Hello Steemians and educators, I hope this finds you well! Today I would like to discuss the impact that Smartphones have on children when they are used in classrooms.
Nowadays, students are very familiar with mobile phones or smartphones. They use these devices for communication, internet, games, listening to music and to view pictures or watch videos. The students resort to using their mobiles in their activities because this communication tool makesit easier, more practical, and faster for them to access information. The use of mobile phones/smartphones however has both positive and negative impacts when they are used in class.
Good Impacts of Using Smartphone In The Class
I am a lecturer at a university in the Lhokseumawe City, Aceh Province. One of the courses I administer is basic English and an introduction into management. Most of my students are very familiar with the modernization and technological advancement in the smartphones they use. Every day, students bring their smartphones into the classroom, a practice which I allow.
The courses that I run, especially basic English, requires my students to search for various sources from outside. Usually they search for new words and definitions using the dictionary they bought from the store or the manual dictionary. However, the use of ordinary dictionaries is not very effective because they have to open a sheet or a page and this takes up a lot of time. Therefore, I allow them to use smartphones as learning aids since they can install dictionaries, some of which are designed specifically for certain topics, like economics.
In addition, the need for information can also be met by using smartphones because they can access all the information they need easily, cheaply and efficiently. The use of smartphones will also have a positive impact on their ability in operating technological tools and make them more open and awareof the development of technology so that when they graduate from their studies, they will be smart people and ready to be professional workers
Negative Impacts of Using Smartphones in the Classroom
Of course, I cannot deny the fact that the use of cell phones in the classroom also has negative effects, like:
- Students become unfocused on the subject at hand, or what is being explained by the teacher.
- The sound of ringtones can reduce the concentration of the class as a whole.
- Short messages and incoming calls disrupt the teaching and learning process.
- Students are frequently busy watching or listening to music while teachers are teaching.
- Mobiles can be a tool used to cheat in tests.
Some of the negative impacts mentioned above can be reduced by agreeing to a learning contract with students at the beginning of the semester.
This agreement can state that they are only allowed to access or use mobile phones while doing tasks, not while receiving lectures. In addition, the structure of the classroom can also be very helpful in controlling the students’ cell phone usage, for example, the seat position structured in the form of a "U" will greatly facilitate the teacher in controlling the activities of students.
Conclusion
Technological advances can never be damned because they are a process of the development of human life. One of the impacts of the advancement is the emergence of handphones/smartphones that is already used by school children and has become daily necessities. Every progress must have a positive and negative impact and we must be able to adapt in such a way that there is more positive than negative outcomes, especially in education.
