I recently came across an article "Cell Phones in Education-An Interview with Liz Korb" which served to analyze cell phones role in student learning. Oftentimes, cell phones are disregarded in terms of educational forms of technology and deemed a distraction. The true benefits of these devices are undermined seeing as many view solely as tools for texting, calling, and the like rather than understanding the true benefits of cell phones and the impact they can potentially have within the classroom setting.
I found the most interesting part of this interview to be Liz Korb's explanation of why cell phones essentially matter in education. One strong point she made is that over 75% of secondary students had cell phones in the year 2007, and the number of students possessing cell phones has probably increased since the time of the survey that collected this data. The fact that so many students possess these devices indicates that this is a form of technology which is prevalent in the lives of many students and thus it can be assumed that they are well versed in the uses of these devices. If students are familiar with using these devices for social purposes, it will be relatively easy to instruct them on how to use the device for educational purposes. Another point Korb makes is because so many students have access to these devices, their integration will come at little to no cost to schools.
Later in her interview, Korb addresses what is needed to change the perception of cell phones as negative in education. She states the main obstacle is familiarizing educators with these devices and changing their perception of them from "toys" to "tools". Korb argues that many educators need to have professional development to familiarize them with the advantages of mobile devices so that they can effectively model them as educational tools.
I found this article to be interesting because the debate of cell phone integration within the classroom is ongoing and widely disputed. Seeing as this issue is so prevalent and oftentimes cell phones receive little recognition for their benefits and contributions to student learning, it was enlightening to see someone defending their use in the classroom.
Link to the Article
I found the most interesting part of this interview to be Liz Korb's explanation of why cell phones essentially matter in education. One strong point she made is that over 75% of secondary students had cell phones in the year 2007, and the number of students possessing cell phones has probably increased since the time of the survey that collected this data. The fact that so many students possess these devices indicates that this is a form of technology which is prevalent in the lives of many students and thus it can be assumed that they are well versed in the uses of these devices. If students are familiar with using these devices for social purposes, it will be relatively easy to instruct them on how to use the device for educational purposes. Another point Korb makes is because so many students have access to these devices, their integration will come at little to no cost to schools.
Later in her interview, Korb addresses what is needed to change the perception of cell phones as negative in education. She states the main obstacle is familiarizing educators with these devices and changing their perception of them from "toys" to "tools". Korb argues that many educators need to have professional development to familiarize them with the advantages of mobile devices so that they can effectively model them as educational tools.
I found this article to be interesting because the debate of cell phone integration within the classroom is ongoing and widely disputed. Seeing as this issue is so prevalent and oftentimes cell phones receive little recognition for their benefits and contributions to student learning, it was enlightening to see someone defending their use in the classroom.
Link to the Article
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