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Key words: new technologies, mobile phones, m-learning, "What if...", Jerome Morrissey.
I agree there are few things more annoying for a teacher than the interruption of a good learning atmosphere. And I know cell phones are particularly suitable for that kind of interruption, and thus inevitable recipients for the teacher’s anger.
However, a difference should be made between an appropriate regulation of the use of mobile phones in class and their drastic prohibition, as it’s sadly been the case in
The first one was the American teacher Karl Fisch, whose already famous “What if…” presentation worries at the almost identical apprehension with which different new technologies have been received by 'experts' throughout the history of modern education. And this goes for slates, ball-pens and computers alike. So what can we say about cell phones?
As I discussed with a headmistress recently, the idea would not be to ‘teach’ students how to use cell phones, as if there was a right and a wrong way to use them. In fact, as regards use, students know much better than us! The point would be for us teachers to find use
s that may be integrated within our pedagogical aims. In this sense, I’ve recently found a clarifying conference by Jerome Morrissey, director of the Irish National Centre for Technology in Education. Among other things, he calls for teachers to use ICTs by focusing on the ‘C’ part of the acronym. That is, to focus on the Communicative aspect of the Information and Communication Technologies.
He shares a few experiences among which there is a splendid attempt to include cell phones in the classrooms, with social and cultural consequences that no technophobe could ever challenge as negative. The project I'm refering to was meant to get students in Ireland to recover the Irish native language, endangered by the English omnipresence in the country. And this, by resorting to mobile phones.
Precisely, this experience is what I wanted to share with you. Anyway, I’d recommend to view Fisch’s presentation first, since it will give Morrissey’s words the right dimension.
Or view in YouTube.
Now, enjoy this fragment of Morrissey’s conference in 
I guess it's a nice controversial phrase to finish with. I'm willing to hear your opinion about the issue, and, if you heard of or can find any other interesting experience with cell phones or ICTs in the classroom, don't doubt about sharing them here.
14 comments:
Just as with any technology, we have to give it some time to be 'accepted', this acceptation being not a passive process as it depends very much on our predisposition.
Disadvantages aside, mobile phones are surely a good device to be capitalized upon by the enterprising teacher. How? Creativity should arise here ;)
I agree with you, Martín. Now, perhaps I would add that creativity should be somehow oriented in order to be effective in educational terms. I think this is where the ‘C’ from ICTs becomes important, as Morrissey states. If there is something that new technologies offer us is their immense communicative potential. And, in an informational society, communication should be among the main competences education must aim to develop. This should imply seriously committing to the idea of students as producers of information and knowledge. As Will Richardson puts it, we’re changing from “don’t forget to hand-in your homework” to “don’t forget to publish your homework.”
If we agree with this, it’s important that we teachers start thinking of our students –and their tasks- in different terms. And of course, this will lead us to re-think our own role as well. If we’re supposed to ‘teach’ students to communicate, what should our role be? We can’t remain containers and deliverers of knowledge any more.
(Will Richardson's thought about new technologies in education can be appreciated in this conference: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=
1240158754470959213)
Does this mean that the mobile can become a teacher's resource in the classrrom? I would not be that sure.
I hope I am mistaken, but text-messaging only seems to be breaking down our language.
Anonymous: I think you refer to the different ways in which a same language can be translated into written symbols. In this case, it's true that text messaging tends to resort to a new, simplified code. I doubt this does really wrong to our language, since this is just another of the many ways in which languages can be represented.
Anyway, mobile phones are tools meant for communication, and provided of lots of interesting gadgets -video and photo camera, calculator, microphone, calendar, note pad, etc. And they even have access to the net! If a PC is a useful tool in the classroom, why not a mobile phone then? It's just a question of giving it the right place. Personally, I think it can be a terrific tool for foreign language education. We're working on a project about that. I hope we can share the results by the end of the year.
Thanks for exanging your impresions!
Technologies provide broad possibilities to develop teaching and learning,that is fantastic. However the more technological we are, the less sensitive we become. We should teach for diversity, that is to say, we ought to consider that not everybody can manage with technologies, they are expensive an difficult to apply.In most of the real educational world there are an endless number of people - children and adults - who have never seen a computer.We are speaking about technology as if belonged to everybody. Believe it or not ,technologies have not been set for everybody in our country yet.Computers, cell phones, etc. are paradigsms of these days and they are very useful,but they are not avalaible to be used by all our Argentinian children ( students );most of them attend State schools, few of them(schools) possess computers. I ask:have all the teachers who deal with technology ever been to State schools ?
Susana
People: In addition to my opinion above, I would like to make it clear that I referred to computers ,instead of giving opinion of cell phones,becausecomputers form part of teaching-learning, they have been installed in private schools and in some ( a few ) State schools,and mobile phones have not been considered as educatinal tools yet.Apart from this, we are speaking about Technology, aren�t we?
Susana
Susana, you're absolutely right as regards technology being restricted to monetary power. This is the way we have it here and everywhere else round the world. However, funnily enough, cell phones have reached much more people in low-class neighbourhoods than you can imagine (of course, I'm referring to Greater Buenos Aires). I work in State-run schools of different sorts, and mind you, almost everybody has a cell phone, even those kids with ragged trainers and dirty clothes. Cell phones are turning a more accessible technology every day, and we should give it a chance to become useful educational tools rather than ban it from schools.
All interesting points. I also teach in high-schools and several times I find myself in the necessity to resort to my cell to check a spelling mistake or a date in the calendar. I confess that sometimes I do it with a feeling of guilt because I know that students are told not to use them. Other problem that arises is how the headmaster is supposed to know that I’m just checking the calendar or calculating an average and not texting anyone...
I believe that the key here is the "how". in my opinion, if we can get students to assume the responsability of learning and using the tools they have (the cell among many others) for the puposes of learning, we'll struggle less with the distractions of mp3s and ring tones and we'll learn more.
Simud,I know that cell phones have reached an endless number of people in low-class neighbourhoods( Greater B.A.); I see this everyday, precisely in State-run schools. Those kids with ragged trainers and dirty clothes have better mobile phones than mine! Simply, for me, that topic of cell phones was just a hook to speak about technology. I do not understand why "to technologize" everything. I´m completely convinced that the world has improved due to technology, but we do have to be careful with this. We should pick and choose all that we need of it, however, it seems to that technology is "picking and choosing" all of us.Apart from this, does everybody agree with a social system controlled by scientists and other technical experts? Believe me, nowadays there are many youngsters who "build themselves" using their pure imagination; technology is undoubtedly present for them, it is a useful resource to transform the world, but the idea is to get a humanized and "not robotical" transformation. Please, don´t think that this point of view is obsolete,it is just another point of view! (So, it is not a matter of age, but it is of ideology)
" You may say I´m a dreamer but I´m not the only one" J.Lennon. Fortunately, still there are young dreamers!
Susana
It should be clear that we have to accept the development and improvement of technologies because we are living in an informational society and this can not be left aside.We would have to take the advantages of the development of communication.I don`t think that if we are part of technologies we will become less sensitive because it is important to bare in mind the advantages and disadvantages that tecnology carries and be capable of choosing and think in what moment we will take advantage from it...Connected to cell phones,these have not to be part of a human being, just have them for useful purposes and in particular places...
People,in my paragraph above, I omitted to write. "be" in line number fourteen. The clause is:" (...) it seems to be that technology is" picking and choosing" all of us.
Thank you.
Susana
Sorry to interrupt the thread. Just there are too many Anonymous and it gets difficult to know who is speaking. Remember that when you post a comment you can choose "Name/URL" and include a nickname (forget about the URL part). This will turn the dialogue more personalised.
Thanks!!!!
I agree that new technologies must be carefully considered. But mind you, a pen and paper are technologies as well. And many people thought they were dangerous when they first appeared. If we are critical about technologies, I think we can give it a valuable use (as Anonymous said). Also, I think youngsters still have dreams, it's just that theirs are not like ours. And new technologies are part of their culture, as pen and paper -and TVs are of ours-; so we can't attempt to understand this generation if we look with contempt at their interests and values.
Let me tell you something that I learned today. A polimodal group is preparing an online newspaper at a private school. I asked them to collect information during the week that they can use to write their news articles in class. I asked them to take photographs of any event or situation that arise in the school that then can be used to illustrate their articles. They got really enthusiastic about this. Some have brought many pictures. However, today, after May 25th Celebration, some students wanted to write an article about it. I asked if they had photos. They told me they couldn't take any because they are not allowed to use phones, not even during the breaks (so, no way during the celebration). All the photos brought to the previous classes were -in a way- clandestinely taken. I can understand you don't allow students to use their cell phones privately in class, but what about their free time? What's the point in this? What are they learning by not being allowed to take pictures, communicate or listen to music in their free time? Next class, I'll sit to talk with the headmaster. I hope he will understand.
By the way, pay a visit to the students newspaper: http://sanantonio-apple.blogspot.com/2008/05/1st-issue.html
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