Greetings!
In my fourth year in school, we had a high-profile lecturer who, according to his profile and what he shared with us, had studied abroad. This lecturer made things remarkably easy for us by setting the simplest exam questions and even telling us beforehand the topics he would include in the exams. According to him, schooling is not meant to overburden the brain but rather to facilitate learning and ensure the brain grasps knowledge effectively. In some of the open tests we took, he allowed us to use textbooks, notes, and even our phones to source answers. According to him, the smartest person who could find or present the most accurate answers deserved to score high marks.
No lies—on those days, the exam hall was rowdy because there were so many of us running up and down, searching for answers.
Many times, I have reflected on this approach to schooling, where students are allowed to use technology, including phones, for both learning and exams. In this era of rapid technological advancement, it is essential to align everyone with the current global system. Personally, I fully support the idea of allowing students to use phones in schools, as it will help them adapt to technology faster and enhance their learning processes. Let me elaborate on these two points below:
Catching Up with Technology:
Do you know that many individuals who passed through the era when phones were restricted in schools struggle with using phones properly today? I have a neighbor, a youth, who still finds it difficult to navigate his phone, and I often wonder how he would cope if he were to take an exam or attend training that required the use of a phone. I remember during my early school days, phones weren’t that common, and we were strictly forbidden from using them in school. If not for the fact that some of us found ways to bypass the restrictions, we might have been technologically "dull" today.
This issue is similar to the lack of access to computers in schools during that time, which left many of us clueless about operating a computer system. For me, it was a struggle to break through this barrier.
Allowing students to use phones will enable them to catch up with technological trends, especially in this era where apps and AI can accomplish almost anything.
Enhancing the Learning Process:
School is meant to be a place for learning, and things should be made easier for students. Allowing the use of phones is a practical approach to achieving this, even during exams.
In the course I studied in school, many of the exams we took required us to design structural codes. There was no way our brains could memorize all those codes! So, we were allowed to take our books containing the codes into the exam hall.
Similarly, those of us who studied mathematics in secondary school remember using the "Four Figure Table" to calculate logarithms and other mathematical operations. These examples illustrate how integrating phones into the educational system makes sense. The curriculum should evolve to include practical, technology-driven exams, where students' performance is based on their ability to solve problems using both their brains and technology.
However, allowing students to use phones in the school system might come with challenges, especially given how advanced and versatile modern phones are, but it's advantage if well handled is far better.
Thanks for reading.
This is my entry to the Week 149, Edition 03 of the Weekly Featured contest in Hive Learners Community