The webinar I watched dealt with the topic of implementing cell phones for learning in school and as a tool for professional purposes. I was actually very interested in hearing what these presenters had to say about this topic, because I know there are lots of pros and cons.
The main benefit of cell phones in school is the communication and interaction amongst students, teachers, parents, and staff.
Most students love to use their cell phones, what more than to use their number one communication device in learning too? One of the steps they mentioned with this topic was the one cell phone classroom. This type of teaching included only the teacher using his or her cell phone to teach their students. This includes examples such as, showing images from their phones and connecting it to a projector to make the whole class view them. Cell phones are also beneficial to send classwork and homework to students who either missed class or did not get a chance to complete the assignments in class. One example can be a brainstorming lecture where the teacher writes a lot of ideas on the board and then students do not have time to copy the whole thing down, so the teacher takes a picture and sends it to students. There were some resources of texting sites to go to along with applications that can be useful with a cell phone in classroom. One was Wiffiti, which is a student-parent interaction tool that looks like a bulleting board which can help involve parents to participate their children's school by giving ideas to the teachers about an event. Another one was Voki, which is a recording application that can record students' responses while giving a lecture so teachers can remember what they said and have more understanding. It also can motivate them by allowing them to create their avatars.
One downfall is that most of the cell phones involving these tools are smartphones. Not all students and their families may have access to them because of factors such as low SES and poverty. But with the help of teachers getting all students on board no matter what the circumstances can make cell phone use more accessible and beneficial in education.
Related articles:
New York teachers learn cell phone lessons (upi.com)
Schools see cell phones as aid (nysun.com)
I agree that the use of cellphones for learning can be both beneficial and detrimental depending on the way it is used. It is a long way from the way we grew up but if used under the right circumstances and under the guide of teachers, it'd be a perfect way to bridge the gaps between the home and school environments :)
ReplyDeleteGreat Post crystal:) i agree with sandie in that cellphone use is very beneficial if put in good use education wise. For example, in your post, you mention how students use their cell phones to contact classmates who have missed a class day or assignment and inform them. I can relate because back in high school me and friends would also do this, text each other if one of us were absent. Its cool, i never knew they had sites like wiffiti, sounds like is a useful tool:)
ReplyDeleteI also so this webinar and i totally agree with the idea of cell phones in the classroom. When i am in class and don't have the time to write down what is on the board, i whip out my cellphone and take a picture of the board and then email myself the photo. Technology is really helping me to stay up to date in my classes which is why i chose to tune in to that webinar.
DeleteDid you or Maria consider how cell phones could be used in your flipped lesson? The camera feature would be perfect for your "in the field" activity.
ReplyDeleteA lot of the interactive whiteboards offer student response systems. Basically every student gets a remote control looking device and they can punch in answers to questions. (I'm not a fan of the "A,B,C, or D?") Anyways, cell phone texting could function in a similar manner.