I love my smart phone. I love my smart phone probably more than I will love my first born child. So when I moved to Upper St. Clair and realized that I would be able to use my phone during school hours, I was understandably thrilled. It seemed like an ideal way to keep in touch with everyone and always be able to check e-mail and Facebook. Gone were the days when I had to maneuver my cell phone under a desk and behind a backpack while ostensibly checking in my pencil case for a highlighter. Now I could whip out my phone during school hours and not have to worry about anyone taking it away.

Upper St. Clair’s new cell phone policy is extremely enlightened. Say what you will about students abusing the privilege of having phones during school hours, smart phones can be useful tools for learning, and if everyone decides to check the occasional text message, that’s fine. Especially since as students grow up, there will not be anyone looking over their shoulders during business meetings and telling them that it’s inappropriate to have their cell phones out. Students, as future leaders, need to be discerning about when they choose to use or abstain from using electronic devices.

Additionally, cell phones and other electronic devices are the future. Everything is moving online and onto computers, and technological literacy is almost as important as critical thinking and problem solving skills in today’s society. It is important that we not only be able to use our cell phones and other electronic devices during school hours, but that they eventually become incorporated into the classroom. It should be used not simply as a means of conveying pertinent information about other subjects, but as a lesson unto itself, to be included in lessons as a real world application of the subjects that are being learned.

That said, it is important that technology be put into perspective. Cell phones should not be allowed in classrooms without certain restrictions, because that would be utter chaos. At a school, learning should come first. While cell phones and other electronics should be included in that, they can also be a distraction. I am as guilty as the next teenager of postponing schoolwork while on Facebook and Angry Birds, and this would be extended into class time if I was allowed to have my phone out in class. While technology is important, it is not a primary objective and should never come into conflict with real learning.

The moral of the story is, smart phones can be a new frontier of education and can allow students to enthusiastically participate in their own learning, but only if used correctly. Upper St. Clair’s new cell phone policy is understanding of the needs of the students and helps to demonstrate that although respect for learning is and should be a priority of all students, cell phones should be included in that goal. The policy is obviously very forward-thinking, and is a lesson in that as times change, the way students learn and the skills they need to succeed can change too.