Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Cell Phones as a Personal Learning Device

So the iPhone release is approaching. Dean Shareski is beginning to share some interesting thoughts on cell phones as educational tools. Many districts are drafting policies defining their use or outright banning them.

Watch THIS and tell me that we can realistically ban cell phones. I just see too many possibilities...
  1. Can the cell phone be used as a classroom response system? You know, the clickers? A cell phone would simply text the answer to the teacher's WEB-BASED app.
    (I know I just gave up my million dollar idea!)
  2. Once a cell phone contains a wireless Internet connection, how can we possibly filter them? The wireless Internet connection is the most significant piece to me.
  3. The time/place shifting ability of a phone/mp3 player/wireless Internet device could even make ATTENDANCE at school ... optional or at least flexible.
I have an idea! Let's just prohibit... no I don't think that's going to work.
We just have to educate, educate, educate... I forget where I read that.

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1 Comments:

At 2:58 PM , Jim Gates said...

Yes, very cool phone. But I keep thinking that the first that will happen is that parents will demand that the schools pay for the minutes. And what of the kids who don't have one? Will the school have to buy them one?

And I also worry that we're trying to force fit this into the curriculum. For example, in the Pay Attention video their example for teaching with cell phones is pretty lame. If that's the best example they could come up with, then let's save the energy.

So, I'm not convinced, but I'm listening to the conversation with an open mind.

 

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