Every single day, the power, ease, and accessibility of technology increases at an exponential rate. With this modern technology readily available, new and innovative uses for it expand as well. Although technology does not play a significant role in the traditional classroom setting, it now holds many new possibilities for students and teachers.

One of the most powerful and underutilized technologies is already at the fingertips of most high school students — the cell phone. Because just about every student has a cell phone, their use by teachers could open a new frontier in the educational world.

Now, it is easy to see why many are opposed to the introduction of cell phones into classrooms, and why many school districts have already banned their use in schools: they can be noisy, distracting objects used to cheat and bully. Yet, this all simply depends on how they are used.

At this point in time, cell phones have become too large a part of youth culture to simply try to ban their use. For each generation that enters the world, more and more of them have and use cell phones; this will only lead students to use their cell phones inappropriately, and will greatly harm the learning environment.

If students are taught to use this technology in a constructive manner very early on in their education, the entire idea of cell phone use could potentially change. According to Scholastic.com, the cell phone’s ability to instantly retrieve, create, and share information make it a perfect classroom tool. Phones can be used in group projects to keep all members in communication, to research any topic, and to keep track of the group’s progress.

“There are many practical uses for the cell phone in school,” AP chemistry teacher Dr. Paul Hesleitner said. “For example, they can be used for quick response quizzes in class or to look up information.”

A teacher can also use cellphones for class activities: they have the potential to be used for remotes in quick-response games, dictionaries for when the class comes across a tricky word, or the ultimate encyclopedia for future independent research on any topic.

With more incredible technological achievements being reached every day, the possible classroom applications for cell phones and other technologies are truly infinite. While there are still many that oppose the use of cell phones in a classroom setting, furthering their use will serve to prove their potential and silence their critics.