Letting Go

Are teachers ready to let their students use their own technology, such as cell phones, in the classroom? Students are certainly willing and excited about using these tools more freely. Tools such as I-pods and cell phones can bring big benefits if used correctly. What concerns me, and many other educators, is that these devices can also be disruptive and not meet the desired educational goals. So how can we use technology in the classroom and get positive results. Nathan Kerr, a school teacher in New Zealand encourages his students to use their mobile phones in class. They often capture video of the key lecture points of his geography class and use it for future review before tests. His students became excited about using the technology and started producing and scripting their own educational movies. In fact, Nathan was awarded a scholarship from Microsoft, and won an award of Innovative Teacher of the Year in NZ. How else can we use cell phones in class?: connect with an expert, use the calculator, use the memo or calendar as a personal planner, take photos of experiments. I'm sure the list goes on. What I would like to see is a more comprehensive list of uses and strategies of how to sucessfully use the tools in class. It is not because I am not willing to explore and take risks, it's because I value the limited time I have with my students in which a wide variety of subjects and objectives must be taught. At our school, technology is already a part of our students'everyday school life. We frequently use the smartboard, computers, and video. Thumb drives are already part of our standard 5th grade supply bag. It will probably not be long before mp3 players are also standard equipment. So the question is not if these types of tools will be used in the class, the question is will teachers be prepared and willing to use them effectively?