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SmartPhones in the Classroom

This version was saved 13 years ago View current version     Page history
Saved by Roxann Nys
on March 7, 2011 at 11:04:38 pm
 

Smartphones in the classroom?

Yes, there are many educational applications!

 

The cellphone industry is making a BIG pitch for using smartphones in the classroom. And, of course, there are a variety of opinions out there about using and not using them. My personal opinion--Why not? They are amazing tools, not toys, and so many kids are already carrying them around on a daily basis. Why not show them how they can use them to learn? When are we educators going to start connecting our kids to the real world? If we don't, I believe we'll find them looking elsewhere for learning experiences they can relate to...

 

 

Cell phone permission slip

A district developed a permission/use form for parents to sign to allow their children to use their cellphone in school. See sample here.  Thanks to Pulaski Schools for the template.

 

Need the 411 on text speak?

How many of these often used text abbreviations do you know?

idk                fb me        brb                    10Q

imo                <33            ta                         im
jk or j/k          ur               r                          lol
wb                  sup            tnx or txs             ta or taw
zzz                 cul8r          sms                     182

 

If you don't know what many of the mean, here are some useful text speak resources to help you:

Digital Life: Understanding Text Message Shortcuts-Cliffs Notes (free)

Text Messaging, Chat Abbreviations, and Smiley Faces-Webopedia

Translate text messages into plain English OR plain English into text abbreviations at lingo2word.com

The Largest List of Text Message Shorthand...on the Web  (R rated-includes offensive text language)

 

Create a text message summary of a literary work

Check out this example project from one student. 

 

Gather Instant Responses

  • Twitter in the classroom and as part of your PLN (personal learning network)

 

I use Twitter (on my smartphone and on my laptop) as part of my PLN (Personal Learning Network) to stay abreast of what’s happening with those I follow. Of course, not everything everyone posts is earth-shattering or important or even informative, but I have found it a good way to keep “in the know” about many new developments/announcements about EdTech info.

When you set up your Twitter account you have options as to who to follow and who can follow you (I know, at first it seems a little creepy…someone following you…) but you have complete control at all times. Yes, there are spammers who will try to follow you, but you can easily block them.

 

Twitter will FORCE you to say whatever you want to say in 140 characters or less. What a great way to learn to be concise.

If you are using Twitter (or aren’t but perhaps considering it,) below are two very interesting links you may want to check out. BTW, Green Bay Schools is now using Twitter to update users about the latest district happenings! One of their “followers” is local TV station WFRV. What a great way to get the word out to the community!

 

Think how many of your students have cell phones and access to text messaging. Twitter could be a useful tool for you to remind them about an assignment due or a test coming up or ANYTHING else!

 

Consider Twitter–email is SO yesterday! :-)

 

How can Twitter might fit into learning environments? Dr. Monica Rankin, Professor of History at the School of Arts and Humanities at UT Dallas, wanted to reach more students and involve more people in class discussions both in and out of the classroom. She had heard of Twitter... She collaborated with the UT Dallas, Arts and Technology - Emerging Media and Communications (EMAC) faculty to create this experiment. This video is absolutely worth a look. (posted by Ian Jukes)

 

Check out further resources about Twitter, including how to get started and a Twitter vocabularly link on my wiki.

 

How does it work? Create an account online and then

  1. You ask ask a question
  2. Audience responds using mobile phones (or Twitter or the web)
  3. Responses are displayed via PowerPoint, Keynote or the web

Poll Everywhere is free for audiences of 32 people (for the K-12 plan) or less and they offer paid plans for larger audiences. K-12 and Higher Education semester-long plans are also available.  The individual teacher plan ($50/year) allows you to export responses for grading purposes as well as moderate responses before they are posted.

 

Try out a PollEverywhere poll about using cell phones in the classroom!

 

Think of Wiffiti as an interactive whiteboard for your classroom or event. New Wiffiti messages are instantly displayed center screen and are easily viewable from a distance. Older messages then fade back and move as an animated cloud, providing enough ambient activity to continually stimulate audience attention and encourage engagement. Interactivity is multi-modal - it can happen at the location via mobile phones, or online via easily embeddable website widgets. Incoming content streams and web and mobile messages update across all instances of the addressed Wiffiti screen automatically.

 

To avoid anonymous posts, users can register on the Wiffiti site, connect their cell phones and create their own names, which can then be shared with teachers. Note: you cannot delete individual posts from your Wiffiti screen, but you can delete a screen. To get public results on a topic, try adding keywords to your screen.

 

Lots of potential for use in your classroom or at special events and more.

 

Here's a sample Wiffiti board I created to test the service. Try it out!

 

Google Voice

Thanks to Theresa Neuser, CESA 7 ETS Distance Learning Coordinator, for this info

Google Voice gives you a single phone number that can ring multiple phones. It saves your voicemail messages online and transcribes your voicemail to text. You can record custom greetings, so you can record a question for your students and have them answer or you can use it in a foreign language class. Google Voice is free to use, but you may need an invite to get an number. The invites are only taking about a week to receive.

 

Here are some examples to use in education: 

  • Math Text Homework Hotline
    • Teachers use SMS forwarding for homework help
      • Teachers feel comfortable giving out a number
      • students can ask for help using text
      • Teacher can respond from phone, web or email
  •  Science Data Gathering
    • Students leave the classroom to gather data
      • Students forward data via text to teacher
      • Teacher collated data
      • Students returned to use class set of data
  • Foreign Language Class - Sentence Structure
    • Students use a voice mail as their homework
      • Students speak a sentence in English and the foreign language
      • Teacher and Student can listen to it together for critique
      • Message is stored so students and teacher can see progression of fluency
  • Speech Class
    • Students can use to perfect their speech
      • Students call in and leave a part of their speech
      • Students and teacher can listen to speech
      • Teacher can download or email speech to students
      • Transcription will tell if student is they are annunciating and speed is correct

 

Study using your cell phone

Looking for ways to improve and increase retention of material outside of the classroom? StudyBoost is a tool that may help you. (Beta right now, but seems to work well enough to try it out!) StudyBoost could help make studying easy and convenient by complimenting studies using Instant Messaging or Text Messaging. You will need to set up an account online first, and then connect it to an existing social network (like Facebook, Google Talk) to use IM-ing, or to your cell phone number to use text messaging.

 

Cell Phone Safety

LG has teamed up with Jane Lynch of Glee to bring some mobile safety education to tweens and teens (and parents!) They have some lessons and a series of videos that are perfect for introducing mobile safety, discussions about sexting, mobile harassment, mobile teasing, driving and texting, and more with teenagers.

 

Additional Resources

CESA 7's iThings wiki pages for lots of info about using iPhones, iPods, iPads in the classroom (including how to make plan, shoot, edit and publish a movie on an iPhone!)

 

Skype information and resources on my wiki page about videoconferencing (about 2/3 down the page)

 

I particularly enjoyed reading the eBooksAbout blog post about Smartphones in the Classroom which was written as commentary on a New York Times article written in Feb. 2009.

 

Another, more recent article [Aug 03, 2009 (The Sacramento Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX] of interest is "Educators Look at Using Cell Phones as Teaching Tools" The article features how cell phones are being used in Joe Wood's science class at Somerset Middle School in Modesto, CA.

 

I particularly enjoyed reading the eBooksAbout blog post about Smartphones in the Classroom which was written as commentary on a New York Times article written in Feb. 2009.

 

Another, more recent article [Aug 03, 2009 (The Sacramento Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX] of interest is "Educators Look at Using Cell Phones as Teaching Tools" The article features how cell phones are being used in Joe Wood's science class at Somerset Middle School in Modesto, CA.

 

Another, more recent article [Aug 03, 2009 (The Sacramento Bee - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX] of interest is "Educators Look at Using Cell Phones as Teaching Tools" The article features how cell phones are being used in Joe Wood's science class at Somerset Middle School in Modesto, CA.

 

Recently published is a book titled "From Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education"

The book is written by Liz Kolb, a doctoral student at the University of Michigan studying Learning Technologies. She is also an adjunct Professor at Madonna University and a former high school teacher and technology coordinator. Liz maintains a website called "CellPhonesInLearning.com"  Inside Michigan Education conducted an interview with Liz that you can read online.

 

For more about using Smartphones in the classroom, check out Bard Williams, Ed.D. book Handheld Computers And Smartphones In Secondary Schools: A Guide To Hands-On Learning available from ISTE the International Society for Technology in Education

 

I particularly enjoyed reading the eBooksAbout blog post about Smartphones in the Classroom which was written as commentary on a New York Times article written in Feb. 2009.

 

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