The first time I had access to a mobile device was in 2005. Although it was not smart yet, I was usually excited to handle the precious device and play available games like Snakes Movement or so back then. In a true sense, access to gadgets like mobile devices is usually interesting for youths, especially since we are in an expository age where we want to inquire.
My early exposure to the phone and the internet may have contributed to my unhealthy desire to have access to my phone and especially the internet. It feels often like a different world is available on the phone, always arousing my interest. But hey, does it help me access academic information easily? Yes, it does, and most recently is the ChatGPT feature on the phone.
My academic background was one to have traveled the harsh weather of discomfort, learning under pressure and tension, especially in a competitive environment where if I did not measure up, I would be left behind. In addition, I was often kept out of the classroom walls for not being able to pay my tuition when due.
But, alas, an era where the mobile phone is very accessible even at a tender age, exposing kids to mostly uncensored. The educational sector is equally affected. Children are provided smart gadgets in the guise of cartoons and academic content. For those of us who grew up in the era of textbooks, the digital age has facilitated an overdependence on using the phone for academic purposes. This breeds at least the following:
LAZINESS: Students become more dependent on digital assistants such as the artificial intelligence meta AI and CHATGPT rather than commit themselves to research and learning.
HALF-BAKED STUDENTS: You will agree with me that many students do not consolidate the contents they're searching out through their mobile phones and may likely not retain what they are accessing or submitting as an assignment.
DISTRACTIONS: Mobile devices could be very distracting and, rather than contribute to quality academic achievement, predispose their user to divided attention, which includes access to social media content.
ABSENT OR LOW SELF-CONFIDENCE: Academic work that is phone-assisted would likely build a dependency on phones and promote low self-esteem when reality knocks. A typical example is people who learn to drive automatic vehicles but do not have knowledge about driving manual-gear vehicles. Well, I fall in that category and have suffered a few times navigating the driving of manual-gear vehicles.
Generally, using mobile devices and phones to assist learners in navigating and gathering information. I would rather suggest that access to phones should be limited to periods after school and their usage monitored to ensure works are not plagiarized but significant efforts are put into them.
Thank you for reading. I would love to have your comments and contributions.
