The cell phone is a piece of personal technology which most students have spent a great deal of time learning about. In today’s school environment of dwindling budgets, cel phones can be used as personal mini computers for students that don’t have to be purchased by the schools. Also, electronic communication that is possible with cell phones, such as emails and texts, can greatly cut down on the amount of paper used at a school.Banning cell phones from schools because they could be used inappropriately is akin to banning pens from schools because they could be used to write notes to pass back and forth in class or pencils because they could be used to poke someone in the eye. When new technology is unfamiliar, there is a tendency to be fearful or distrustful. Cell phones can certainly be distracting, but used correctly, can be a terrific teaching tool.
There are some terrific cell phone learning strategies that can be used and customized for specific subjects and age ranges. The “flipped” classroom model of listening to lectures outside of class electronically while completing homework and projects inside of class is possible by sending the lectures to cell phones as MP3s. Programs are being developed all the time such as “School Town” which allows students and teachers to collaborate in chats areas or Wiffiti which allows the teacher to show the class a screen and the students can text in their opinions.
In the library, I would encourage students to use Evernote on their cell phones. Students can use this program to type notes, clip web pages, take photos and grab screenshots. Evernote would be an invaluable tool when students are working on research projects in and out of the library as it allows them to keep all of their notes together.
Ormiston, M. TeachHub.com: K-12 News, Lessons & Shared Resources By Teachers, For Teachers. Retrieved from http://www.teachhub.com/how-use-cell-phones-learning-tools.
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