The document discusses the history and development of cellphones from their origin in 1920 through their commercial availability in 1984. It then discusses arguments for and against allowing cellphone use in schools. Some of the reasons discussed include cellphones enabling faster information retrieval, their potential use in emergencies or dangerous situations, and differing opinions on whether they distract from or enhance learning. Location is also a factor, as some schools in rougher areas argue cellphones improve safety getting to and from school.
2. THE HISTORY OF CELLPHONES
Cellphones were originally created in 1920 but the idea was developed in
1947. The first original cellphone was the mobile car phone. Later in
1973, the first mobile phone was created by Martin Cooper. By 1984, the
first cellphone was large and became open to the public to purchase.
During this time the cellphone became one of the most expensive
electronics.
Mobile car
phone
The very first cellphone Martin Cooper,
inventor of the
cellphone
3. FASTER INFORMATION RETRIEVAL
• 88 percent of Americans owns a cellphone
• As of April 2012, 55 percent of America’s population uses cellphones to
go online while the remaining 45 percent uses laptops and computers
• Of the 55 percent, 32 percent of them are either a high school or college
student
• Thanks to the development of technology in the past two years, 4G is
now faster than Wifi
• Vicki Davis , a high school English teacher, stated, “Having cellphones
in class makes information retrieval much faster. It’s easier for students
to use their cellphones because it doesn’t take long for them to power
on and they don’t have pop ups’’ (Davis 1)
4. CELLPHONE OR A LAPTOP
• Which do you prefer to use?
• How do you retrieve you retrieve your information?
Cellphones or Laptops? You choose.
5. RESPONSIBILITY
• Allowing students to have cellphones to have teaches the child
responsibility.
• Distinguishing between a want and a need is what a student will learn
from this situation.
• Which is a smarter decision, on the phone while in class or having your
phone in class but continuing to pay attention to your teacher?
Well we know he’s in trouble
6. SCHOOL ISN’T SAFE ANYMORE
• Once upon a time parents thought the only thing they had to worry
about when sending their children off to school was making sure they
were receiving a good education, they now have to worry about safety
of the child.
• There have been a total of 17 school shootings in America. Some of
them are….
• Sandy Hook Massacre (December 14, 2012)
• Columbine High School Massacre (April 20, 1999)
• Virginia Tech Massacre (April 16, 2007)
7. IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY
• Cellphones could help save a life in case something bad were to happen
at school.
• Most people don’t know that during the Columbine shooting, a student
called 911 using a cellphone.
• Sometimes even texting is used as a way of getting help.
8. LOCATION CAN BE A FACTOR
• Students attending a rough school in a bad neighborhood in the Bronx,
New York, are not allowed to have cellphones in school.
• Francine Prose, an author who took the liberty of going to this school,
said, “Their phones are not merely a way of getting in touch with
friends, but a necessity for their safety. A lot of them have long and late
commutes through dangerous neighborhoods and need to be able to
reach their parents and to get help in case of emergencies” (Prose 1).
• Angelic McGhee,46, parent of high school sophomore Robert McGhee,
said, “Cellphones should be allowed in school because there are so
many students now who have some kind of criminal record, and could
be capable of doing anything while at school, causing some of the
students who are more disciplined, to feel uncomfortable” (McGhee).
• On the other hand, Nicole Summers, mother of Justin Summers, who by
the way sends her child to on of the best schools in Indianapolis, said,
“Cellphones shouldn’t be allowed in school because it causes the child
to loose focus” (Summers).
• Nicole’s husband, Mathew Summers, said. “Students shouldn’t have
cellphones in school because it draws their attention away from lesson
being taught in the classroom” (Summers).
9. A GUNMAN ON BALL STATE CAMPUS
• Recently on Ball State Campus, someone reported a gunman on
campus. Within a quickness, students and faculty were alerted by email
or via text.
• I interviewed Steven Williams, freshman at Ball State, and he stated, “If
it weren’t for that text message I don’t know what could have happened
to me if I would have left class while the gunman was still on campus”
(Williams).
• I also asked 10 random people on how they were notified by the
gunman. Sixty percent of them said they were alerted by a text message
while the remaining forty percent of them received the alert by email. Of
the 10 people, 6 of them were students, 4 of them were professors, and
every last one of them was in class when they were alerted.
• See, even teachers use their cellphones while in the classroom.
10. WORKS CITED PAGE
Davis, Vicki. "The Innovative Educator: 10 Reasons Cell Phones Should Be
Allowed In
Schools." Web log post. The Innovative Educator: 10 Reasons Cell Phones
Should Be Allowed In Schools. Vicki Davis, 24 Aug. 2010. Web. 19 Feb.
2013.
James, Bernard. “Legal Update: Safe Schools, Cellphones, and the Fourth
Amendment,”
Pepperdine Journal. 2009. 1-6. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.
Mathew, Reagan. Personal interview. 27 Mar. 2013.
McGhee, Angelic. Personal interview. 29 Mar. 2013.
Pose, Francine. "The New York Review of Books." Review. Web log post. Why
Are Poor Kids
Paying for School Security? Francine Prose. NYREV Inc., 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 21
Feb. 2013.
Summers, Nicole. Personal interview. 27 Mar. 2013.
Summers, Mathew. Personal interview. 27 Mar. 2013.
Williams, Steven. Personal interview. 26 Mar. 2013.
