In a world of ever-evolving technology, one thing remains a constant, school. The issue is, how to reconcile the advancements in technology with the stagnation seen in the classroom. This issue has come up time and time again with schools, particularly high schools, trying to figure out ways to combat student phone use during lectures. There seem to be two feasible options to solve this dilemma, ban phones from the school environment entirely, or try to integrate them and other devices into the very lectures students continue to be distracted from.

In regards to the first solution, this has obviously been tried over and over again, to no avail. Students always seem to be able to find a way around the school’s phone blockades, however strict they might be. This solution additionally has shown negative impacts in the classroom as students tend to use their phones more often. It is almost as if many students relish the opportunity to defy the odds and administration, and thus it makes phone use in class more enticing, almost as a way to show off to their peers.

This development has impacted students, teachers, and overall classrooms severely as students become less engaged and teachers assume that students don’t have their phones according to school policy. To remedy this issue, another solution has been proposed which includes integrating technology with the very lectures that students use technology to ignore. High schools across the country have begun implementing this idea across the nation, including our very own.

The integration of technology in the form of things such as online games into lessons has greatly boosted student interaction in the classroom as the students relish in the opportunity to compete against their peers using the very material they were just taught. While the technology integration does have some natural drawbacks, such as students misusing it for other games or uses, overall it has benefited the classroom for the better as schools try to become adjusted to the modern world.