Cell Phones:  The Ghost in the Classroom

Smart Phones?

Smarter Classrooms?

MERLOT Teacher Education Board

A Debate About Smartphones in Class
Coursera used this debate created by students in a foreign language school in South Korea in a class on understanding arguments. It's interesting to see how these students frame their arguments.

Cellphones in the Classroom? No. Students Need to Pay Attention
This article from 2011 highlights the negative aspects of cellphones in the classroom.

3 Tips for Managing Phone Use in the Classroom
This article deals with phone use at the elementary, middle level and high school. It suggests a stoplight management approach and classroom contracts regarding phone usage.

Using Smartphones in the Classroom
Here is a brief article about ways to use smartphones in the classroom from the National Education Association. There are also suggestions for social studies teachers as well as general ideas.

Cellphones in School? The Dos and Don'ts of Mobile Education
Scholastic publishing chimes in on issues with cellphones including cybersecurity and theft.

Schools and Cellphones. In Elementary School? At Lunch?
The Washington Post looks at debates about cellphones in the Maryland schools.

Schools Seek Balance for Cellphones in Class
The Boston Globe looks at the use of cellphones. While the beginning of the article cites a teacher retiring in part because she is tired of tweeting and texting, the rest of the article is more balanced.

Use of Cell Phones at School - 25 Tips for Teachers and Students
This article lists some excellent ways to use cellphones (in place of calculators, to time science experiments, to take pictures of illustrations in textbooks and use with Evernote, to Skype with students in other countries....etc.)

Laptops and Phones in the Classroom: Yea, Nay or a Third Way?
Among the many suggestions in this article: Fight technology with technology; if students are distracted, then improve your teaching; and embrace diversity.

You shouldput your cell phone on vibrate during class. If your phone rings out loud duringclass, you will be asked to leave. Do not answer your phone in class. If you need touse the phone, please leave the classroom. No food or drink in class. Visitors arenot allowed in class.

Cellphones in Classrooms, Part 1
The Center for Digital Education talks about cellphone bans and the tension between allowing and using them.

50 Reasons It's Time for Smartphones in the Classroom
#10. The hardware isn’t overwhelming. Technology isn’t the point of learning, and should not overwhelm awareness, curiosity, interaction, or critical analysis in favor of mass publishing and communication.

Helping Students Make the Right Call on Cell Phones
This Faculty Focus entry (September 11) was the catalyst to our board's discussion on cell phones in the classroom.

How to Use Cellphones in the Classroom
This material gives educators some practical ways to use cellphones in the classroom, including how to solve some problems that may exist like students without phones, coverage, etc.

Pros and Cons of Allowing Digital Devices in the Classroom
This 2012 posting from Concordia University in Portland sheds some light a few pros and cons. While five years old, it's still relevant.

Going Mobile: Debating and Using Cellphones in School
From 2010, this article includes a Pew Internet Research study from 2008. It's clear that ownership of cellphones has increased but poses an interesting approach to discussing their use in your own classroom.

3 Tips for Managing Phone Use in Class
The article notes that ten is the average age for children to receive their first cellphone! There are three good tips for management of a K-12 classroom but some of it might well be extrapolated in the University classroom.

Do Smartphones Have a Place in the Classroom?
This article from The Atlantic has some interesting points---among them: "Mobile phone bans have very different effects on different types of students; banning mobile phones improves outcomes for the low-achieving student...the most, and has no significant impact on high achievers." However, the measure was standardized test data. Worth thinking about.

9 Uses for Smartphones in the Classroom
This site suggests using social media, response systems, and audio recording, among other options.

Personal cell phone use should not occur during instruction or group work unless designated by the instructor. Common courtesy should guide students' classroom behavior.