Cell Phones... Educational?

Coming from a high school where "cell phones = suspension", I have always thought that teachers and staff frowned upon using cell phones in school, even during passing time. Cell phones let students text, take pictures, and play games, which are all opportunities to cheat or be distracted in class. But after a little bit of research, I found out the cell phones can actually be a great tool for both teachers and students in an educationall setting. In a New York Times article titled Industry Makes Pitch That Smartphones Belong in Classroom, Shawn Gross explains the importance of cell phones because "this is a device kids have, it's a device they are familiar with and want to take advantage of" (Richtel & Stone, 2009). As our world is become more tech-savvy, students are becoming extremely knowledgable and used to cell phones and are generally able to use them quickly and efficiently.

Cell phones are cheaper and smaller than laptops, making them more simple to access and use. Students who have used cell phones (specifically smart phones) as a learning tool have used their phones to perform a variety of tasks, from recording themselves solving problems to filming educational videos and sharing them with classmates. Below is an image of students at Southwest High School in Jacksonville, N.C. that are using cell phones to help with their algebra studies.

As a future teacher, I want to someday look into using cell phones as an educational tool. However, there are some things I have to keep in mind if I do so... using cell phones will probably not improve writing skills, distractions may overpower learning, and that it takes a lot of patience to use and maintain this form of technology.