" College Students' Cell Phone Use, Beliefs, and Effects On Their Learning" by Elder, Anastasia D.

         


      
     Anastasia Elder’s article, COLLEGE STUDENTS' CELL PHONE USE, BELIEFS, AND EFFECTS ON THEIR LEARNING (2013), entails that cell phone usage in educational environments has an adverse effect on academic learning. Elders support this claim by providing surveys and case studies that presents the effects cell phones have on students learning and achievements in college. Elder’s purpose is to highlight college student’s personal perspective on cell phones usage in academic environments in order to jolt the awareness of the reader into considering how their own personal use of cell phones may obstruct academic learning for others and themselves. Elder makes references to college students who condone the abuse of cell phone during class periods and to the administration who prefers to enforce polices on cell phone use instead of abolish cell phone use.

        When reading Elder’s case study she ran through several ideas that pin points cell phones being detrimental to the school environment in a classroom, outside of the classroom like driving and walking around. I agree but also don’t because it depends on the situation. If you’re in class and you need research or to Google something, I’d like to have that handy. If your professor is talking then I would say put your phone away.However, I believe it really depends on the situation. I always have a phone in my purse, but not always have it out. Especially since I have family and a job I feel that having a phone is a necessity for me. Also, if you drive and you get in an accident or an emergency happens you need to have a phone available to get help. I am not saying to text and drive and to always have your phone in class, but to have one available to you somewhere near yourself in case of emergencies.

        Elder's case study is all about student cell phone use, beliefs, and how it effects learning.  Studies are showing the different outcomes from students who use their cell phones and students that don't use their cell phones in an educational environment.  Elder's statistics reported mixed results on the beliefs of cell phones, the results showed that most of the students were neutral in their beliefs that cell phones can be a distraction on their work.  Even though it can be a distraction it helps to become better at multi-tasking.  So there are good and bad outcomes on cell phone use, it can come handy in an emergency or it can be over used and that will cause distractions.  Overall Elder's case study can either have a bad effect or no effect at all on a student.