Our intrepid correspondent Shannon Crowley examines the effects of so much technology in our lives.

The Real Destruction of Learning

Since the release of the iPhone in 2007, smartphones have become useful for hundreds of millions of people. A recent study claims 77% of Americans own a smartphone.  With the applications of text messaging, calling, and email, an everyday person can complete tasks in a quicker manner. The easiest way of communication has become texting, despite its ineffectiveness.  Teenagers, especially, rely on social media and texting for interaction, which damages social skills. Additionally, the addiction prevents students from a proper learning experience and environment.

Here at Tewksbury Memorial High School, the use of  smartphones in class is a rising problem. Teachers are reacting to the issue by collecting phones upon entering or not allowing phones on students’ desks. Phones these days, if used in the correct way, are beneficial in school. For example, applications like Google Drive and Quizlet, to name a few, make learning easy and at the touch of one’s fingers.  

My classmates and friends have extreme dependence on their phone and possess crippling urges to touch their phone, hoping for a notification to be there. I conducted an interview and asked my friend, Matt Smith, why he uses his phone and how it aids him. Matt said he uses his phone “to escape boredom” and his device “helps answer homework questions.” Even though phones help with school work, students take advantage of it, which does not benefit future learning. Phones are allowed in school, but do they provide more of a distraction when it comes to learning? Matt answered with “it’s only a distraction if you use your phone the wrong way in school, our phones can do a lot of good, but people don’t use it that way.” But will anyone bring it upon themselves to change how much they use their phone, the answer to that is most likely a no.

Unfortunately, students here are so used to being on their phones and having a desire to know what is going on with their friends and celebrities on social media. So having a phone on their person causes more harm and does not allow the students to concentrate on learning and education. The issue of phone dependence is a rising concern, yet cutting back on the over usage of phones seems quite impossible at this point. Individuals have to take this problem onto themselves and make change if they think it is the best manner for them.