Dubai
A study published by the journal Computers in Human Behaviour, published in Netherlands, states that smartphones rob students of concentration and should not be allowed in class. It seems like teachers in the UAE agree.
Shikha Dixit, a teacher based in Sharjah, is against the use of phones on school premises. In her opinion, education should be seperated from technology.
She said: “Students should be taught in such a way wherein they have to manually do things on their own. This is good for the development of the brain. They need to learnt he basics, first.”
She refers to phones as a ‘tool of distraction’, especially for students in school. At the university level, she believes students might be more mature and be able to separate the two.
She said: “Once a child grows up, he or she may be able to understand that they are getting distracted. Students should be taught to open the book and do research, not rely on the internet. On one hand we’re allowing them to carry phones to schools and on the other we’re hosting book fairs.”
Anjum Hasan, another teachers based in Sharjah, agrees that students shouldn’t be using phones as it takes away from the learning experience. The science teacher shares her experience from a class wherein the phones distracted all the students.
She said: “I was once teaching a class on crocodiles and was stating some facts. The students started cross-checking the facts online and then got distracted by something else and a whole new discussion began. Half the time went in this discussion and the entire theory and the main topic was forgotten.”
She believes this has a negative impact on students as they are losing focus in class and not able to grasp what a teacher is trying to convey. Additionally, she is worried as there is no control on what the students are searching.
She said: “Every coin has two sides. Owning a phone does have both pros and cons. But, in the classroom, nothing can replace a teacher. Students can use the internet in the computer labs designated for them. The phone is just a tool to play on and pass some time.”
