What do U.S. Teachers Think About Students' Mobile Manners in the Classroom?

According to an Intel “Mobile Etiquette” survey commissioned by Ipsos, nearly all U.S. teachers (94 percent) agree that technology, when used properly, enhances students’ education experience. Three-quarters of teachers (74 percent) agree that with the fast pace of technology today, it is becoming just as important for children to learn about mobile etiquette as it is to learn math and science.

According to Intel's Mobile Etiquette survey, seventy-four percent of teachers agree that it is becoming just as important for children to learn about mobile etiquette as it is to learn about math and science.

Not surprisingly, however, 84 percent of teachers said that they wished their students practiced better mobile etiquette in the classroom. While most teachers reported positive use of technology in the classroom, there are some mobile manners that need to be sharpened as the majority of teachers (82 percent) reported that they have observed students’ poor mobile etiquette behavior in the classroom, including: texting during class (62 percent), answering their cell phones during class (33 percent), passing notes using their mobile technology devices (23 percent), and even cheating on a test (19 percent).

According to Intel's Mobile Etiquette survey, the majority of teachers (82 percent) have observed students committing at least one mobile etiquette offense in the classroom.

Theresa Maves, training and social media manager for the Intel Education K-12 team, recently invited two people to join her in a discussion about the current state of mobile etiquette in the classroom. Yale University freshman Michelle Hackman, who studied the effect of separating teenagers from their cell phones for her behavioral and social sciences project that placed her 2^nd in the 2011 Intel Science Talent Search, provided a student opinion on the current state of mobile etiquette in the classroom. Diana Laufenberg, a history teacher at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia who was previously named Technology Teacher of the Year for Arizona, joined the discussion as well and shared examples of how she creatively incorporates technology into her education lessons to engage students in the learning process, while holding students accountable for responsible use of their mobile technology devices. 

VIDEO:  Mobile Etiquette in the Classroom – Highlights

Are you surprised by any of the findings from Intel’s “Mobile Etiquette” survey? How do you see students using mobile internet-enabled devices (laptops, netbooks, tablets, smartphones) in the classroom? Leave a comment, or join a discussion on the topic at Engage.Intel.com.