I teach high school biology in Alberta. Our school has banned cell phone use by students during school hours. This probably is appropriate since it reduces the incidence of conflict between students and teachers when a phone rings during class time. It also reduces the possible use of the technology during classroom tests when text messaging or digital file access may not be appropriate. Regular land-lines are available in classrooms and teachers are open to students using these phones to make “necessary” calls at appropriate times. However, there may be times when cell phones might be a useful tool. Please see http://tinyurl.com/322wa3 for some of my thoughts regarding this.