AlMaia 1

Fahad Almaia
English 113 B
Professor Lawson
February 20th, 2016
Project Web Final Draft
Word Count: 1217
The Power of the Smartphone
Little more than a decade ago, very few people had Smartphones. The technology was
new and the phones were expense. A lot has changed since that time, and now Smartphones are
everywhere, even in the school classroom. Additionally, the technology has improved so that
Smartphones are basically small computers that students can carry in their pockets and access
when they are having trouble with their classwork or homework. Smartphones can help the
teachers also since the phones can act like individual instructors and give students 1:1 help which
is more than any teacher with a class full of children can do. All of these benefits point show how
Smartphones are essential technology that students of all ages can benefit from, but students in
middle school might have the most to gain. This is because they are older than children in
elementary school who might not know how to handle the technology, yet are more
impressionable than students in high school who might be reluctant to use the technology in
class. Looking at how smartphones can be used by middle schoolers will show how they help
students struggling with homework and classwork, give more individualized instruction than any
one teacher can, and encourage students to focus.
Middle school is a big step for students. Students who do not do well during this time will
have less chance of doing well in high school. Robert Balfanz has studied the importance of
middle school in preparing students for high school and further. He writes that the middle
gradesneed to be seen as the launching pad for a secondary and post-secondary education

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system that enables all students to obtain the schooling and/or career training they need (3).
Students who have supportive parents and go to distinguished schools already know this, but
students who do not have a lot of support and are getting low grades like Cs, Ds, and worse
need extra help. This is where the Smartphone comes in. Smartphones are miniature computers
that can be used to download applications, connect to the internet, and share information through
email or text with other students in the same grade or with the teacher. Struggling student can
turn to Smartphones when they do not know answers on their classwork or homework instead of
just skipping the problems and waiting until the teacher explains them. Finding the answers
online is not hard, either, and all students really need is to be shown a few websites like Khan
Academy or Engineering is Elementary, two free websites that have videos explaining topics
from every subject, in order for them to solve the problems by themselves. Students who have be
unsuccessful in school until this point or have never been told that they are smart can suddenly
change course and show that they can compete with the A students. Mobile technology in the
classroom is indeed a good idea write Norris, Hossain, and Soloway from the University of
Michigan, partly because they give voice to individuals who would have none (23, 25). No
longer do middle schoolers need to fall through the cracks and be doomed to failure later on in
their schooling or in their careers.
Many classrooms are overcrowded with students despite the efforts of teachers who try to
reach all of their students. There just is not enough time for teachers to provide the 1:1
instruction that many middle schoolers need. Smartphones can change this situation by filling in
where the teacher is not able to. Smartphones provide fast results, are easy to use, and can give
instructors information about students quickly so that they have more information when it comes
to lesson planning. A research report from the Center for Digital Education tells of how

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instructors can use Smartphones for instant polls, and quizzesquickly determining which
students need additional information or helphowever, some K-12 institutions are still
struggling over whether or how to allow devices in the classroom (9). The struggling students
are not the only ones who benefit from the instant polls and quizzes. Higher-achieving students
also benefit since the teacher can use the information that the smartphone provides to
differentiate lessons so that they are harder for the students who have already mastered the
material and easier for the students who need extra help. This way, all middle schoolers can
achieve more since smarter students do not have to wait for struggling students to catch up
before the teacher can move on to the next lessons. Why K-12 institutions do not use
Smartphones more likely has to do with the slow pace that the education system adapts to
change, but this change will come eventually once administrators finally realize that
Smartphones are not just a fad and can do a great service for students. Norris, Hossain, and
Soloway write that mobile technologies are moving at bullet-train speeds! and that they will
even invade K-12, which has staunchly resisted change for hundreds of years (25). How much
longer K-12 institutions will fight against Smartphone will be seen, but with smartphones already
used by so many students it does look like change will happen soon.
Smartphones can be distracting for middle schoolers as they message their friends and
play games while in class. However, smartphones can also help middle schools concentrate on
their school work if boundaries are set on how they can be used. As with any technology,
cellphones do require policies for acceptable use, and students need guidance on exactly what
that means (1) declares education technology journalist, Audrey Watters. Middle schoolers must
receive instructions on how to use their smartphones in the classroom so that the classroom does
not become a place where anything goes. But guidance for middle schoolers is to be expected

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since they are young and do not naturally know the rules without someone like a teacher
explaining them to them first. Teaching students the rules about how students should use their
Smartphones should be required by all middle schools if they want to make sure students are not
misbehaving. Many of the education programs on the smartphone, as explained by Watters,
have been designed with the classroom setting in mind, and have privacy policies, moderation
features, and analytics so that teachers can feel more confident (2) about how students are using
their smartphones. While this is an extra responsibility for teachers, but once teachers show that
they have not given up control, students will realize that they cannot use their phones as a
distraction. Eliminating the distraction will leave the students with one option which is to use
their smartphones to learn.
The smartphone is great technology that can improve the performance of students getting
low grades and offer 1:1 instruction so that all students attain their goals. Smartphones can be a
distraction so teachers need to make sure that the rules are clear about how to use them and
students know that their activity can be monitored. While many teachers may see this as another
responsibility that they do not want, many more teachers will know that there is no reason to stop
Smartphones from being used in the classroom. The future is now, and middle schools should
embrace the technology rather than banning it from schools so that all students can gain from
what they likely already have.

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Works Cited
Balfanz, Robert. Putting Middle Grades Students on the Graduation Path. National Middle
School Association, June 2009. Web. 20 February. 2016.
Center for Digital Education. Effective Instructional Tools for an Evolving Learning Landscape.
Issue 1 (2015): 1-24.
Norris, Cathleen, Akhlaq Hossain, and Elliot Soloway. "Using Smartphones as Essential Tools
for Learning." Educational Technology 51.3 (2011): 18-25.
Watters, Audrey. Texting in the Classroom: Not Just a Distraction. Edutopia. George Lucas
Educational Foundation, 11 September 2011. Web. 20 February 2016.