During the TechEd 2009 conference, Hall Davidson delivered an interesting presentation on why cell phones should be utilized by students and teachers in the classroom.
According to Davidson, cell phones, and other sorts of mobile technology, will play a significant role in the 21st century classroom because they have become an important part of the lives of today’s students. These “mini” computers are the tools of choice for the so-called digital natives we teach.
Davidson believes mobile technology is transforming the way K-12 students learn. As students spend hundreds of hours per year talking on their cell phones, texting their peers, and searching the Internet, today’s student is literally being wired differently. The result is today’s student learns differently and therefore has different pedagogical needs.
I suppose the question then is can this sort of technology improve student learning? It’s interesting to consider that our students arrive at school every single day with mobile movie players, cameras, clocks, and minicomputers in their pockets. Why then don’t teachers take advantage of this technology? Why don’t teachers and administrators make a concerted effort to integrate mobile technology into their curriculum?
Davidson seems to think mobile technology has enormous potential for K-12 educators in the following areas:
- Mobile technology should be used to help students find academic information while engaged in learning activities.
- Mobile technology should be used to establish location-based teachable moments.
- Mobile technology should be used to foster critical thinking.
I suppose the most difficult problem, however, is how exactly teachers effectively integrate mobile technology into their curriculum. Considering all the potential pitfalls (e.g., student cheating, texting during class, student distraction, etc.), I can see why teachers and administrators are uncomfortable with the idea of students using cell phones to learn. But, certainly circumstances are changing, aren’t they? With these changes, I think, most educators acknowledge the need to thoughtfully consider how mobile technology can be effectively utilized to improve learning.
In order to accomplish this objective, educators need to construct a list of age-appropriate, subject specific best practices– examples of effective practices that really work. Following, are a list of a few resources that might help move this process along:
- Using cell phones for digital storytelling
- Utilizing camera phones during instruction
- Using cell phones in the classroom
- Connecting your classroom
- A few lessons on implementation
- Some other ideas
