Smartphone use on rise in college

The use of smartphones among college students everywhere has continued to increase over the past year, according to recent reports.

According to a recent study by the Institute for Mobile Media Research, smartphones are beginning to take the place of laptop use for many college students.

Nearly 100 percent of college students own some form of mobile device, half of which are smartphones.

Many people hear the term "smartphone" used every day, but some still wonder what makes one different from an ordinary cell phone.

The basic features of a typical smartphone include an operating system, several applications, some form of web access, e-mail capabilities and a "QWERTY" keyboard, all of which one can find on an iPhone, Android or Blackberry.

 Nearly 90 percent of students who own a smartphone are able to access the internet from the device.

Aaron Guerrieri, a junior sport management major at SRU, finds this feature to be the most helpful.

"Smartphones are good for being able to check your e-mail on the go and also to be able to listen to music, as well as use other apps," Guerrieri said.

 The use of smartphones among college students has nearly doubled from 2009 to 2010 and has only increased since then. Nearly 80 percent of smartphones include a GPS (Global Positioning System) feature, which many people find helpful. Gabbie Sekely, a junior psychology major, finds herself using this feature on a regular basis.

"I like the fact that my phone has a GPS on it in case I ever get lost, which happens a lot," Sekely said. "I pretty much have everything I need on it and I can look up information whenever I need it."

Many students find smartphones to be convenient in helping them with their schoolwork, as well as utilizing other resources on campus. Kate Griffin, a senior English education major, is one of those students.

"I like my iPhone because I'm able to know when a teacher cancels classes without having to find a computer," Griffin said. "It's also convenient to be able to check the weather on the go."

"I also find myself using my dictionary app a lot on my phone, which is really helpful as an English major," Griffin said.

According to a September 2011 article by USA Today, most students would prefer to use smartphones to assist them with homework rather than a laptop because of their compact size. However, the smaller size of the device makes it easier for students to engage in non-class related activities, such as visiting social networking sites, without professors knowing. The majority of professors find this to be disrespectful, as well as hurting the students in the long run. Dr. Debra Hyatt-Burkhart, a professor in the department of counseling and development, finds cell phones of any kind to be a distraction in class.

"I have no problem with students using computers or iPads for note-taking purposes in class, but I don't really find that there is a need for students to have their cell phones out and ready during class." Hyatt-Burkhart said.

"I don't think that these [phones] are used for note-taking or any other productive purposes," she said. "What I do see is that these phones are used for checking Facebook, e-mail, playing Scrabble, looking at sports scores and other non-class related activities."

Hyatt-Burkhart feels that at the request of the instructor, a smartphone could provide a quick avenue for searching a topic on the web, but, overall, finds them to be a distraction more than anything.

"I truly have trouble understanding what could be so important in the world outside of the classroom that students can't be disconnected for an hour and 15 minutes," she said. "In general, I feel that phones are best when they are turned off during class so that students can be tuned in."

"The use of these phones just provides a distraction to the students who are using them and to those around them," she said.

Although students find them to be convenient, they also find them to be distracting at times, as well.

"Sometimes it can be hard to get my school work done because my phone can be a distraction," Griffin said. "Social networking sites can be tempting."

Some students also find smartphones to have other downfalls.

"The touch-screen keyboard can be annoying at times, like when I accidentally click on something," Guerrieri said. "Also, the battery life gets eaten up really quickly because of all the apps."

Many people are beginning to wonder whether using smartphones are such a smart decision after all.