The evolution of the cell phone blows my mind, I think even more than the computer and tablet revolution. I remember when cellphones where suitcase sized devices that were in the cars of special agents and spies on action TV shows. They became more commonplace on the TV world, which meant in another decade, they would appear in rural Minnesota.
By the time I was in high school, cell phones were (relatively) smaller and more practical than the suitcase style. When I ran out of gas on highway 94 just before bar close, miles from the nearest exit, the concept of a child having a cell phone became much more real. With collage coming, with the long, cold, deserted roads in between, I got my first cell. For emergencies only. This was not to call my friends, to text. The phone had no games, no frills. It was simply for communication.
Looking back, in the mid 90’s all of the students in the University of Minnesota Morris shared one phone for the dorm floor. I arrived in the first years of rooms with phone jacks. When I lived in England my junior year, I saw cell phones as more commonplace. (It did make a difference that all incoming calls were free in Europe.) The next year, when I did my student teaching in a British boarding school, I saw kids warn each other when chaperones were on their way. One student had three cells: one from dad, one from mom that dad didn’t know about, and a third that was on the same carrier as her friends. This was the moment I realized how cells would affect this world.
As cell phones have risen in popularity, and ended up in the hands of children, I haven’t hesitated. As a Tech Integration Specialist, I see potential in using these tools in the classroom. (More to come!) More importantly, though, I see the power of the tool in the world of safety. When I was in elementary school, I spent an hour outside waiting for someone to pick me up who had forgotten. It was near zero. I don’t want that to happen to my children.
I also am a child of the Jacob Wetterling generation. He was kidnapped 15 miles from my house. From a quiet, seemingly idealistic area. As much as I hate to admit it, I am in part molded by the stranger danger era. I want to know where my children are.
If my children are going to be out on their own- riding their bikes to a friend’s house, staying after school, walking to dance lessons- they will have a cell phone on them. I don’t imagine it will be a full iPhone with all of the freedoms that come with it. But, they will be wired.
Today’s Pioneer Press had an article on just this topic. It is appropriately titled, ‘But mom, everyone has a cellphone.”
The article explains different parent views of cell phones and kids in 2012. At the end, it highlights different kid-friendly options from cell phone carriers.
What are your thoughts, as a parent or as a teacher, for kids and cell phones?