Teaching through Text Messaging!

An interesting article from UNLV about using text messaging as a teaching tool. The English instructors claim that text messaging is more universal, therefore allowing students from various cultural backgrounds to better communicate. Instead of these instructors viewing text message "codes" such as Thxs as inappropriate, they are taking the opportunity to learn how a whole community of learners and collaborators have developed outside of K-16 education. A new broader view of what constitutes literacy and what is literacy is beginning to take place.

Cell Phones for PreSchool?

T.H.E. Journal had an article recently about a research study being conducted with cell phones and preschoolers! PBS teamed up with Sprint to create "software" for parent's cell phones. The software helped the preschool aged children learn their abc's. While immediately I was shocked by this, I realized that all toddlers love playing with button devices (such as cell phones and remote controls). Therefore when parents are waiting at their doctor's office and their preschooler is getting fidgety, the parents can hand them their cell phone with a learning activity. It seems this research study has successfully shown that cell phones can aid in young children learning their abc's!

Podcasting with Cell Phones in schools...

Probably one of the easiest ways to use cell phones in learning is through podcasting. While podcasting is often done with iPods or audio editing devices such as Audacity, podcasts can be created more easily through cell phones (coupled with a few of my favorite FREE web2.0 resources). For example, instead of recording a podcast on an iPod and then loading it to itunes and uploading it to your webspace, you can simply dial a number on your cell phone, narrate your podcast, and then hit the # sign to publish immediately online. This can all be done with the assistance of websites like Gabcast(free), Gcast(free), Evoca(free & paid options) and Hipcast(paid). All of these sites allow you to create an account that will store your cell phone audio recordings! Fantastic! You simply dial a toll-free number and then record your podcast. All three sites also give you an RSS feed so people can subscribe to your podcast. Each site also allows you to post or embed the podcast into your blog, MySpace, Wiki, or other website. The best part is that your students do not have to have an iPod or special computer software...in fact they do not even have to have a computer. Simply a phone (since all the sites have a toll-free number, students who do not have their own cell phones can simply use a landline!). So, how can cell phone podcasts be useful for classroom learning?....here are a few ideas:
1) Conducting Interviews
2) Radio Broadcasts
3) Radio Theater (listen to a great example from St. Joseph's K-8 here).
4) Poetry Slam
5) Oral presentations
6) Recording Field Trip experiences (such as sounds at a zoo, or observations)

Welcome!

Welcome to the Toy to Tool: Cell Phones in Schools learning blog. The purpose of this blog is to discuss various methods cell phones can be used as learning tools in the classroom. Of course in discussing how cell phones can be used as learning tools, we must also consider how cell phones can impede or infringe on student's learning. While I believe there are many articles and media reports concerning the negative aspects of cell phones in schools, I wanted to focus on some ways to utilize cell phones in schools. Since students are so engaged in using their cell phones outside of school for text messaging, taking pictures, recording movies, and talking, I believe there is a lot of potential for developing engaging classroom learning activities. This blog is dedicated to experimenting and uncovering some of those activities. The good, the bad, and the ugly! I wrote an article for ISTE's Learning and Leading with Technology (November 2006, From Toy to Tool) on ways to use cell phones as "audioblogging" tools for classroom learning. I would like to expand on and supplement that article in this blog with many more ideas on cell phones in the classroom.