Smartphones in the Classroom: Invaluable Tool or Dreadful Distraction?

The French Education Minister has announced that mobile phones are to be banned from French schools and a snap poll by TES has revealed that 72% of respondents believe that schools in the UK should follow suit. However, many UK teachers and parents recognise the benefit of using smartphones in the classroom as a teaching resource and believe that greater control is needed over mobile phone usage as opposed to a blanket ban.

Peter Twining, professor of the future of education at the Open University, told TES at the time, that rather than banning phones, schools should include them in lessons.

“Schools can’t afford all the [technological] kit they need. It seems bonkers not to take advantage of the fact that young people have this technology in their pockets that they could use for educational purposes,” he said.

While the issues of distraction and bullying are highly valid in the argument for banning smartphones in schools, every day millions of pounds worth of technology walks through the school gates. Should schools really ban it or should they make use of it? With school budgets stretched so thinly it makes sense to embrace and utilise mobile technology, particularly when students today will go into a world where such technology is prevalent. If students are taught how to use such technology properly then they are being given the tools to enter such a world. Building apps, understanding the benefit and misuse of technology in the modern world e.g. how to distinguish real news from fake news etc. and being able to access knowledge, music, art, writing and so much more are very real benefits that students can put to good use.

There is a plethora of excellent educational apps and tools available for use on smartphones that many teachers choose to access and use within the classroom. Fusion VLE is just one example that can be accessed on a smartphone or any internet connected device. Students are able to capture video and audio and save it directly into their file areas or a piece of work they are creating. They can take quizzes, work through task lists set by their teachers, view, complete and submit assignments and so much more. Teachers are able to view students’ progress from their own platform and can manage the resources, assignments, homework and more that they wish their classes to access. Fusion VLE is a powerful platform for use in the classroom and beyond.

For more information of Fusion VLE visit www.mylearningltd.com