Cell Phones in the Classroom?

I just read a "Point/Counter-Point" article which asked the question, "Should cell phones be banned from classrooms?" I was surprised to find that the arguments that they were making, on both sides, were quite different from the arguments I was expecting. Instead of focusing on cell phones being a distraction to the classroom, they were focusing on financial issues. Josh Allen says, "I’m not going to spend time on the fact that students would use them for purposes other than educational. They already do that, even when they are not being used as a tool. There are plenty of other negatives to focus on." That is the first and the last that he brings up the issue of cell phones being distracting. The only time Liz Kolb, the yes person, only addresses the issue of cell phones being a distraction once as well. She said, "Teachers who are concerned that cell phones will be distracting inside the classroom can set up a social contract with their students defining the structure and rules around cell phone use in the classroom." These were the arguments that I was expecting to read about, however, the arguments they decided to focus on were finances and the educators job to teach media.

I am not firm on either the yes or the no side. Based on the article, I think the no side won, but my personal opinion is probably more on the yes side. In the article the yes person made better arguments about why cell phones could be useful to the classroom, such as using them during field trips and sending pictures. Whereas the no person seemed so against them that he took for granted that they might be useful. The financial aspect is intersting. I think the yes side won that part of the argument, because the school will not be able to fund the opportunity for all students to use a cell phone. If we are using cell phones in our classes, the students that do not have a cell phone will be left out.

Here is my personal opinion: I don't think cell phones should be banned entirely, but I do think there should be boundaries on usage in the classroom. As a teacher, if I can find a way to utilize cell phones in my classroom, I will do that. As of right now, I don't see anything they can do that can't be done in another means (ie a camera can take pictures, a computer can send pictures). I guess the reason I am hesitant to allow cell phone usage in my classroom is because I have seen students in school use them way too much when they shouldn't be; they become a distraction to the classroom.

Some questions that I have as a result to this article are as follows:
1. How can you expect teachers to help students safely navigate the media world if the teachers themselves don't use cell phones as much as the students do?
2. How will schools utilize cell phones in class and make them a part of assignments if some students do not have cell phones?
3. Is there a better way to address the problems with cell phones in classrooms without banning them completely?