Mobile Learning

Researching this whole idea of mobile learning has certainly blown my mind. It is very conflicting to me because so much of our time in schools these days (at least in mine) is spent trying to keep cell phones out of students' hands. My school has a no cell phone rule and all phones have to be confiscated.

The biggest fear that I have about using cell phones in school is students being distracted by the ability to text as well as social media. I just don't see how we could avoid this in class. However, I do see the advantages of this technology because, as pointed out in one of the videos, cell phone companies are already capable of managing high amounts of network traffic. This is an advantage because many schools can't afford to have an network that can sustain mobile devices for every student. I am excited about the possibilities of this technology and am looking forward to seeing how it pans out in the future.

Poll everywhere is a great tool. I have been reluctant to try it because I already have Turning Technologies clickers in my room that work similarly. However, it would be handy if my students were already on computers or could use their cell phones. That way, I wouldn't need to have them use another separate technology. Therefore, I can see the benefits.

I like the idea of using Flip cameras in the classroom more often. I purchased one last year to record my teaching for an online class and to record my students' infomercial projects in Social Studies class. I've been wanting to expand my Flip camera usage. I have thought about recording lessons and posting them to my website for students to view if they miss class. Also, I'd like to have students use it more, but am still trying to figure out the logistics of this with only one camera (centers etc).