Historically, there has been concern in schools about the presence of electronic devices in the hands of the students. As a result there have been a plethora of policies and rules about use, abuse, and confiscation. However, it seems that we live in a NEW era where the cell phone is ubiquitous with all ages -- what is the age of the YOUNGEST cell phone user that you know? As a result of the expectation of instant electronic access and universal deployment of these devices we have a new question in education -- how can (or should) we use these devices in the learning process of our students?
Recently I read two very interesting and competing news articles from two very different places. One of the articles took the more traditional approach of resolving school distractions, etc with the confiscation of student cell phones. The other article was highlighting the productive, if not unique, use of student cell phones as a tool for learning in the classroom.
At the collegiate level there is at least one university that issue these types of devices to all their incoming freshman -- with the notion that it will facilitate learning at their university.
I suspect, given not too much time, we will see more and more creative uses of these devices in the classrooms of schools across the nation. What is your speculation regarding the use of mobile devices and web 2.0 tools in America's classrooms?
I believe that we have to stay in touch with technology or we will be left in the dust!
ReplyDeleteThe Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupifies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future by Mark Bauerlein is a great read for any educator as we continue to find ways to "keep up" technologically in education. Pages 120-124 summarize seven recent studies that bring to light that students in digital classrooms "...didn't perform any better than students who weren't." (120) Might our monies be spent better on other things?
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