Original Image: "Cell Phone Cameras"
Flickr Photo by Compujeramey
Released Under An Attribution 2.0 Generic Liscense
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en
This week, I decided to explore cell phones in education. Two of the most interesting resources that I found on this topic were:
Mark Prensky's Article: "What can you do with a cell phone?"
AND The Innovative Educator Blog
I have to admit that before I read these articles, I couldn't really see how cell phones could be beneficial within the classroom. However, over the course of this reading, I learned some really interesting things about cell phones. First, I learned that most cell phones that we are using now are more powerful than the computers that we were using ten years ago! Much of education is not making students memorize as much information as they can. When students are out of school they will be not be merely relying on the information that they learned while they were in it. Instead they will need to know where to find the information that they need. Using their cell phones is one way to do this. Students and adults have their cell phone on them almost all the time so it makes sense that they would use this as a tool for answering their questions. If I need to find out what the capitol of Bolivia is, I can use the texting feature on my phone to text GOOGL, and in about 10 seconds I will have my answer.
I was really surprised to find out that in high school, my roommate used cell phones in her physics class. She was learning about sound waves, pitch, and frequency, and her teacher used a recording device to record the different keys to show that they all had a slightly different pitch. Then they graphed the pitch of the keys and talked about why they were different.
At first, I thought that cell phones in education could only be used at the middle or high school level. However, my roommate also pointed out that her mom is a nurse, and she has had children call her during their class for a project where they were practicing using the phone, communicating back and forth using this medium, and asking questions to obtain information. The children had to write their questions before they made the phone call. They also had to practice taking her address so that they could send her a brochure. This is a really neat use of cell phones because everyone has to use the phone frequently throughout their life. Therefore these children are having the opportunity to obtain and practice this life skill.
Some other really cool ideas that I read about for using cell phones in education were using them to poll student's responses,locate definitions, find currency conversions, look up math equations, locate language translations, read news articles and current events, use google maps and the GPS feature on different cell phones, use the digital camera feature for classroom projects and presentations, record a particularly interesting lecture to share with others or listen to again, and to educate students on the appropriate social use of cell phones. I learned a lot from these articles, and I would highly recommend that you check them out too if you are at all interested in this topic!
Jenna, I must admit that I am still a little skeptical of using cell phones in the classroom. At the younger age, I feel like talking on the phone should be a skill learned outside of school. Students get enough exposure to this outside of school that it seems a waste to cover it in the classroom. Also, what is going to keep older students from texting or doing other activities on their phones when they are supposed to be using them for learning? I think in theory this could be a good idea, but there are a lot of possible issues as well.
ReplyDeleteI agree wtih Emily, I don't think I could trust a classroom with cell phones. I still don't like the idea of students in the middle school having cell phones in general. To me it would be hard to have students use cell phones in the classroom becuase there are so many things they could be doing on the cell phone like texting or downloading songs or checking facebook or twitter.
ReplyDeleteI think the cell phones could have a place in the classroom if it is carefully implemented. I know that I have used the GOOGL text feature in class before to look up the meaning of something. I think that this feature could be great in addition to using the internet, encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc. As for texting and goofing off in class with them, this is a distinct posibility. However, if the teacher really focuses on norms from the beginning regarding the use of cell phones, then potential problems may be eliminated.
ReplyDeleteI like how your friend used her phone in her physics class but, like others, I'm still cynical about the use of cell phones in the classroom. I think that they could turn out to be a HUGE distraction in class. I'm also concerned about students who don't have a cell phone to use or no internet on the phone. Maybe in the future when they're accesible for everyone and more easily monitored they'll be a better tool for the classroom!
ReplyDeleteI see from all of your responses that this is a really controversial topic. I really like that Abby pointed out that if cell phones were to be used in the classroom, the teacher would need to set up classroom norms and follow through with them right from the begining. I think that this is essential in order for these types of lessons to work. Although, I have a question for all of you? When you allow children to use computers, what keeps them from going on facebook or checking their mail when you want them to be researching for a project? Do we simply not use computers because there is a possibility that students will fool around instead of doing what we ask of them, or do we set specific rules for what they are supposed to be doing on the computer and then monitor their progress to ensure that is what they are doing?
ReplyDeleteAlso, if you were doing a project that required students to use their cell phones and not all students had them, I think that you could put students into groups where at least one student in each group had a cell phone. There are a lot of features on the phone that might be useful, and the student wouldn't even need to have the internet. For example, they could use the texting feature to gain information, or they could use the recording feature or camera feature. Almost all phones have these capabilities, and they could be just as useful in the classroom.
As far as students getting exposure to using the phone outside of the classroom, I think that you make a really good point. However, I think that we need to be careful not to assume things about what children are learning outside of school. Some parents work several jobs or are not home as much as we would like them to be. Therefore, all students may not be getting this exposure outside of the classroom. However, if you could tie a life skill (like talking on the phone) to a GLCE that the students needed to be learning, then you would be killing two birds with one stone. You would also be finding a way to make the lesson more engaging and exciting for your students. Not only young children, but also special needs children could benefit from learning life skills in this way.
Therefore, I think that cell phones can still have a place in the classroom if they are very carefully implemented.