In the course of last two decades, cell phones have transformed from a luxury tech gadget to a must-have device that connects people to various services. The cell phone has gone through various transformations in the recent past and now an average cell phone comes with features like full touchscreen control, a decent camera, ability to access the Internet. The smartphone revolution has happened already and no one wants to be left behind. The education system needs to embrace the latest smartphone technology and integrate with it to create a more dynamic and relevant learning environment.
In the following few pages, I shall discuss how cell phones can be integrated with the present education system to make it more relevant and interactive. Until now, cell phones are looked upon as classroom disturbances but they can be great tools for learning as well. Let me explain my stance with some examples.
Most cell phones come with highly capable cameras that can record the material on whiteboards. For android and iOS users, application such as Evernote can create great notes with the help of pictures. Therefore, students can spend more time listening to the lecture and spend less time hurriedly taking down notes by using mobile phone apps (Prensky). The voice and video recording equipment on modern day cell phones can be used in a similar fashion as well. If a student does not understand the lecture at the first go, they can always go through the recordings and clarify. Instead of every student recording the class lecture, only one designated student from each class can record, while the others can listen carefully and they can obtain the recordings after school. Moreover, students who miss a day of school due to illness can use these recordings to stay updated about the latest course work. Research has shown that mobile phones help students learn foreign languages faster because of they stay with the students all the time (Collins).
These days everyone carries a smartphone that can access the World Wide Web on the go. This means that students do not need to carry a bulky laptop, just to access emails. Teachers can send course materials and information about upcoming coursework to students. Students can download a course calendar for the entire school year and stay updated with their course work. Looked at different reasons why students should be allowed to carry cell phones in classroom; most of the readers were pro-cell phones. Some of the primary reasons were the utility provided by these devices. While some readers talked about the usefulness of the scientific calculator on the phones, others revealed that instant word search help students to improve their vocabulary(Collins).
We live in a world full of uncertainties and growing disconnect with fellow human beings is a major theme of our lifestyle. Under such circumstances, it is natural for concerned parents to provide cell phones to their children. A cell phone in the hand of a student might be able to protect them from bullying and other unpleasant experiences. Since the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, school administrators and law enforcement agencies changed their outlook towards cell phones. A school in Ohio is updating their emergency management situation called ALICE or Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter and Evacuate. Besides cell phones can improve communications between students, faculty, parents and school administrators and shed light on important matters such as violence, bullying and drug related issues. Phones are going to play a major role in securing school and college campuses and ensure that we do not lose innocents to gun-toting psychopaths.
Bullying and cyber-bullying is another major cause of concern in the modern day classroom. With the advent of cell phones, students do not need to be afraid of admonishment from tormenters and alert parents and teachers, when someone mistreats them. The classrooms can become a safer place for all students as potential bullies can be counselled after their first offence. School counsellors often have a hard time getting through to students on a personal scale; in that case, a helpline number can provide help to students when they need to solicit adult supervision. There is a lot of social stigma attached to visiting the school counsellor’s office and by having a helpline number; students can seek help without being the object of ridicule to their peers.
Most mobile phones come with a decent GPS or GLONASS chip, which means students to take part in scavenger hunts; can use them during field trips(Prensky). Teachers can use these technologies to infuse knowledge in a fast and efficient manner. During fieldtrips, students can be instructed to take pictures with their cell phone cameras and make a presentation out of it to describe what they learned during the field trip and impart their own understanding through beautiful presentations. Sprinters can use the GPS feature of the phones to record accurate information about distance covered and time taken. Most cell phones have a built-in stopwatch that can effectively to track sports performance. Cell phones can serve as effective companions in science labs as well. Researchers have found that audio podcasts and RSS feeds through mobile phones can be effective learning tools in and outside the classroom (Cebeci and Tekdal).
On a lighter note, teachers can use the notification system to draw the attention of students to the advent of migratory birds on the campus and encourage them to take up interesting hobbies. YouTube videos are available on almost every subject under the planet, after each classroom session, teachers can text the link of a few useful videos that the students may watch to learn more about a certain topic. A study conducted in Japan showed that students are more receptive to learning through mobile phones and other immersive technologies like games (Thornton and Houser; Herrington and Herrington).
References
Cebeci, Zeynel, and Mehmet Tekdal. “Using Podcasts as Audio Learning Objects.” Journal of E-Learning and Learning Objects 2 (2006): n. pag. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Collins, TG. “English Class on the Air: Mobile Language Learning with Cell Phones.” Advanced Learning Technologies, 2005. ICALT (2005): 5–6. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Herrington, A, and Jan Herrington. “Authentic Mobile Learning in Higher Education.” November (2007): n. pag. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Prensky, M. “What Can You Learn from a Cell Phone? Almost Anything!” Innovate: Journal of (2005): 1–9. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.
Thornton, P., and C. Houser. “Using Mobile Phones in Education.” The 2nd IEEE International Workshop on Wireless and Mobile Technologies in Education, 2004. Proceedings. (2004): 3–10.
