The Case for Making Classrooms Phone-Free

This article shows a teacher perspective on using phones in the classroom, highlighting its pros and cons.

Ever since technology has been integrated into the classroom there has been a debate over its pros, cons, and its overall benefit to learning. High school English teacher Tyler Rablin describes his journey from advocating phone use in the classroom to removing them.

During the first years of phone use in his classes, students showcased a sense of control and only used it for academic purposes. However, more recently, he noticed increasing misuse, such as internet surfing and games. In his words, “when we allow students to pick up their phones, even when we’re using them for learning activities, it’s too much temptation.”

Asking students to limit their phone use is asking them to break an ingrained habit. It takes a lot of willpower, which is especially hard for students when school gets boring. For these reasons, Mr. Rablin’s students will be turning their phones in before class, so that he can teach and reach his students more effectively.