Cathie: So, what upset you so much in the NY Times article http://tinyurl.com/by7dl7 about the Mobile Learning Conference ‘09 held on Feb 17th, 2009?

 

Elliot: Let me start with the most egregious issue.

"Texting, ringing, vibrating," said Janet Bass, a spokeswoman for the American Federation of Teachers, the nation's second largest teachers'

union. "Cellphones so far haven't been an educational tool. They've been a distraction." Ms. Bass says it is "almost laughable that the cellphone industry is pushing a study showing that cellphones will make kids smarter," particularly during a recession that is crushing the budgets of many school districts.

Excuse me, exactly why is it “almost laughable” for the community to put forth a study on the impact of an innovation? Indeed, if cellphone computers – a low-cost alternative to laptops (even mini-laptops) – can lead to improved achievement – a finding from the study of Project K-Nect in North Carolina http://www.projectknect.org  - such information is precisely what is needed during these times of financial peril.

 

If the AFT stands by their spokesperson’s comment, then the AFT is demonstrating how out of touch and irrelevant it is – a thought that had previously crossed some folks’ minds. Indeed, Bass’ wholesale dismissal of serious research is irresponsible of the AFT and they should be chastised for their unacceptable behavior.

 

Cathie: Yikes! Those are very strong words considering that you are a “yellow-dog Democrat” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_dog_Democrat   and staunch union supporter.

 

Elliot: Yes, it pains me greatly to criticize a teachers’ union.  Janet Bass – I call on you to issue a public apology and retract your unfortunate statement.

 

Cathie: Has the AFT crossed the line, as Elliot suggests? Comments?

 

Comments

[Michael Gielniak, One-to-One Institute]

Elliot cross a line - no, never.

Ms. Bass' comments are unfortunate, but not surprising. Most of the schools I work with have some type of policy against the use of cell phones, texting, etc. Two students were actually suspended last week in one of these schools for texting. I think until smart phones (cell phone computers, as Elliot like to call them) are in the hands of most students, and there are tons of apps that are easily applied in the classroom, educators will not embrace the technology. We all know that people do not like to change. We are still struggling with the acceptance of technologies that are more than a decade old. For that matter, we are still struggling with the acceptance of educational pedagogy that is more than 2,000 years old. But I digress. Although Ms. Bass' comments may make our jobs a little harder, I think they are a good indicator of how most teachers perceive cell phones in the classroom. The upside is that there will be plenty of work for us for many years to come.

[Elliot Soloway]

Talk about black humor… intransigence is just a work opportunity.. but you are right, Mike! We who are trying to be progressive have many, many challenges. But persevere we must! Our new President is setting the pace. Perhaps he is tackling too many major issues too quickly. But bring it on! Let’s move America forward. We are truly the land of opportunity – it is a crime, yes a crime, that the graduation rate from high school is 21% in Detroit. THIS IS AMERICA. 63% of those in prison can’t read. UNACCEPTABLE that there are that many folks in America who can’t read. Yes, Mike, we have lots of work to do…