Many teachers believe that a smartphone is nothing more than a distraction tool. As many think this is true, there is also the idea that a smartphone could be the greatest learning tool of our century. On January 9, 2007, the first iPhone was released on the market, which today has approximately 94 million users. Since then, we've gone from blurry cameras, to slide phones, to high-tech smartphones, which now form a major part of our lives. A phone is the source for sending that short message to your mother to tell her that your sports practice has been canceled, for texting your friend to update you on the latest season of your favorite TV series, but, above all, for using that quick calculator, or even send that email to your English teacher asking when you have to turn in your homework. Today, technology has become a huge thing, offering so many different options for our smartphones, but can all this technology distract or help with teenagers' education? Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay We have described many useful learning tools in our detailed article on distance learning for students. Most teachers agree that most smartphones are distracting, especially when they are trying to teach a lesson only to look up and see half the class on their phones, but one silver lining of having a classroom full of smartphone users smartphone is that it is easy access to be able to send emails to your students reminding them to finish their homework and to be able to connect with them if they are confused and at home. A smartphone has the ability to send emails, which could help you if you are confused with homework. Another thing that a smartphone has the ability to download apps, like Remind, or even download a PDF to read the textbook needed for a lesson. Google has great apps like "classroom" or even "Google Docs" that can help you get updates about your class if you have projects coming up and provide you with Word documents to type on. Since Freeman is in a place where not everyone gets the best service, many people connect to Wi-Fi in order to get service here, so most connect to the school's Wi-Fi. And with that, our technology department has blocked all social media and school related websites and while you are on the internet you may only use them for educational purposes. Even in emergency situations, such as a lockdown, a school fire, or even a school shooting, it is easier if a student has a phone to contact their guardians. With this, you will be able to carry out all the educational purposes you may need without having the distractions of sending a Snapchat or checking Instagram very quickly. Another reason why cell phones could be used as an educational tool is because it is easy access to look up a quick definition of a word you don't know, it's much easier to be able to take out your phone, look up a definition and then quickly write it down. It's also much easier, especially if you're taking a foreign language course, to be able to use a translation site to help you. This is much easier than logging into a computer, waiting for it to load, and then only using the computer for 5 minutes - it's definitely a time saver! According to a study conducted by the University of Michigan, 71% of students sent or received messages on their phones in class, then the school banned phones and found that a shocking 65% still had them on their phones. When people normally don't.