Sunday, January 23, 2011
ReadWriteWeb: Cellphones in the Classroom: Distraction or Tool?
After reading the article written by Audrey Watters about the concern of cellphones in the classroom, it made me think about the debate happening in our building over YouTube videos. Teachers have been longing for the use of technology tools in their classrooms and a majority of the teachers in my building want to be able to access these resources for instructional purposes. YouTube has been blocked for both teachers and students along with many other controversial sites on the Web. Within our building teachers have been granted permission to use YouTube as an educational resources, but they will be responsible for monitoring student access. While I am extremely excited to have this tool at my fingertips, I am also nervous about the liability to protect my students from the dangers it could bring. So the idea of allowing cellphones at school may be a scary concept for educators. While there are many potential uses for them in the classroom (calendar for homework documentation or calculator use, etc.), I feel the potential risks (privacy from photos, texting distractions, bullying, etc.) at this point out weigh the positives.
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Thank you for the post, Jennifer. It was such inspiration that as I began typing a comment here I realized I had much more to say. Check out my blog at http://cmuknull.blogspot.com/ if you want to read about my story from last week.
ReplyDeleteI think there are always risks for using tech in the classroom, but it comes down to classroom management in most cases. If kids know the consequences of using the tools inappropriately, then their should be little concern. If students get caught, they need to get punished. I actually think their are more pros than cons to using cellphones as learning devices in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteThis issue is a very difficult issue to tackle. YouTube, Twitter, and phone use in the class room have many positive uses inside the classroom. But, there are many negatives as well. It is tough to say if the positives outweigh the negatives or vice versa. I do not know if I want to responsible for what students are doing in my classroom with technology. Students are clever and can get away with a lot in my classroom. I have 30 students in most of my classes and it is impossible to monitor every student's actions.
ReplyDeleteI think classroom management is the key, yet it only takes one vital mistake for it to become a serious manner. While I am for the pros to use technology, I am just cautious of the consequence it could or might bring.
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