But really, the use of cell phones in schools has come up several times over our time in this course, and it was Liz Kolb's recent presentation to our class that put a spotlight on the issue. She is an advocate for using cell phones and other portable devices in the classroom, as a way to encourage greater student interaction with the material.
One point that she raised was related to why more schools aren't adopting a pro-cell phone policy (though, as she noted in her presentation, the number of schools that are cell-friendly has grown dramatically over the last several years). In an interview on the subject, she notes that most administrators in charge of making technology decisions did not grow up with the same kind of devices (or in some cases, any devices) that students today are using. They simply aren't familiar with them, and thus have a hard time envisioning their place in the classroom. While I can understand where such administrators are coming from, I also think that maybe they aren't considering the issue carefully enough. I mean, look at most smartphones today. They do practically everything for you. And most administrators that I've met so far are at least familiar with what an iPhone is/what it can do, if they don't already have one themselves. To some extent, how can you NOT think up at least one use for it in schools?
In terms of classroom use, I really like the polling sites that Liz introduced us to. In my methods class we've been working on writing lesson plans, and one of the trickiest areas to find activities for seems to be formative assessments. Tools for this need to be direct and easy to implement in a short amount of time in order for them to be really effective, and letting students take a poll with their phones strikes me as a really simple way to get student feedback in real-time, without taking up too much instructional time.
Of course, there are drawbacks, which I think have been pretty heavily outlined. One solution that Liz points to in terms of making students more responsible with their technology is the need for some kind of appropriate use education. It's one thing for students to sign an appropriate use "contract" at the beginning of the year and leave it at that, but I think (and have probably mentioned before in other posts) that it's important to teach students WHY they need to be responsible and HOW to go about doing this. Digital native students have for the most part always had technology and social media as a part of their lives, and treat it as an extension of their being. Liz brings up an important point when she notes that just because you send something using your personal device, doesn't mean it's personal to you. Educating students on the vast and interconnected nature of the internet, and the power that is held in their devices, is essentially for creating citizens who will responsibly and sensibly utilize the technological opportunities in front of them.
LOL EMILY. I have to tell you - when I go to comment on someones blog - I scroll through looking for a title or picture to catch my attention to choose which post to comment on. You definitely caught my eye with Kimmy P and your opening lines after that.
ReplyDeleteI am so pro-cell phones in school, but I see the many drawbacks as well. I used them to do a poll-everywhere assessment in my class and ran into two major drawbacks. The internet was not fast enough. They are making their WiFi extremely fast and therefore not worrying about the bandwith of the internet for those who connect with...wires? Not sure how to explain that. I would have used my laptop and done WiFi connection however in order to reach the projector, it is necessary to use my mentors computer which connects through wired internet. SO I was doing my poll and it was taking full minutes for answers to show up on the screen and to flip from one slide to the next. In those full minutes, students grew bored and for good reason. Therefore, they turned to using their cell phones for personal use. I can't blame them, but I wish it worked out better.
Also - about teaching WHY students should be responsible online - I could not agree more. I had a serious talk with the middle schoolers I coach about what they put online. When I told them that whatever they posted on any site, no matter what privacy settings they use, no matter how many times they "delete it," it is never really deleted and there are always people taht can access it that weren't allowed permission, they looked like I told them Santa Claus wasn't real. They couldn't believe that we (my co-coach and I) could see their instagrams, twitters, ask.fms, facebooks, and whatever social media they spend all their free time using. It's so important to teach these kids what really happens online before it is too late and something they said online in 11th grade is being used against them during a job application.
Great post!
Emily I must say I watched my fair share of Kim Possible growing up. hahaha My younger sister loved the show so I was often forced to watch endless hours of Kim fight off crime. You make a great point talking about how students need to become more responsible with their technology. Kids often don't understand the implications of posting something inappropriate can possibly have on opportunities in the future, whether its a potential job or school. Additionally, I feel that you are spot on when you say that most schools are skeptical about letting cell phones into the classroom and learning process because the administrators and teachers did not grow up with these various technological amenities.
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