If you grew up before cell phones became popular, you might be shocked to see how much a part of students’ lives they are today. Despite some schools’ rules against smartphones in class, some students still try to get away with using them. If you’re a teacher or parent, you know this can be highly frustrating.
Boston area teacher Miriam Morgenstern knows that frustration. In fact, she’s decided to retire in part because of her exasperation with her students’ texting and app use, which she sees as distractions to more effective learning. “It’s pretty hard to compete with a very funny YouTube video,” she concludes in a Boston Globe article on the subject.
Since cell phones aren’t going to magically disappear from schools, how can educators incorporate them into classroom learning in a positive way? Is there a chance to harness the informational and social power of smartphones without forcing teachers to desperately compete with them?
Creative examples: Phone-powered learning
Students at a Kentucky high school use phones to sign up for an online review quiz. (photo: P. Barnwell)
The front lines are the best place to start. Fellow educators have seen concrete examples of ways to use mobile technology for good, and some have even incorporated these strategies themselves. In a 2016 article in The Atlantic, one teacher provides some concrete positive instances that he’d used or heard about:
— Peer-editing using cloud-based word processing through smartphones;
— Using social media to connect students to real-world experts;
— Recording run-throughs of practice presentations before actual delivery; and
— Creating how-to videos for hands-on laboratory experiments.
In an interview with Canada’s CBC about smartphones in class, one Canadian English instructor explains why he’s in favor of Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies. He teaches Shakespeare texts using digital media and audio links, noting that it “completely facilitates understanding” and that “Shakespeare would be horrified to know that there are people reading paperbacks of his plays” because “it needs to be watched and heard.”
The takeaway is that savvy instructors can determine which activities would be augmented by the digital prowess of a cell phone and which lessons need tech-free time to make an impact. Many educators who recognize the power of smartphones in the classroom admit that it only works if teachers can strike a balance between time when devices are prohibited and when they’re allowed.
Smartphones in class can boost engagement
Teachers looking to get a feel for where their students stand on class materials and boost discussion participation can take advantage of cellphones in the classroom to instantly and anonymously collect group responses. Poll Everywhere technology helps instructors design and display slides containing embedded surveys to which students can send their answers using a phone, tablet, or laptop. The poll display updates in real time as their answers roll in. The Poll Everywhere service is a concrete way for instructors to take note of which parts of their lessons students are retaining, and it allows class members to further discuss the content based on the results.
Even if you’re still wary about smartphones in class, it’s easy to see that an interactive interface has the potential to be more engaging than many old-school methods have proven to be. If students are excited about the device in their pocket, it can become a natural conduit for assessing and engaging them in an immediate way.
“It’s a good way to see how the students are comprehending the material,” says Ken Halla (pictured), a 22-year teaching veteran. While speaking to to the National Education Association, Halla described how he uses this classroom polling technology paired with the texting power of students’ phones. “For example,” he says, “if a lot of students are picking option C and B is really the answer, then I can go back and review the material again.”
