Tech Takeover

Phone Usage Increased in Iowa City Classrooms

Tech Takeover

Every year, millions of customers wait anxiously in line for hours to spend over $600 on a hunk of aluminum. What skinny bar of metal is worth waiting a year to pay over half a grand for? The newest iPhone.

iPhones, and smartphones in general, have become a necessity in the lives of many people. The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project’s study on cell phone ownership shows that 64 percent of Americans own a smartphone, and West students are no exception.

“My iPhone is my life,” said Taylor Shelfo ‘18. “I take this thing literally everywhere.”

A recent poll by the Leading Education by Advancing Digital Commission states that 96 percent of teachers and 92 percent of parents believe that school integration of technology is necessary in American student education today. Below are more statistics that support this. 

Iowa City schools seem to be following this trend. Between the recent implementation of Google Classroom and the usage of Powerschool for student grades, the Iowa City Community School District is moving towards technology advances as well. Teachers are now required to be present online in some form, making Google Classroom a large part of student lives.

Because of this, Shelfo believes that having a smartphone makes school work more convenient. “Having an iPhone isn’t just for apps and stuff anymore,” she said. “It’s more of a school thing now, with Google Classroom and everything. I think it’s just going to make your life easier.”

Spanish teacher David McNair believes that smartphones have a place in the classroom, though he does have doubts about what students are really using their phones for.

“It’s like a catch 22,” he said. “I think that they have a place in the classroom, but we have to be very careful because kids can abuse it. I wouldn’t have a problem with phones out all the time if you only used them for what we’re doing in class.”

McNair also said that students can’t bear to separate from their phones due to their dependency on them. “You guys are on cruise control, walking through the halls, and I think that for your generation especially, it’s so automatic. It’s like an extension of your body because you use it so much.”

However, he does agree that technology plays a big role in the modern world. “Whether I like it or not, I feel like if kids don’t know how to use this technology, then they’re going to be behind.”

Although 78 percent of American teens have a phone, with 49 percent owning a smartphone, not all students believe that smartphones are necessary. Austen Mattingly ‘19, does not have a smartphone, nor does he have the desire to get one.

“My parents haven’t gotten me one. If my parents got me one, I’d use it, but if I had the money right now, I wouldn’t go buy it,” he said.

Mattingly also does not believe that a smartphone is needed to survive. “Some kids think it’s necessary, but I don’t really use my phone a lot for my hobbies and stuff. I don’t depend on technology like 90% of our grade,” commented Mattingly. “If you want [a smartphone], you can get one. But I don’t really need it.”