Cathie: I received this email the other day. It succinctly sums up the classroom teacher’s “cellphone in K-12” dilemma.
“I admit it, I’m old. OK, I’m 50, but I’m always interested in learning new technology. I teach in a large urban school, with plenty of large urban school problems, and I’m sitting here puzzling about [our] cell phone policy when school starts next week. Tell me about training. Is there really a way to incorporate cell phones into classroom instruction, one that does more than provide a fun experience for kids? Are they a tool for learning or a tool for wasting time and for the teacher obtaining the “cool” moniker? I’m 50, but I’ve already got that, [and I] don’t need a cell phone to get it. Please tell me what you would suggest for a teacher like me.”
Elliot: Old? 50? That means we’re ancient!
Cathie: We?
Elliot: You are right; you are downright Paleolithic. And I have just committed a major faux pas.
Cathie: We’ll talk off-line. Shorty.
Elliot: Now you are getting personal! But gracious fellow that I am, I will let it pass…. You got the email – so what would you say to this teacher?
Cathie: You are lucky you changed the subject… I was just warming up... As a classroom teacher for 14 years, I can definitely emphasize with this teacher’s quandary. In fact, do you remember what I said when you initially proposed the idea of using cellphones in the K-12 classroom?
Elliot: “What a crazy idea – cellphones phones would be constantly ringing which would cause a constant disruption in the classroom.” I think that was the gist.
Cathie: Close enough for government work.
Elliot: But, after seeing how teachers and students have used cellphones in the K-12 classroom, you changed your mind, right?
Cathie: Yes, but words are not going to convince this teacher of anything. This teacher needs to see how cellphones can be used productively in a classroom.
Elliot: Good point. Readers of this blog – and teacher-who-sent-the-quandary – go to http://cellphonecomputersinkellerisd.pbworks.com/FrontPage and watch the 7 minute video posted there.
Cathie: See real students using cellphone computers in a real classroom. The story in that video – told by professional videographers from the Pearson Foundation – is my response to the teacher’s quandary.
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