I see your viewpoint of the argument on personal property, but remember that schools have rules established to deal with situations. I imagine at the beginning of the year you get a student handbook and sign off that you have read and understand the rules and agree to abide by them or face the consequences. There is most likely a rule that states that devices will be confiscated when used improperly, which you should be aware of. As to whether it is "fair" or not is a whole different argument. Keep in mind why you are in school: To learn, to challenge yourself, to make and learn from mistakes. Why should you be allowed to text during school time when you could be using that time to further your knowledge by using your mobile device in a more productive way?

There is no inherent reason to ban cellphones from schools, other than they can cause a disruption if used improperly, as they often are everywhere outside of schools. The issue is not cellphones themselves, but the proper and improper use of these devices. And what better place to educate people about proper use than at a school?

First off, it is difficult to make it a requirement in public schools due to varying views on what the school should provide vs. what the individual should provide. That is another debate itself. But cellphones can be a tool used to increase productivity, and that skill should be taught. I have been using cellphones with my students for three years, and it has led to a better understanding of the concepts (instant feedback through polleverywhere.com), a higher rate of homework completion (students receive SMS messages with the homework assignments via textmarks.com), and instant access to data (internet searches, SMS searches through Google and chacha, ability to make phone calls to gather data). And these ideas only begin to scratch the surface.

There was a time when people wanted to ban calculators. Then they wanted to ban computers. These views tend to come from a one-sided view that relying on the tool can be detrimental, and that is true. But using the tool as an aid, on the other hand, can lead to better understanding of concepts, higher creativity and collaboration, and a more efficient use of limited time and resources that are available to schools.

It is also detrimental to the educational process if you focus too much on banning the devices, as students will continue to bring them whether it is "allowed" or not. Chris Lehmann from Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia stated that if your first priority is discipline, you will never achieve your second. As educators, we are in the field of educating students, and this is one area where I don't believe we can sit back and allow the possibilities to fade away. As the world changes, so must we. For a time, education would lead the innovation. Recently, we have become stagnant and now struggle to catch up with innovation.

In the end, the use of these devices should be allowed, but not freely. There need to be guidelines and consequences for a structured environment of use that is willing to allow a flexibility for possibilities, successes, and failures so that the innovation and learning opportunities are there for all of our students.