Many schools have prohibited the use of mobile phones.

Researchers have discovered that students whose schools have banned cellphones have obtained higher scores on exams and that low-achieving students were the most benefited. Banning mobile phones improves outcomes for the low-achieving students (14.23% of a standard deviation) the most and has no significant impact on high achievers. Beland & Murphy (2015, p. 17)

In a controlled study (The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning) Jeffrey H. Kuznekoff and Scott Titsworth investigated the impact of students facing different levels of distractions in front of a task. Students who were not using their phones wrote 62% took more detailed notes, were able to recall more detailed information from the conference, and got a higher grade in a multiple-choice test than those students who were actively using their mobile phones. Kuznekoff (2013 p.250)

Policymakers in California filed a bill that would restrict and, in some cases, prohibit the possession and use of smartphones during school hours. Assembly Bill No. 272, C 42 says “This bill would explicitly authorize the governing body of a school district, a county office of education, or a charter school to adopt a policy to limit or prohibit the use by its pupils of smartphones while the pupils are at a school site or while the pupils are under the supervision and control of an employee or employees of that school district, county office of education, or charter school. The bill would, however, specify circumstances in which a pupil could not be prohibited from possessing or using a smartphone.”

This is something that Instructional Designers have to take into account when considering the use of smartphones in programs that include BYO device to reduce costs.

References

Beland L-P., Murohy R., 2015 May. Ill Communication: Technology, Distraction & Student Performance. Retrieved July 6th from http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1350.pdf

Jeffrey H. Kuznekoff & Scott Titsworth (2013) The Impact of Mobile Phone Usage on Student Learning, Communication Education, 62:3, 233-252, DOI: 10.1080/03634523.2013.767917