Introduction
Smartphones have become particularly popular among schoolchildren.
A study showed that more than 90 percent of schoolchildren in Korea
own mobile devices. Kids use smartphones to communicate. However,
kids are also using their smartphones for educational purposes.
Do smartphones help kids learn? Let’s see what our debaters think.
Constructive
Debater 1 Henry
Smartphones help kids learn. They provide kids with access to so
many educational games and apps. For example, many kids are now
using smartphone apps to learn new languages! Smartphones also usually
come with a calculator and a dictionary. Not only that, kids can
also use the Internet on their smartphones to search for answers.
Smartphones offer so many great resources for learning. It is clear
that smartphones help students learn.
Debater
2 Ashley
Smartphones do not help kids learn. Smartphones are a distraction!
It is true that students can use their smartphones for educational
reasons. However, a majority of kids use smartphones to talk with
their friends and play non-educational games. Also, kids are becoming
too dependent on smartphones. They should learn from their teachers,
peers, and school material. These days, kids rely on their cell
phones to tell them the answers to their questions.
Rebuttal
Debater 1 Henry
So, you are saying that all kids only talk with their friends and
play games? That is totally untrue! Many students love to learn.
There are many kids who use their cell phones for educational purposes.
Also, there are school rules that ban smartphones during class time.
Therefore, students are paying attention to their peers, teachers,
and school material during school time. All I am saying is that
smartphones also help students learn.
Debater
2 Ashley
I said that most students prefer to use their smartphones to talk
with their friends and play non-educational games. I admit that
there are many programs on smartphones that can help students learn.
However, I believe that kids do not use these educational programs
as much as we think. Students more often use their phones to search
for answers on the Internet. However, answers on the Internet are
not always reliable.
Judge’s
Comments
The winner of today’s debate is Ashley. Henry committed the logical
fallacy called a straw man argument. A debater commits this fallacy
when he or she exaggerates or changes his or her opponent’s argument
to make it easier to attack. Ashley said that a majority of kids
use smartphones to talk with their friends and play games, not all
kids.