3 minute read
IS NO PHONE A GOOD THING?
Staff Writer Alyssa Greco
The use of technology for non-educational purposes, mainly cell phones, has always been frowned upon at Westminster. With the start of the 2022-2023 school year, scholars have been presented with a new phone policy “See it, hear it, take it.” Not only does this rule apply to phone usage, but AirPods and smart-watches as well. Complaints over this rule become more of an issue among students who wish to use their AirPods or Iphones during study halls or free time.
The bitterness from the student body is understandable, it is always necessary to see both sides of the situation. What is the benefi t of limited technology use? Will this help evolve Westminster as a community? Looking at the bigger picture, screen time is an issue for adolescents and adults.
“During school, the two main concerns are a distraction in the classroom, the way that phones interfere with face-to-face conversation, for example, during lunch,” according to a recent article in the Washington Post.
Westminster wants to emphasize the sense of community and friendship. In the younger generation, building relationships with technology is a more signifi cant struggle than ever. Phones are a fantastic way to build connections with individuals worldwide, but how does this benefi t social skills regarding face-toface interaction? With the absence of phones from 7:55 am to 3 pm, interaction like this is vital to getting students through the 8-hour day. Socializing, unplugging, and much more are promoted through this policy.
Though the benefi ts of Westminster’s new technology policy are apparent, every situation has a downside. The adverse effects of cutting off technology need to be looked at too. What is a reason a student could need their phone? How is this policy unfair to upper-level students? Most of our rising seniors have been part of this community since they were in seventh grade and understand what the staff expects. When scholars walk through the grand entry, it is expected to give undivided attention to teachers and respect. The senior class of Westminster, now seventeen and eighteen years old, should be mature enough to understand when the use of phones and headphones is appropriate or not. Upperclassmen have worked hard to get where they are now, and should be treated like adults who know how to use their mobile devices correctly.
“Cell phones can give students access to more information, letting them research more about a topic while having class discussions. This is especially true for current events that have not yet been covered in school textbooks” according to a recent article in Oxford Learning.
Cell phones open a whole new world for the user, and hold information that is waiting to be discovered. Westminster gives students a tool that allows students to complete these tasks off a cellphone, but does it really allow them to do so? Westminster gives out iPads that in retrospect gives scholars a solution, but blocking educational articles and videos limits the research process greatly.
Fighting for the usage of phones during a school day seems like a very teenage thing to do, but phones can be used to benefi t a classroom too. Westminster issues iPads to all students here, but the iPads are controlled by the staff here. Multiple websites are blocked, making projects more complex, and the wifi of teachers’ lesson plans is often blocked. Studnet recall numerous occurrences where they needed to watch a video for a class or search an image for a project, but neither of these were available due to the content fi lters.
Teachers and students become frustrated in events like these. There is a solution to the issue, but it’s not noticed due to the negative stigma surrounding smartphones at school. Looking past the frustration of the new cell phone policy at Westminster, the benefi ts are apparent. However, it is still important to understand how smartphones have infl uenced this generation and how this controversy should be approached.
Image by: Elijah Schmidt
