Cell Phones?

Listening to the podcast, "From Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Learning" was definitely interesting for me. In my experience, cell phones have always been prohibited in the classroom, and I've never thought about them as a tool, but more of as a type of distraction. Hearing about the two student teachers who were able to use them in their units seemed incredibly creative. I understand how Katie, one of the student teachers, intended for the option of calling in a homework assignment to give students an opportunity for different modality, but I wonder if it was as involved as the written alternative would have been. While both options provide students with the chance to analyze and build off the text, written assignments seem to have an inherent element of revision and planning that doesn't seem as applicable to phone conversations, as used in this assignment. Katie mentioned how a lot of the students started rambling, and it seems like requiring some kind of initial planning would have been beneficial (maybe this could have been via phone conversation as well?). She seemed content with the fact that some students chose to step outside the box and try something new than concerned about the form and content of their phone calls, and I wonder if she tried it again and if the responses improved. It seems like this technology can be applied to high school subjects, but I wonder if it is possible, or even appropriate, with younger students. It seems like elementary aged students would also benefit from opportunities to share their ideas orally as opposed to through writing, and maybe through teaching friendly phone conversations as a way to develop communication skills, but it still seems like it doesn't really fit. I'm curious about how parents reacted to this assignment, and how they would feel if it were middle school, or elementary school children as opposed to high schoolers, and if the outcome would be as successful.