Can cell phones be helpful in the classroom?

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Permalink Reply by Fred Ravan on November 28, 2010 at 8:04am

We are fighting a losing battle by excluding cell phones from schools. We need to ask why are they banned? I understand that they are a huge distraction but, cell phones now do so much more. I teach Spanish and usually I have my students do a speaking activity which takes almost the entire 45 minute class. While the kids are speaking and being evaluated, I am unavailable to help other students. What I want to do is have my students call my cell phone and leave a message for me--- currently we are practicing a giving directions. They will have a map and will have to tell me how to get to the movies. This would save me 40 minutes of class time. 40 minutes in which we can learn something new. My concern is that I will run afoul of my districts cell phone rules and end up in trouble. (My other concern is that my cell phone cannot handle getting 20 calls at once. )

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Permalink Reply by Karen Morales on December 2, 2010 at 1:31am

I think that cellphones can be useful in the classroom and can be educational for the students.

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Permalink Reply by Terry Fonseca on December 6, 2010 at 11:32am

When my 17 year old stated that one of her teachers gave out his cell phone number to the whole class, I questioned this inappropriate action. I was told it was because he wanted the students to call him when they needed help with classwork. Well, as on-the-level as he supposedly was, I didn't appreciate his actions. As a parent, I felt his dissemination of his cell phone number was not a wise or appropriate choice - no matter what his intentions. The school already has e-mail in place for each teacher, and if he is that concerned about taking their questions in a timely manner, he could have his e-mail forwarded to his phone. I don't see any reason the school should be involved in a student's cell-phone use, however, I do like the idea of my child being able to answer texts from their parents as daily routines change. Do you think parent-child cell phone communication is alright during the school day?

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Permalink Reply by Terry Smith on December 6, 2010 at 11:52am

Madison,

We are using cell phones in my teacher education class today. We will use polleverywhere.com to demonstrate the functionality of texting to respond to classroom topics. The intent here is to show that cell phones have untapped functionality and to ask my students to bring their own innovative thoughts to this - what might they do in their own classrooms?

Terry Smith, University of St. Francis

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Permalink Reply by Amy Broomfield on December 6, 2010 at 10:21pm

I feel like the more teachers try to take away a students cell phone, the more the student will try to defy the teacher. It is obvious that most students have cell phones and will bring them to school. This is why I think schools should ease up and allow students to use thier phones during free times like lunch in order to prevent their need to use them in the classroom. Though, I think cell phones are too hard to monitor and not everyone will always have one, so incorporating them into the classroom as a learning tool will not work.

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