What is a cell phone?
February 6, 2009
Image via WikipediaIt’s so funny that we call these little devices that we all carry around in our pockets cell phones. I’d like to think that “cell phones” are much more than just wireless phones. After all, most of us who have cell phones can use them to check email, listen to music, download content from the web and update our social networking sites.
What if we could use these devices in classrooms? How would we use them? Would we see more kids off task if we allowed cell phones in classrooms?
I recently had a conversation about cell phones in schools with some teachers I work with. Many wrestled with questions such has:
Won’t we see more cyberbullying?
How do we monitor what they are doing?
What if they don’t have a cell phone?
I certainly don’t have answers for all of these quesitons, but I am sure that these devices have a place in our classrooms.
One example that shows how cell phones can be used in education is a sweet little application that I recently discovered called Text The Mob.
Text The Mob is a simple way to turn your cell phone or computer into a student response system and it’s free for up to 100 students.
Check out my poll on cell phones and join the discussion!
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Entry Filed under: Learning, Living, Tips/Tricks. Tags: Cell Phones, Classroom, Mobile phone, Wireless.
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1. John | February 6th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
We also use http://www.polleverywhere.com same thing as text the mob, only it is cleaner (not in beta) but allows only 30 votes for the free version. Both are great applications to be used in and out of the classroom. Also for those schools who have the money for one to one computers you can now use eInstructins “virtual clicker”. I believe Promethean allows you to use your phone with their clickers as well. One thing is for sure the technology in their pockets is not just for placing phone calls. Infact “cell phones” are probably not used by kids as phones much at all, unless they are talking to their parents
2. Teacher in NC | February 7th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I have a Promethean Activclassroom and there are two student-response systems, the Activexpression and the Activote. I love that students can text their answers to pop quizzes and graphs generate instantaneously as to who answered right or wrong anonymously so the kids don’t feel embarrassed. Plus I can see that everyone voted or someone is still thinking. The kids end up cheering # whatever on to lock in an answer.
I don’t know how I feel about students using their cell phones because I’m not sure who is texting and who is submitting an answer. Plus, not every kid has a cell phone and I’m sure that kid may get made fun of outside of class by the haves for being a have not. School is tough!