Utilizing Cell Phones as a Learning Tool in the Classroom: Preventing Distractions while Increasing Student Engagement

Many arguments circle the debate on the role cell phones play in today’s digital age classroom. The common held belief that cell phones are distractions to a student’s learning and only serve to disrupt their learning and understanding is being shaken by the arising belief that cell phones can actually serve to compliment one’s learning. Survey and action research has found that cell phones do not diminish or take away from a student’s learning of material but rather increase student engagement in lessons as seen through fewer prompts to stay on task and decreased observations of off task behavior. When cell phones are utilized in the classroom in a positive manner, they serve to cultivate a set of skills within the students that will allow them to be successful contributors to their future marketplace.