The use of phones and other digital devices will definitely make things easier for students, but easier does not always mean better.
Let's take some steps backward to begin, and discuss some key things.
Learning? What is it? Learning is simply the act of accumulating knowledge. We do this in various forms from the time we are born till the time we die. However, for the purposes of this particular post, I'll be focusing solely on what is termed formal education, the sort of education that is received in a very structured form in classrooms.
Firstly, we need to examine what the aim of formal education is because we cannot accurately determine if digital devices such as phone make things easier for students without first defining clearly what outcome we are working towards and would consider desirable. As far as I can tell, the point of formal education is primarily to equip students with a certain range of knowledge, the most basic of which is considered essential to fully function as a member of society, while the more advanced knowledge is generally geared towards being able to get a job, contribute to society, and get rewarded with considerable monetary rewards, enough to earn a living.
Now, how do the use of phones in class affect this expected outcome?
Like most things, phones and other digital devices are not inherently good or bad. They just are. Their goodness or badness realizes as a consequence of the nature of their use by a specific user.
However, school children, as a result of their often impulsive, childish behavior and natural search of quick hits of dopamine would be prime suspects if one was looking for potentially bad users of phones.
Children tend to be drawn to things like games, movies, and social media on phones as these offer them great dopamine hits that keep them hyped. This is not a problem in and of itself, but the problem is that a lot of children tend to quickly get addicted to these things, to the point of getting cranky and/or rebellious if and when they don't get what they want. Once it gets to this level, it is nothing but bad. Attention spans decline, focus dwindles, distractions increase, social disruptions are introduced to class, and school grades fall into an abyss, falling more and more rapidly with time. And that argument is just for phones being used in class
The argument above is simply for phones being used during class and can still be further debated to weigh its merits and demerits forget. But as for the case of phones being used during exams, that is a straight, firm, capital NO.
The entire point of holding classes is to evaluate the level of knowledge that has been assimilated and that can be articulated into paper by the student. Emphasis on BY THE STUDENT. If phones were allowed during exams, there would be little reason for students to really apply themselves to learning information that they don't even know is important yet until years later. Why? The students can simply search the answers to the test questions on search engines and the most recent AI bots. In that case, the school wouldn't be testing the student, but the student's phone.
If used wisely and judiciously though, the wealth of knowledge on the net can be a force for good. Like I said, it isn't inherently good or bad.
In conclusion, digital devices such as phones can indeed make lives easier for students, but that doesn't mean that they should always be employed. Phones are best used as a useful adjunct to learning, a tool, a reliable servant to the master who is willing and able to tame this potentially wild technology and keep it under his/her control.
I'm submitting this about an hour late, sorry🥲
Do have a great day.