Student Impressions of Academic Cell Phone Use in Classroom Article Review

Tessier, J. (2013). Student impressions of academic cell phone use in the classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 43(1), 25-29.

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Introduction

In the article, Student Impressions of Academic Cell Phones in the Classroom by Jack Tessier, the point of whether cell phones are a distraction in the classroom is brought up. It is evident that mobile phones are gaining popularity, especially among the young people. Many of them use cell phones to keep in touch with friends and family. Tessier, therefore, states that it is about time that teachers also accept cell phones as an education tool for gaining information. Cell phones can become a useful tool in learning if students are taught on how to use them to seek knowledge. People and cell phones are becoming inseparable. Tessier thinks that learning institutions should grasp this opportunity to engage students in educating them and facilitating active participation in class. It is true that cell phones were invented to facilitate communication. However, they have proven useful in other circumstances, and learning is not an exception thus teachers should embrace the usage of cell phones in education.

Students Looking up Information on Phones for Classroom

The author talks of how science teachers are encouraged to ensure active participation of students in class. He agrees that it can be done through debates, discussions and inquiry-based labs. To facilitate these discussions, it is important to have adequate data to support one's point of view. Therefore, Tessier sees the usage of cell phones to access information as a valuable tool that other instructors should also embrace. Tessier states that cell phones could be useful if only students are guided on how they can use them to study instead of chatting on social networks. He says that by allowing students to use cellphones in class, then people would be embracing the advancement of technology. He talks of the availability of wireless connections which allow for internet access which should be identified as a resource to exploit. The points he brings out are relevant since more students are using cell phones to carry out every other activity. Learning should not be left out but incorporated into this way of socializing. Tessier thinks that cell phones are a distraction in class because students have not been encouraged to use them as a study resource.

When Did Smartphones Become a Problem in the Classroom?

To identify the problem of using phones in the classroom, Tessie set up an experiment where students would meet three times a week for 50 minutes. During the lessons, the students would be grouped in groups of four to six and given topics to discuss. The students were encouraged to use cell phones to gather information then discuss. They would also conduct a general class discussion with their teacher. Tessier states that he monitored the class during the discussion to see how the students were cooperating and only a few would be distracted. He also offered guidance on the data they had obtained. At the end of the semester, Tessier gave students questionnaires to fill. They expressed their opinion of the usefulness of the cell phone during their lessons. The students revealed that they found their cell phones useful and would rarely get distracted. He also learned that the usage of mobile phones encouraged students to attend class. However, Tessier did not consider the scenario where he would leave the students on their own without supervision to see whether they would concentrate or get distracted.

Advantages of Mobile Phones in the Classroom

Tessier states that the study revealed that students found the usage of cell phones in classrooms for academic purposes as favorable. He explains that if students are given a chance to use their mobile phones to access information in class, they would find it beneficial and even enjoy the lesson. He further explains that the usage of cell phones was also advantageous to those students who do not use cell phones regularly. Most teachers are concerned by distraction caused by cell phones in class. However, Tessier found out that the students did not feel the same way as long as they used their cell phones to facilitate their studies. Tessier's point is reasonable since he states that mobile phones in science classes can be used to acquire data which encourages critical thinking and decision making based on facts. So, should teachers allow cell phones in the classroom? Allowing students to access data on the internet exposes students to real world problems which prepare them to solve these problems. It also gives students the chance to set a hypothesis and carry out study to determine whether their predictions were correct. Tessier states that advancement of technology has made electronic data available to everyone and encouraging students to access it during learning prepares them for the future. In his conclusion, the author talks of the positive perception the students had towards usage of cell phones in class. Tessier claims are reasonable and not based on opinion but facts as he carried out an experiment to prove his point.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Tessier made good points about cell phone usage in the classroom. However, he did not talk about the adverse effects of cell phone usage. He also carried out the experiment with 35 students who are easy to manage but did not consider larger classes. Tessier's lesson only took 50 minutes, which is easy for students to concentrate on. The results cannot be extended to long lessons which take up to three hours. Despite these, the author made important observations which teachers should consider in the delivery of lessons.

Reference

Tessier, J. (2013). Student impressions of academic cell phone use in the classroom. Journal of College Science Teaching, 43(1), 25-29.