teachers will let us use cell phones if we just ask them first and e... (more »)

 
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