Cell Phones in Education

Comment

Comment by Jeff Powers on April 26, 2011 at 12:47pm

I have owned and Apple iPhone for over 2 years. A lot has changed in the world of mobile devices in that short amount of time. At the present, I include myself in the group of people who would find it challenging to be without my smart phone. So when I initially read the claim by Dr. Elliot Soloway, founder of GoKnow, that "Within 5 years, every K-12 student in America will be using a mobile handheld device as part of learning.", I was skeptical. However, as I reflected on my personal experiences with my mobile device, and consider what I have accomplished personally and professionally in only half the time frame he suggests, I become more of a believer. What I see as obstacle to this goal ,that has only begun to be addressed, is providing a framework of MLD ready tools and applications that will satisfy state and national benchmarks. There are many "apps" that teach math, literacy, etc. But more will need to be done before widespread acceptance and use of MLDs can be expected.

Comment by Molly Rebecca Beer on April 25, 2011 at 9:09am

After using polleverywhere in my 6th grade classroom, I have mixed feelings about cell phone use in school.  While my students were using their phones to take the poll, I heard one student say, "Cool, I can't wait to start using my cell phone in class for things I am not supposed to be doing!" I am hoping that the more we use them in educational ways, our students' sense of right and wrong will kick in and they will realize that this resource really does enhance their education.  Hopefully, they will become more enthusiastic about learning with the help of their own technology. I agree with Sandra's opinion that the kids already have cell phones in school, and many are texting secretly in their pockets.  Why not let them have their phones out so we can see what they are doing with them?

Comment by Suzanne Rhadigan on April 23, 2011 at 3:11pm

I was wondering what grades teachers have taught where the students used cell phones.

Comment by Sandra Hines on April 22, 2011 at 8:02pm

My district, in Texas, changed board policy last year to allow each campus to set rules that allow students to have cell phones and other digital devices at school. Some of our schools have embraced it. We have some teachers using polleverywhere.com for classroom discussions and to gather information. Some of them are using their cell phones for research and take notes. I think it is better to have the phones in plain sight on the desk so a teacher can see what the student it doing with it, than to have it hidden away. Students can text with it in their pocket. If the cell phone is out of sight, it does not mean it is not being used. We know they have them, why not allow them to use the technology to learn, collaborate and research?

Comment by Michelle Fairley on April 21, 2011 at 5:43pm

I agree Dessa, that it is a great tool to use, but my students went crazy when they had this opportunity.  Has anyone ever experienced students acting goofy just because they get to use their phone in class?

Comment by Dessa Schurr on April 21, 2011 at 7:58am

I don't have any experience using cell phones in the classroom, but after looking at polleverywhere.com I would highly recommend it. I can see how asking a question and having your students text a response anonymously can help you as a teacher clarify information. This would be a great tool for students who don't like to ask questions or are too shy.

Comment by netk03 on April 20, 2011 at 6:15pm

I am a department administrator at a university. I have just created my first poll with polleverywhere and I am already coming up with ideas of how I can poll the college students and other administrators and have them respond using cell phones during or after the presentations. I gave a workshop last year and I wanted to get an opinion and it was difficult to get an idea what administrators thought just by the number of raised hands. I wish I knew about polleverywhere then!

Comment by Jesse Loznak on April 20, 2011 at 7:08am

For those of you who allow students to use cell phones in the classroom for things like polleverywhere, is it worth the hassle?  What I mean is, would you recommend your administration to revaluate the policy on no cell phones allowed.

Comment by Maria Fishell on April 19, 2011 at 8:45pm

I use Quick Response (QR) codes quite a bit to market our school’s programs and services.  Once a person who has a camera phone scans the generated QR code, it directs him to our school’s website or to a YouTube video so he can watch a short clip showing the courses that we offer.  I also created a code on my blog to direct people to my LinkedIn profile.  Do you have ideas on how we can use camera phones with QR readers for education?

Comment by Scott Cox on April 18, 2011 at 6:52pm

I personally believe that cell phones are an excellent, economical way to get one-to-one education. Most kids are walking around with a cell phone (at least in my district) anyway and trying to hide it, why not embrace it and incorporate it into the classroom. I do see some of the downside to it though as well. Kids taking inappropriate pictures of other kids, stealing/losing them, taking pictures of answers/tests and sharing them to other students. But none of these downsides too tall to tackle. You just have to be willing to chance the status quo.

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