Cell Phones Should and Shouldn't be Banned in the Classroom

I really want to want cell phones in class. Let me explain. I'm a huge supporter of technology. Going to school at Concordia has been a complete revelation in the amount of tech that's available in school now. I also did some observation at Grant High School where I saw that many of the classes had video projectors, laptops and other tech. But when it comes to using cell phones as a mandatory curriculum aids, I draw the line. So I agree with both sides. To a point

See, the thing is, I when it comes to tech, much of the existing technology is compatible with each other. As evidenced in the technology class, there are tons of open-source programs that are exactly the same on a PC platform as on the mac. Open Office, The GIMP, Audacity, and many others suffer from no loss of features or a different interface when you make the transition from one platform to to the other.

However, on a cell phone, the amount of differences between one cell phone maker and another are legion. An app that works on an iPhone will not work on a Palm-based cell phone or a blackberry. These are incompatible systems. My personal cell phone does a lot of cool stuff, but what about the student who has a super-basic cell phone. Will they be getting the same opportunities for education as other students? I suspect not. Also there is the problem with fee for service demands on cell phones. Texting isn't free. Getting apps isn't necessarily free. Most services on the cell phone cost something. Shall we subsidize that?

In fact, I have to agree with the author of the "pro" article when he says, "If they have a Blackberry… OK, I’ll just stop there, because the discussion on why a parent bought their child a Blackberry is so ridiculous my head may explode." Why are children being given a device that is meant for a business professional for personal use?

Now don't get me wrong, I have little trouble with laptops in the classroom. They are a tool that can be used for anything and are now almost critical. I could see how cell phones could be used as a supplement, but not as a critical tool. A question that I took away from the article is, "How would a student that doesn't have a cell phone get along in the classroom?" The answer is to beg, borrow or steal. Let's hope that the school has equipment to borrow because I'm not too excited about the first and third option.