I know very few people who don't have or use a cellphone now. I rarely use mine in my car, and get annoyed when someone calls me (evenings/weekends) on my cellphone instead of at home. So, when I read about this professor who offers his students extra credit for participating in the cellphone experiment, based on "Henry David Thoreau's calls for simplicity and solitude", my initial thought was: easy, peasy!
I did not have a cellphone while I was in college, so maybe I would feel differently now. But I don't know that I see my cellphone as a personal safety issue. Yeah, I can call someone if I get stranded, and that is a great reason to have a cellphone. But I think cellphones are more likely to cause students to be unaware of their surroundings, making them a personal safety liability rather than tool.
I also find it hard to believe many of the comments about people not being able to be employed without a (personal) cellphone. I realize that some (many?) people do not have landlines anymore, so they may not have an alternative for "picking up extra shifts." However, in my (obviously dated) experience, employees are assigned shifts and work when they are supposed to work--no cell phone needed. I don't get it--and I hope I never do!
And the other comments about family not being able to reach the students--parents, please STOP calling your kids every day! I don't have that kind of family, so I'm being completely insensitive, I'm sure, but college students do not need to talk to their parents ALL the time. That's why kids "go away" to school.
By the way--I LOVE getting someone's voice mail, so I don't mind if anyone I know wants to take the cellphone experiment!
I did not have a cellphone while I was in college, so maybe I would feel differently now. But I don't know that I see my cellphone as a personal safety issue. Yeah, I can call someone if I get stranded, and that is a great reason to have a cellphone. But I think cellphones are more likely to cause students to be unaware of their surroundings, making them a personal safety liability rather than tool.
I also find it hard to believe many of the comments about people not being able to be employed without a (personal) cellphone. I realize that some (many?) people do not have landlines anymore, so they may not have an alternative for "picking up extra shifts." However, in my (obviously dated) experience, employees are assigned shifts and work when they are supposed to work--no cell phone needed. I don't get it--and I hope I never do!
And the other comments about family not being able to reach the students--parents, please STOP calling your kids every day! I don't have that kind of family, so I'm being completely insensitive, I'm sure, but college students do not need to talk to their parents ALL the time. That's why kids "go away" to school.
By the way--I LOVE getting someone's voice mail, so I don't mind if anyone I know wants to take the cellphone experiment!
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