Cell Phones in Learning. Really?

I wonder how my cooperating teachers would have reacted if I told them that I wanted the students to use their cell phones during a lesson. I am surprised that these teachers were permitted to do so, especially in light of the fact that it has become such a problem for schools to ensure that the use of cell phones is not used during class.

The use of cell phones in the classroom is interesting, yet in my opinion, completely unorthodox. While I understand that it serves as a source of engagement and students may be readily active during the lesson, I am still skeptical about its use in the classroom. For instance, one of the teachers mentioned that the students used cell phones to record interviews with one another. As “cool” as that they may be for the students, I cannot help but wonder if that was necessary. Couldn’t the teachers use a tape recorder to do that instead? What about students who get distracted from cell phones? We all know that students now text one another during school hours. How can the teacher know for certain that they are using their cell phones in class properly? What if the students were distracted? Would the teacher want to spend the majority of her time policing the students to focus on their work?

Another teacher also mentioned that she created an option for students to call in for their homework using their cell phones. To me, this seems as a more viable method of using cell phones, because it is not during school hours. In fact, while the teacher mentioned that only 20% of her students used their cell phones to call in, I would have that otherwise. I think that for some students, calling in and using their voices may actually serve some sort of anonymity. Perhaps not in this situation, as students could also write down their homework, but I think that that point is definitely something to keep in mind for future activities, yet perhaps not in the classroom. I would be too nervous about that.