Your+School+Is+Calling

Ladies, the only issue I have is with your incredibly long, drawn-out, thesis statement. Make it concise. It's a simple statement of your argument. Eliminate the "because" and stick to your basic premise. The rest of your essay is for discussing the "because" of the issue. After that, you are good to go! :)

Name:Kayli Jones and Erin Nawalaniec

Outline:
I. Introduction: (include general ideas that will introduce your topic)
 * Pagers and cell phones should allowed in school because half of these students all ready use them and it is their loss if they get distracted by them.
 * Cell phones can used for educational reasons, experiments, safety, money, and easy to find.

II. Body Paragraph #1 - Cell phones will allow students will be more attentive in school if they get to participate in the lessons. (Education/Experiment)
 * Access schools digital resources (Harris)
 * Interactive learning (Johnson and William)
 * Can be used anytime (Schachter)
 * educational phone games(Hagevik and Roberson)
 * Students distracted (Johnson and William)
 * Social Ranking (Hagevik and Roberson)
 * Students recognize phone distraction in class (Bosak)
 * Parents are concerned about school work (Johnson and William)
 * Cheating (Bosak)

III. Body Paragraph #2 - In times of crisis family members should be able to reach each other.(safety)
 * columbine and 9/11 (Johnson and William)
 * parents want to contact their kids(Johnson and William)
 * Parents worry about their kids safety in the school ("Call for cell phone ban at school rings hollow.")
 * Teachers are concerned of problems ("Call for cell phone ban at school rings hollow.")
 * Innapropraite uses (Johnson and Williams)
 * Parental control (Johnson and Williams)

IV. Body Paragraph #3 - America's economy is not in the best shape, therefore a cell phone would be a cheaper option than say a computer. (money and availability)
 * many pre-teens/teens have cell phones(Hagevik and Roberson)
 * Easier to have on lower budgets (Harris)
 * Affordable and reliable (Schachter)
 * Bridge digital divide between cultures (Harris)
 * Schools struggling to maintain a budget (Harris)
 * Computers costly, now cell phones (Schachter)

V. Conclusion - Don't write anything here yet.

Cell Phones are becoming more popular across the world. Schools are opening up to their resources. Others have addresssed bands againist cell phones, but they are not enforced. Their educational capabilities have attrackted some schools but leave others second guessing the distractions caused by cell phones. Parents are starting to get involved in the problem too. They debate whether cell phones should be allowed in class rooms for safety issues for when school phones are not available for easy access to help. Most students have access to a cell phone, so schools would have to spend less money. Schools won't have to buy computers that no one uses. Pagers and cell phones should allowed in school; half of these students all ready use them and it is their loss if they get distracted by them.

Cell phones will allow students to be more attentive in school if they get to participate in the lessons. "Gon and Hooper (2007) described a pilot study in which a large university used cell phones as interaction and feedback devices for a lecture."(Johnson and William) Students like using their cell phones because it makes it more personal. By using cell phones students pay more attention because it is interactive. Feedback helps the teacher understand where the students are in the lesson. "It's all about our responsibility to stay focused on what is important at hand."(Bosak) As long as students stay focused they can do the work given to them. The amount of effort put into school is shown by the students grades. Paying attention is key to learning the concept. Cell phones make learning easier because it is interactive and the concept is understanded more. "....designed for mobile phones, was integrated into the social studies curriculum forgrades nine and ten. This integration resulted in more student participation....."(Hagevik and Roberson) People created games to help children learn social sudies information. Phones are helping children become more confident in the classroom. It encourages learning can also be fun.

In times of crisis family members should be able to reach each other. "But many schools feel the ministry's prescription will do little to cure their afflictions."("Call for cell phone ban at school rings hollow") The strict rules anger the kids and even the parents because their parents worry about their safety. Kids have been outraged from the begining of the cell phones at school controversy, but now the bans are getting to the parents. Most schools revolve around the safety of the students. parents voice their concerns because of the fear of the school's phones not being available for easy acces in times of danger. "The events of Columbine and 9/11 are what changed the policies in some states and communities or created serious discussion about changing them."(Johnson and William) Banning cell phone usage in past years can be a problem in times of crisis. Schools have taken in different safety problems to help in the controversy of allowing cell phones at schools for safety reasons. Allowing cell phones at schools would be useful in dangerous cituations when school phones are not reachable. ".....95% of Americans prefer to be in control of their children's cellphone use instead of having schools set the rules on cell phone behavior." (Johnson and William) Parents should be in control of their own kids. Schools shouldn't worry about trying to parent their students because thats not their job. Parents should be able to reach their kids when needed and the school shouldn't restrict that.

America's economy is not in the best shape, therefore a cell phone would be a cheaper option than say a computer and they are more available. "In most cases, those devices are more powerful than the aged desktops and notebook."(Harris) Now days the faster a cell phone is the better. Speed will be an inconsequential problem therefore, teachers will be able to focus on the students. The schools will not have worry about replacing those dinosaurs because cell phones have contracts and most sudents will buy new ones if necessary. Cell Phones avaliable in many places and have become part of the American lifesyle. "Seventy-eight percent think it is reasonable to give a child a cell phone at the age of 14 or younger."(Johnson and William) Many adults think the idea of a child owning a cell phone is acceptable. With that in mind, most students have cell phones which would save money for the schools. Money will not have spent on electronics for the students, instead money can go towards something else educational. ".....in favor of more mobile, affordable and reliable handheld devices--from "smartphones," which can run operating systems such as Windows Mobile and a host of software..."(Schachter) Cell phones can be accessable anywhere and can access a lot of resources. Schools want to find less costly resources that are still reliable and cell phones give them that option. If software can be accessible through students phones anywhere; schools should take advantage of that resource.

Tecnology is always expanding. With great minds like Steve Jobbs revolutionary ideas make the impossible, possible. First televison, next computers, and then cell phones, what is next is yet to come. The possiblities are endless. When the newest electronic does arrive, people including children will recive this and someone will bring it to school. When it is brought to school, new excusses will be brought along with it for why it is a distraction to students to learn. "One thing seems clear; cell phones are not going away soon, and when they do, it will be because they have been replaced by some new technology with its own benefits and drawbacks."(Johnson and Williams)