Dre Flournoy

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SMARTPHONES IN THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM: GOOD OR BAD?

 My name is Andre Flournoy; the topic of my project is the use of smartphones in the college classrooms. The question that inspired my research is “How do smartphones affect the learning environment in college classrooms? I found this interesting because I see students using their phones in class for different reasons daily. This sometimes causes conflict in class. Some teachers do not allow phones in class, but still use them. I developed a hypothesis that projected the idea of smartphones having a neural affects on the learning environment. I conducted my research by gathering different responses from a number of students in college classrooms using qualitive methods including a survey, focus group and four interviews. This research is significant because it is important to understand and recognize the integration of current technology into the college learning environment.

 After reviewing data from the methods, I observed that the data showed that students felt that the smartphone was not a major necessity and that the good and the bad things about phones in class really were not a big deal. I could see that all the combined data from the methods produced evidence of phones having both positive and negative effects on the learning environment. The biggest challenge I faced was conducting the survey. It was difficult developing the questions for the survey because I had trouble deciding on what different answers I listed to be chosen. I wanted to give good answers to choose from so that the data could be helpful and not random. Smartphones have now become an extension of who we are. Future research can reveal both positives and negatives factors are related to using phones in class and can provide knowledge that can help classrooms adapt to changing technology that is being introduced into the learning environment.