The financial benefits of using a Phone in Class

In today's world, when you look around, you will most likely find someone using an electronic device. From the restaurants to schools and even churches you will almost definitely spot a person ducking down and looking at their rectangle piece of plastic or glass.  Since the release of the iPhone in 2007, the world has changed drastically. Before the release of the iPhone, people had other things besides a smartphone to occupy their lives. Nowadays, people fill the pauses of their lives with a smartphone. Obviously, many things have pros and cons and smartphones are no exception to this rule. A positive use for a  smartphones  and one of the most important benefits of a smartphone is the financial benefit in a classroom.

Above: People filling their pauses in life with a smartphone. Source: www.theeast.org

Just several years ago, when I was still in middle school, phones were condemned from school. Students were not allowed to use any sort of electronic devices in the hallways or classroom. This included any time during school hours, even during breaks or lunch. If caught, a teacher may confiscate the device and require a parent to pick up the device at a later time. I have always believed that this rule was counter intuitive because if smartphones are used responsibly, they can be put to great educational use. Fortunately, the tide has shifted and schools now somewhat encourage the use of smartphones in the classrooms. In fact, it would rather be extremely inconvenient if a student did not own a smartphone. According to pewinternet.org in 2015, 88% of American teens between the age of 13 and 17 have a mobile device while 73% have a smartphone. If a smartphone is brought to school as an educational device, and the school acknowledges this, tons of money towards buying additional technology can be saved.

The number of times my teachers have asked me to take out my phone for class activities have increased exponentially each year. From Kahoot! to Quizlet Live to completing a school survey, I have used my device that my family paid for entirely. In wealthy school districts, bringing a personal device should be no problem for most students, however, in more impoverished school districts, bringing a personal device to school could be more problematic than helpful. Currently, school districts of less wealthy regions receive more state funding than a school district in a more wealthy region. I'm not promoting the raise or decline of funding towards any schools whatsoever. However, funding more technology  for students without the ability to purchase their own technology should be made a priority. In wealthy school districts, administrators should consider allocating more money for extra curriculars, or wherever the student body desires. 

Overall, smartphones can bring a financial benefit to any school district. Instead of rejecting them, administrators should embrace them and use them as a beneficial resource with the mindset that the school district just saved money on buying excessive resources.