Cell Phones in the classroom

I had mixed feelings about the use of cell phones in the classroom after listening to this podcast. On the one hand I can certainly see the appeal because it's novel and uses a form of technology many teenagers are already very interested in. But on the other hand, I think the activities you used cell phones for would have to be very carefully considered, or you would just be using them for the sake of using them.

I thought it was a good idea to provide the option of calling in homework assignments since some students might feel more comfortable in that format than in writing, but I also thought it would need some serious consideration and structure to ensure that the work expectations were equitable for calling in assignments versus writing them. Otherwise, I could imagine students spending two minutes to record a phone call with no preparation simply because it would be easier than taking the time to organize and write a response. I think it would be important to develop a clear rubric beforehand for both formats.

Overall I think it's always a good idea to give students the opportunity to demonstrate their learning in different ways, but it must be done with the end learning goals in mind. While novelty can be a powerful teaching tool in and of itself, when the novelty wears off and is no longer enough to keep students invested, there needs to be another reason or goal driving the use of the technology.

--Molly Betty