There is little sense in banning technology from the classroom. It cannot really be done. To a student at University High School (UHS), tearing your phone from your eyes may sometimes be a monumental task. We depend on technology for information and communication. Before smart-phones came into the hands of the average student, we sat through classes waiting to meet and converse with our friends after the bell. In fact, many of us can recall that experience from elementary school. Now, we find it difficult to avoid the temptation of using these devices during class. The problem faced by teachers is keeping students’ attention away from their phones.
The solution seems rather simple. Since students’ attention cannot be wrestled from their phones, teachers can teach them through their phones. When I attended Claremont High School, some classes I took allowed us to take out our phones and whatever other technology was available, so that we could have visual aids in our hands mirroring our teacher’s lecture. Almost every student in my classroom kept his or her eyes glued to the glowing screen. I do not believe that students have lost the ability to learn in a classroom. Rather, I believe this generation has adapted. We have formed a mental attachment to the glowing screens which educate and inform.
Instead of rejecting technology in the classroom, we could embrace it. The right path to take could be to establish a curriculum that allows students to use their phones as aids in their own education. After the experiences I have had in such classes, I can say that it has potential. Teachers could easily create documents and power-points that can be directly viewed from phones.
Teachers can monitor the students’ screens to know whether they get distracted on their phones, something far easier to monitor than distracted thoughts. A student’s attention span can wander regardless of what is in their hands. The technology could easily lure the eyes to a focused point as well as be interactive. Technology can be used for education after all. 

By HESAM MODARESI
Staff Writer