Implementation of Cell Phones in Instruction

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alan Cohen on April 28, 2009 at 8:58am

Hi,

I am beginning to implement cell phones in my ESL class. I've written an article about this - http://www.ehow.com/how_4933366_use-cell-phones-teach-english.html . I am going to begin by having my students text Google for definitions for words - text the following (ignore the quotes) "def wordToDefine 466453.

Permalink Reply by Katherine Raphael on June 12, 2011 at 12:12pm

Hi Alan,

Wow, thanks for pointing us to your article.  I teach Spanish and can apply what you suggest into my classroom at many levels.  I am struggling with the concept of using cellphones in the classroom as the school I last taught at basically had a no tolerance policy for phones.  Students were to keep their phones in their lockers and if they were found on their persons in the classroom I had to take them away.  I joined this discussion as part of some coursework I am taking right now and am not currently teaching.  I am looking though, and maybe the school I end up at will be more flexible.  In thinking about how I might use phones in a language course, I have considered the struggle that language learners have in how to express themselves when they don't have the exact vocabulary they want.  An example is the scenario where one dropped their pencil on the floor and need to express this but don't have the words "dropped" or "floor".  Hello roadblock!  This is when I try to help students think about what other words they have to express the same thing.  Can they say "My pencil is by my foot" or "My pencil is down there"?  In the brain, the learners are already doing so much, that taking that moment to think creatively to come up with a different way of saying something is very challenging.  Enter Poll Everywhere and texting with the phone.  I could feasibly see myself adding a phrase each week, or day, with a statement or scenario and asking students to come up with other ways to say the same thing in Spanish.  I don't even think I would need Poll Everywhere to do this sort of activity, just present the scenario and let the students text back their best answers. 

Permalink Reply by Alan Beam on July 17, 2009 at 8:49am

Marty,

I think if the decision is made to use cell phones then the AUP has to be adapted. Most AUP simply deny the use of Cell phones. Over the next 6 months I hope to develop a AUP that deals with phones. I will share and be looking for input.

Permalink Reply by Sara De Voogd on June 8, 2011 at 1:45pm

As with any technology, monitoring to ensure students are participating appropriately is of concern.  I was at a conference last year in a session talking about using cell phones in the classroom.  One of the presenters suggested establishing guidelines/procedures for students.  All cell phones needed to be set on the desk at the beginning of the activity.  Students may pick them up to text in a response and then returned to the desk.  He also mentioned discussing a consequence/loss of privilege for a non-compliant student.  In this case, perhaps there's an alternative form of submission in place prior to the activity.  Perhaps not impossible for students to work around, but at least for the instructor a quick visual scan might help combat cell phone uses not contributing to the activity.

Permalink Reply by Ashley Bartkowiak on August 4, 2011 at 10:44am

Sara, thank you for the suggestions that you have provided. I've always thought that guidelines would need to be established before using cell phones in the classroom, but never quite knew how to go about it. The idea of having students leave their cell phones on their desks is a great way for me to do a quick scan of the room and actually see who is following directions and who is not. I think this is a wonderful idea and a straightforward rule for the students to follow. Have you tried using cell phones in your classroom with these guidelines in place? Did they seem to work?

Permalink Reply by Sarah Boutwell on August 4, 2011 at 12:03pm

Hi Sara,

That is a great idea of how to keep track of cell phones and ensure that all students are on task. Even though the students may be using phones only designed for this purpose, it is still entirely possible for them to become distracted by the technology. Many of the older students in our school would certainly spend a great deal of energy trying to use the phones for personal use, even if it is not possible. I love the idea of keeping all phones in a visible location so that the teacher can quickly scan the room to make sure all students are following directions. If working in groups, a student could even be assigned responsibility of the phones, to ensure that all members in the group are using the tool effectively.

Thank you for sharing your idea!

Permalink Reply by Suzi Brass on April 16, 2012 at 7:04pm

Hi Sara,

I like the approach that you mention to keep students on track by setting guidelines / procedures during use of cell phone activities.  It appears that this approach is based on a face-to-face classroom environment and the mobile devices are provided to the students to use.  I teach courses in an online environment so obviously the technology is required (at least the use of computers).  I'm wondering how much value the use of mobile phone activities would be for the online student.  I do know that the Learning Management System (LMS) is available to access via the iPhone and Android platforms for students to sign in and use.  That said, it is not a requirement since the students may not have a smartphone and there is already the computer requirement.  Outside of the optional use of signing into the LMS via mobile technology, I cannot think of any reason or additional value of using mobile technology for online students.  I plan to peruse the various forums to see if there are any suggestions on how mobile technology could be beneficial to online students.

Permalink Reply by Abbie Bucska on October 19, 2011 at 8:13pm

I teach 2nd grade and think my students would be very motivated to use cell phones to complete simple tasks, like using Poll Everywhere or even dictionary.com.  I read an article that Verizon Wireless set up a plan with a school and provides student phones with limited access for safety.  Has anybody tried implementing the use of cell phones in instruction in an elementary school? 

Permalink Reply by Jon Lind on April 21, 2012 at 7:33am

I tutor students with a variety of learning disabilities from a variety of school systems.  The schools have a wide range of policies about mobile devices in the classroom, but we've been able to work with students, parents, teachers, and administrators when we can make a good case for a specific uses of smartphones for these students.  Phones are great for keeping these kids organized, setting reminders for assignments and due dates, scheduling study time, etc.  There are also some different apps that can be very useful to students with disabilities.  Some of my students have permission to record lectures on their phones so that they can play them back later.  Some use voice recognition software to write papers and complete assignments on their phones (something they can even do on the bus, in the car on the way to soccer practice, etc.).  My hope is that some of these students will serve as a foot in the door, and when educators and administrators see them using these devices responsibly, they might reconsider existing policies.  Fighting technological advances is a losing battle; we need to adapt and adopt and try to keep up.