Cell Phones in Education

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Comment by Gina Marandino on December 12, 2012 at 12:26pm

I run a workshop with a colleague titled "Mobile Apps for Education" at the university where we work.  We show faculty members how they can use their smart phones and tablets in their teaching and to organize their professional lives.  Here is a link to the accompanying guide we created. http://stjohns.campusguides.com/appsfored  

Comment by Angelica Garcia on December 12, 2012 at 12:17pm

When my very deserving daughter turned 15 years old I bought her an iPhone. I personally (at the time) thought they were over-rated and despite the data package costs, it was still cheaper than a quinceanera. Anyway, that's what she wanted for her birthday so I bought her one. Four years later she we have become an entire iPhone family. I'll admit, what I pay a month for these phones, I can lease a brand new car, but once I saw all she could do with the phone I quickly came on board. While in high school I saw she was completing assignment sooner and she was using her phone as a learning aid putting dictionary and graphing calculator apps on it. I bought my 13 yr old son one about a year ago and he waits for me in the car while I run errands doing homework with the aid of the Kahn Mobile app. My husband is a truck driver, so I bought him iPhone Siri, so he can keep his eyes and hands on the wheel and road. I too have the iPhone and use it a lot in my classroom. There are so many benefits to this technology. When I notice a student with an iPhone (or smart phone) I immediately begin the discussion with him/her on how his/her phone can aid them in the classroom and I actually encourage them to use it to complete assignment, activities and projects. I am actually one of the few teachers in the building who allow students to have their phones out in the classroom. Which leads me to the point on how to get the rest of my staff on board and encourage this device to be used as a learning tool in the classroom. Cell phones, still seem to be Taboo in my school.

Comment by Melissa Hocking on December 2, 2012 at 6:35pm

As cell phones have become smart phones and more and more students have them they are becoming devices we can use them for learning devices.  With services like Poll Everywhere students can take quizzes and respond to survey questions by texting.  With more and more students having devices available to them rather than fight with high school students over their use we can embrace them for good like Poll Everywhere or internet activity and on and on........

Comment by Evan OBranovic on December 2, 2012 at 1:57pm

Being a 4th grade teacher I have seen an increase of cell phones being brought to school by students. I appear to be teaching an age where getting a cell phone is a step towards adulthood, like driving for teenagers. Utilizing a tool like Poll EverywhereI was able to give a quick survey to my students that gave me immediate feedback. 

For my transitioning group it was a great option because my students could take it on a cell phone if they had one or take it on the computer if they didn't (several students stated they were sure they were getting one for Christmas) I think this was a good way to introduce students to the fact that cell phones are more than just places to play angry birds. They can be a tool and make learning a little more fun and engaging.

If anyone else has found great tools like Poll Everywhere that can be used in cell phones and on computers I would love to know about them.

Comment by Melissa Benoit` on November 28, 2012 at 10:22am

I teach high school English in Allegan, Michigan and have mostly twelfth grade students. I'm getting my Master's in Arts of Educational Technology from Michigan State University. So in an effort to try out some of the technology with my students, I've been trying to incorporate some into my lessons. Today, I set up a Poll Everywhere and allowed students to pull out their cell phones to respond to the question. It wasn't a question that pertained to anything we were currently learning because first I wanted to see how it worked and how the students interacted with it. I asked them what their favorite book was from first trimester. The first thing I noticed was how excited they were to finally be allowed to have their phones out. They started right away answering the poll. They loved seeing their answers flash up on the screen. They even started getting creative with smiley faces, so they knew which post was theirs. They started keeping track of what answer was given the most and what might win. It was an interactive and instantaneous way to get feedback from students. I also had students use their cell phones (especially the iPhone) as a way to record themselves. For a project, students were able to write song lyrics and then record themselves using their phones. It was an easy solution and didn't include headphones, a laptop, or any editing software. Students were quickly able to record both at school and out of school. One problem I ran into was students not having cell phones. And if they did, some students didn't have them on them because they really aren't supposed to have them on during school. It was hard for me to ask them to respond using their phones, when they shouldn't have them. I did however have lab time signed out, so students were able to answer using the website address. It would work well for my blended group of students, who access class outside of the regular school day. It would be an easy way for me to see how they were doing or what extra help they needed. There phones are something they always have on them, so asking them to respond via that would work well.

Comment by Willyn Webb on November 27, 2012 at 2:42am

Just thought I'd share the Verizon Innovative Ap Challenge http://appchallenge.tsaweb.org/

which would support what you are talking about with a $10,000 prize!

Comment by Gerard Jensen on November 27, 2012 at 1:14am

I think the problem of some students not having an unlimited data plan can be overcome if the schools tie in all students with smartphones into a wireless LAN - that not only provides faster communication, but also "free of charge" and with a better control over what content can be viewed (filtering) and most importantly *when* it can be viewed (e.g.: no internet connection for certain users during exam time, full Internet access during breaks etc.).

Another interesting technology piece to have a look at in future may also be the introduction of "femto cells" (essentially: local cellular base stations that could be installed on school premises). http://www.cambridgeconsultants.com/news/pr/release/16/en has a very "handy" version in development, that would allow also older "feature phones" (those that allow usage of Java apps for example) to tie into a local school communication infrastructure.

Combine that with a local server infrastructure that delivers school related applications and content, and you get a powerful tool that may well go beyond just classroom use (school administrative tasks could obviously also be included).

Chuck in an SMS gateway (e.g. via http://playsms.org/ or http://www.frontlinesms.com/) and you can really whip up an engaging experience for students - while at the same time having substantial control over "rogue" usage in class by students that do not want to adhere to usage restrictions.

The technology shouldn't limit you - what may limit you is the amount of resources you have at school to set all of this up and have it maintained. Another engaging way to manage that: have it as a constant IT class subject. What better way of teaching someone Java or web based technology than by having them develop educational applications they can brag about on campus? ;-)

Comment by Jamin Jones on November 26, 2012 at 8:05pm

I like the idea of using cell phones in the classroom as well. The trouble I find is similar to others mentioned. Not all students have them. If they have cell phones their plans may not have unlimited data or they may not have a smart phone. It is also more challenging at the elementary level because many of my students are considered too young by their parents to have a cell phone. I am kind of curious as to what age it is considered appropriate to have a cell phone. It blows my mind to think that I got my first cell phone at 20. Technology is certainly moving quickly.

Comment by Brian Stukey on October 29, 2012 at 5:40pm

I like the idea of using cell phones, but have not had much success.  Just today I tried to run a survey using cell phones.  Not everyone had their phone and only the newest smart phones worked well and efficiently.  Even some of the better phones had issues with good consistent service.  I think most of my students have cell phones, but they are not all smart phones and not every student has an unlimited data or texting plan.  Using cell phones is a nice idea, but I am lucky enough to have a classroom set of clickers.  I think that for now I will stick to the clickers.

Comment by Charlene Patten on October 29, 2012 at 10:27am

There is a really cool app called Socrative that can be downloaded on Android device, Apple devices and through a browser.  This tool allows for students to use their mobile device as a clicker system.  The best part about it...its FREE! 

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