Jacob Bowen

Ms. Hofmann
Inquiry Draft
April 8, 2014
How do Smart Phones affect College Students?

I have grown up in a technological age and my generation has experienced
the greatest advancements of technology in history. Sixty years ago the first
computer was invented and it was the size of an entire room. That computer was
extremely expensive and only the government had access to it. It could only
perform very simple calculations and people thought that would be the extent of
computing in the future. Now a days, just about everyone has a computer in their
pockets! Our smart phones are way more advanced than computers were
expected to be. Even now I am writing this paper on my personal computer,
which was fairly cheap considering what it is capable of doing. This has become
the norm for people of my generation. It is to the point where we get surprised
when someone doesn't have a smart phone or a laptop.
My generation has grown up with this technology and we are so used to it
that it would be hard for us to live without it. Technology is continually becoming


more and more a part of our lives too. It has invaded our homes, work, and now it
is making headway in our education. For me personally, I have definitely noticed
how it is slowly being integrated into U.S. education. I remember in middle
school, if you were caught on your phone then your phone would be taken until a
parent could come and pick it up. Then in High School, it was less strict but some
teachers still were strict on the no cell phone policy. Now in College I have noticed
it is a lot less strict, a lot of instructors don't mind if you use a smart phone or
laptop in class because they realize how beneficial they can be in learning.
Teachers are beginning to try and grasp onto the new technologies out there to
aid them in instructing students. This type of education has been labeled Mobile
learning. It is making most progress in higher education such as college. Slowly it
is replacing traditional teaching methods and it is doing it quite successfully.
Students have more access to material from classes due to their laptops and
smart phones so learning is more convenient for them wherever they go.
Mobile learning is the use of portable devices such as IPods, E-Book
readers, Smart phones, and laptops in education. These technologies are used to
download podcasts and audio lessons, communicate with teachers or students,
watching instructional videos, and making text documents(Corbeil). All these uses
greatly expand the ability for students to get the extra help they need in their


courses. On their way to a test, they can just play the lectures from class and
listen to them on their IPods. This allows students to easily multitask and
complete their homework in half the time, freeing them up to study more or just
relax to reduce the typical stress college students get. If they don't understand
something in class, they can Email or text their teachers and get an answer faster
than if they had to wait till the next class. Tom Delaney, associate dean of NYU
School of law, stated "Law school students enrolled in hybrid programmes that
integrate distance and in-class education outperform those who study exclusively
in one environment."(Economist Intelligence Unit). This statement shows just
how effective mobile learning can be if we devote effort into perfecting it.
Some teachers are embracing this new style of learning but still others
refuse to accept it. The ones that are opposed to it claim that it makes it too easy
for students to cheat. For this reason, there have been many studies on this topic
to determine if it is smart phones to blame. One study, in particular, performed
by Scott Cambell, a published researcher on the topic, talked about how cheating
with smart phones should not be a concern. Students are not going to cheat just
because they have another method of cheating, the only people who would cheat
with smart phones are the ones who would cheat using other methods
too(Cambell).


Teachers should be more concerned with how distracting smart phones can
be. With all the apps available on their phones, students sometimes use those
apps during class and participate in "Passive learning" rather than "Active
learning"(Economist Intelligence Unit). Teachers are partially to blame for this
though, they are not engaging the students enough to keep them from going on
their phones during class. Amy Lynch, an author that has spent more than a
decade studying Generation Y, claims that "This generation is not content with
passive involvement, Companies (or universities) need to make training programs
more engaging, retention programs more personalized, and process improvement
initiatives more open to employee(or student) input."(Economist Intelligence
Unit). This quote was talking more about after college when people go out into
the job world but it can still be applied to college. Here she is saying that trainees
or students are not being involved enough so they turn their attention in other
directions.
Among all the apps available on smart phones, Social Networking apps are
the biggest concern of hindering education. Social Networking includes Facebook,
twitter, Instagram, Tumbler, and a lot more but people claim that these sites
distract students to such a degree that it lowers their GPAs. In 2011, ASBBS
performed a study to clear up many of the misconceptions associated with Social


Networking on smart phones. The study was performed at Northwestern
University by sending out a survey to approximately 2,100 students of which only
430 responded. This survey was designed to test if students with smart phones
accessed social networking sites more than people without smart phones and if
time spent on social networking affected students GPAs. This study found that
students with smart phones were more likely to access social networking sites
and surprisingly that the amount of time spent on social networking sites doesn't
really affect GPAs that much. Students who used social networking websites a lot
tended to have a GPA in the range of 3.0 to 3.5, and the ones who don't had a
GPA in the 3.5 to 4.0 range(Stollak). This study shows that social networking
doesn't have that great of an effect on GPAs, instead it is the individuals work
ethic that effects it more. Even though this study said social networking had a
negligible effect on GPAs, Aryn Karpinski, a doctoral student in education at Ohio
State University, claims that it has a very negative effect. He claimed that
"Students who multi-task between social networking and homework are likely to
have 20% lower grades than a student who does not have a social networking site
in visual range."(Stollak). This is probably due to the fact that the students could
not devote their entire attention to their homework so their retention suffers.
The difference in these studies probably has to do with the culture of the group


they studied. The main factor that effects GPA seems to be the students personal
work ethic not social networking itself.
Mobile Learning is on the rise in America though, even though there are so
many people claiming there are problems with it. It is on the rise because people
are beginning to see that it is more convenient than traditional learning which
makes it a better option. In 2013, a survey showed that 20% of apps used by
college students are educational based one's(Chen). Some of these apps include
School Fuel, Animoto, POETRY, Springpad, and much more. These apps help do
everything from editing documents to connecting to your teacher and allowing
access to thousands of educational resources. Mobile Learning allows for more
"self-directed" learning instead of being assigned general work(Chen). Students
can get assigned personalized work to aid them in areas that they are lacking so
that they can get a general understanding of the course easier. Another benefit
from technology based learning is that the assignments will soon "require genuine
thoughtfulness" from students because the technology will allow students to be
tested at a higher level. One survey showed that students are eagerly awaiting
more advancements in mobile learning since it is a more enjoyable learning
style(Economist Intelligence Unit). Students these days have grown up with this


technology so they know how to use it and want to use it to aid them in their
education.
Mobile learning has the potential to be a huge hit in the educational
community. There are just a few problems that need to be fixed first. One of the
biggest problems would be how drastic of a change this style is compared to
traditional teaching styles. Faculty would have to retrained to start teaching with
more technology instead of what they have previously had available to them.
Another problem would be the cost of switching over. It would cost a lot to obtain
all the technology necessary and it would continue to be costly since the
technology would have to be constantly updated(Economy Intelligence Unit). I do
believe that someday we will completely make the switch over to Mobile Learning
though. Technology is constantly becoming cheaper and students, along with
teachers, have a strong desire to adopt Mobile Learning. When both of these are
combined the result is a perfect scenario for Mobile Learning in the near future.


Work Cited

Campbell, Scott. "Perceptions of Mobile Phones in College Classrooms: Ringing, Cheating, and
Classroom Policies." tandfonline.com. Taylor & Francis Online, 03 Feb 2007. Web. 23
Mar 2014. <http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/03634520600748573>.
Chen, Baiyun, and Aimee Denoyelles. "Exploring Students' Mobile Learning Practices in Higher
Education." Educause.edu. EDUCAUSE Review Online, 07 Oct 2013. Web. 25 Mar
2014. <http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/exploring-students-mobile-learning-
practices-higher-education>.
Corbeil, Joseph , and Maria Valdes-Corbeil. "Are You Ready for Mobile Learning?."
Educausereview online. EDUCAUSE Review Online, 01 Jan 2007. Web. 22 Mar 2014.
<http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/are-you-ready-mobile-learning>.
"The future of higher education: How technology will shape learning." ed.gov. Economist
Intelligence Unit, n.d. Web. 22 Mar 2014.
<http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED505103.pdf>.
Stollak, Matthew, Amy Vandenberg, Andie Burklund, and Stephanie Weiss. "GETTING
SOCIAL: THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL NETWORKING USAGE ON GRADES
AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS." asbbs.org. ASBBS, n.d. Web. 22 Mar 2014.
<http://asbbs.org/files/2011/ASBBS2011v1/PDF/S/StollakM.pdf>.