OPINION

THE USE OF SMARTPHONES IN THE SCHOOL

A.   BACKGROUND

A gadget is a device or instrument that has a practical purpose and functions are specifically designed more sophisticated compared to the technology that was created earlier. One of the gadgets that we often encounter is the cellphone. A mobile phone, known as a cell phone in North America, is a portable telephone that can make and receive calls over a radio frequency link while the user is moving within a telephone service area. The radio frequency link establishes a connection to the switching systems of a mobile phone operator, which provides access to the public switched telephone network (PSTN).

In this day and age, we can say that the gadget is a staple to the community. The data of the Ministry of industry (Kemenperin) notes, there are currently 24 product component manufacturing company phones and tablets in the country. Meanwhile, based on the report of the e-Marketer, smartphone users active in Indonesia will grow from 55 million people in 2015 be 100 million people the year 2018. With these, Indonesia will become the country with the fourth largest smartphone active users in the world after China, India, and the Americas.

The gadget is not much to do with young children. On the younger generation of today is not a new thing in young adolescents have gadgets such as Smartphones and tablet computers like ios, android, and windows. Nowadays gadgets among adolescents is not only used as a medium of communication, gadgets among teenagers has already become multi function tool. One camera can be utilized by the users of the gadget to perpetuate the moment – the private moment, in addition to on-site social media also became an attraction for teenagers to socialize or showed the creativity they've got.

Almost all of the older children already have a gadget. Students who have always kept their gadgets to school. Often they use the gadget during school hours. The benefits of its own assortment of gadgets to count, to access the internet, send messages, play games, and open social networking such as facebook or twitter is often done when the learning process is ongoing. Signs of a teenager is already addicted to gadgets, namely the use of gadgets in a day can be more than 6-8 hours even more in the other, the impact can change child's behavior became more individualism loved playing with cell phones than to play with the surrounding environment. Addicted to gadgets can also have an impact on health which makes physical activity declined so to minimize movement, even tend to not move while holding a cell phone.

Adolescence is the time when they should be studying basic and is also a period where they're self-discovery. It is not wrong if they try new things such as gadgets etc. So, it is not rare to see a lot of older children who bring their gadgets to school. Where they need to be educated, they also do not want to be separated from the name of the gadget. It's become a phenomenon where the use of gadgets at the school the subject of discussion.

B. OPINION

The use of smartphones in the school have a side positive and negative.

1. THE POSITIVE SIDE

The use of smartphones in the classroom can help students in finding the information that can assist in the learning process. With the smartphone students can search for information more about a thing that does not exist in the book through the internet. They can deepen their knowledge with browse on the internet is something new. Smartphone can also make students easily explore knowledge from around the world from many different kinds of fields such as philosophy to psychology. Given the present curriculum is K13, students are encouraged to always active and self-directed learning process. So, it's very useful in looking for smartphone materials is not yet known and that are not taught by teachers so students can become more active in accordance with K13. In addition, the Smartphone can also help the learning process as well as the exam online. Not a few teachers who gave their students an exam online so they need a smartphone for do it.

With Smartphones, parents can contact her son or daughter either directly (by phone) or indirectly (via SMS). At least parents feel comfortable because it can communicate with her child in the event of a change of schedule, emergency situations, and the like are important reply. If students do not bring smartphone to school, parents will need to contact the school number is usually busy, or there are also parents who bother coming to school and it will take a lot of.

Smartphone can also be used as a tool, especially the phone comes with several accessories that are contained in the hp, such as calculators, cameras and the internet. Applications that can help in academics. In addition, by having a chat application, students can easily communicate with his friend who was not entered school. Students can also easily share materials being studied to his friend quickly and easily. And also the teachers would be easier to communicate with the Chairman of the class if there are any tasks or teachers are unable to attend and give assignments.

Smartphones can also expand the network of friendship due to the presence of smartphones explore their friendship although the students with another. They can add a friend with a friend who has long distance with them communicate with each other. In addition, with the smartphone is not denied again we could communicate with students from the citizens of different countries so as to strengthen the communication network among us.

2. THE SIDE OF THE NEGATIVE

The use of smartphones in the classroom can make students less concentrate in learning. Students who bring to smartphones to school certainly don't stand the temptation of luxury facility can own the smartphone. A little by little time the smartphone students open when the teacher explained. There is an open the smartphone due to boredom, there is a reply to a message, some even playing a game. Moreover, the school has a less stringent oversight so that the students have some free time to make chatting. This habit can interfere with the learning process because it can interfere with concentrations of students and make students do not focus in learning as a result of making students do not understand the material described the teacher.

Smartphones are also commonly abused by students. When the teacher explains, they even play games on Smartphones. Another example, if a teacher tells the pupils to work out the task through the mobile phone, the pupil is precisely not the task list even play games, chat and more. As a result many teachers are not valued its existence. In addition, Mobile can load students or students being indifferent is not indifferent or less appreciate against the people who were standing in front of the class as well as the surrounding environment.

The use of smartphones in the classroom can also be the reason many students less socializing. Sometimes, they're cool with its own the smartphone and do not want to socialize with others. As a result students become an individualist. In addition, this makes them less sensitive, and do not pay attention to the environment around so that they can become an apathy.

Smartphones can also be used by students as a means of cheating. Not a few students took photos of the test questions after they finished the test and share it to others. In addition, not a few students are browsing while working on tests to find answers. As a result, not a few students are dependent on smartphones so they are lazy to learn.

The use of smartphones in schools is difficult to be controlled individually by teachers and school residents. What happens if students access restricted sites. Especially when it comes to inviting other friends to join in enjoying. Mental and psychological they can collapse due to that and it can also cause their concentration to diminish in absorbing the lesson. Chances are they can also get addicted. As a result students suffer losses and their future can be disrupted. 

C. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

All things must have a positive and negative side of how people view him. The use of smartphones in the class also must have had a positive impact. Although the use of smartphones in school has more negative impacts than positive impact not denying there are still many schools that allow the use of smartphones in school and not least also the school that banned the use of Smartphone at the school. However, when a smartphone is not allowed to be brought to the school it could also be good if we see there is also a positive side to the use of smartphones in the school. My suggestion, we take the middle lane where students are allowed to bring a smartphone to school but during the learning process are captured and stored smartphone first. When there are internet-based learning, so students are permitted to take the smartphone back to help in the process of his education.When the teacher is allowed to search the internet, students are also permitted to take the smartphone back and looking for material on the internet. However, such rules must be really dealt with firmly because it is still a lot of teachers who are indifferent if the student still holding the smartphone when the learning process. As a result, students become does not concentrate in learning. However, there are also teachers who ban the smartphone on the table when he was studying so as not to disturb the concentration of students. If we could apply this rule, students can also learn discipline where they will learn, where time to play smartphones and the where the time to learn. Consequently, students can learn to manage time well. Especially when Deuteronomy, it is extremely important to smartphone confiscated to reduce cheating students would do. When smartphones they also confiscated, they have more time to socialize and communicate with his classmates. As a result, the level of friendship can be increased again.