Exploring the Effects of Cell Phone Use in College Classrooms

This report examines the impact of cell phone usage in college classrooms. It begins by highlighting the irony of cell phones as tools for both connection and distraction, referencing Marcia Gay Harden's quote about disconnection in the digital age. The report discusses the dual nature of cell phones, which can facilitate information gathering and networking but also detract from focused learning. It explores the complexities of cell phone use in educational settings, considering their potential benefits such as access to information and their drawbacks, including potential distractions. The report references research on the topic, including studies on cell phone use during class and its relation to grades. The report emphasizes the need to understand the effects of mobile devices in the classroom to optimize the learning environment. References include Bjornsen & Archer (2015) and Pettijohn et al. (2015).

Running head: QUESTIONABLE USE OF CELLPHONES IN COLLEGE CLASSROOMS
QUESTIONABLE USE OF CELLPHONES IN COLLEGE CLASSROOMS
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1QUESTIONABLE USE OF CELLPHONES IN COLLEGE CLASSROOMS
Introduction:
“We can be incredibly disconnected in this day and age with computers and cell
phones” quoted by Marcia Gay Harden. This statement presents an irony considering the
features of a cell phone. The requirement for a cell phone has only increased by its creation.
Cell phones have become a media inclusive of the function, which enables information
gathering and networking through communication, rather than just being a tool for
communication (Bjornsen & Archer, 2015). The use of cell phones in the classrooms contend
with the importance in focused learning, gathering of information, networking and seeking
entertainment, which form a dilemma for the university instructors (Pettijohn et al., 2015).
The use of cell phones in college classrooms reflects an impact on their process of learning
and interpretation for which allowing cell phones becomes questionable. Cell phones used
during classroom hours can provide technological assistance, help in gathering information
on recent news and trends or be a source of distraction in the process of focussed learning.

2QUESTIONABLE USE OF CELLPHONES IN COLLEGE CLASSROOMS
References:
Bjornsen, C. A., & Archer, K. J. (2015). Relations between college students’ cell phone use
during class and grades. Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in Psychology, 1(4),
326.
Pettijohn, T. F., Frazier, E., Rieser, E., Vaughn, N., & Hupp-Wilds, B. (2015). Classroom
texting in college students. College Student Journal, 49(4), 513-516.