Do you think that educators should be encouraging cell phone use in education? With the enormous amount of iPhone apps that are available, is it possible for students to utilize their phones to connect to resources? You may think that cell phone use in education would be a distraction with kids constantly texting. However, if placed in proper context, a cell phone could be of great benefit. Technology is the vehicle used to communicate! Social media is our resource! In an instance where schools with little to no access to computers, the use of cell phones in education could be the difference needed to assist a teacher with class curriculum and teaching students. This was the case for an English teacher, Shakema Silveri, at Mount Zion High School in Jonesboro, Georgia.
According to CNN, Ms. Silveri teaches AP English at a school that does not have the resources to be technologically savvy. To help her students remain competitive, she allows them look up the word of the day on the dictionary.com app as well as conduct research for assignments on their cell phones. She also believes that students respond to writing more through blogs and Twitter. If you are still a little skeptical to this new classroom technique, in 2011, Ms. Silveri was one out of eleven teachers who had a 100 percent passing rate on all standardized tests. Amazing!
Just as the world continues to evolve, we must become more creative with the way in which we educate and prepare our youth. What do you think of the use of incorporating cell phones in education? I would love to hear your thoughts @lorenridinger.
