Kimberlee,
it can help in these areas & also provides a way to teach these students professionalism & the proper use of cell phones.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
Especially with the rapid changes in iPhone and Anderoid technology. Coupled with cloud technology, handheald devices will be unstoppable!
Personally I feel there is a fine line in cell phone use. In the medical field, it can be a disastrous distraction. HOWEVER, with some of predominant Gen Y classes I teach, I throw in a, "Cell Phone Quiz" game. They team up and one person uses their cell phone to text me the answers to questions I read out loud. I find that they all actively participate and have fun, especially when auto-correct changes their answers and they try too challenge me on it. It promotes teamwork and laughter, and afterwords, when I administer the written quiz, I find the scores have increased over when I would simply do handouts, lectures, or Power Point.
I think incorporating cell phone use in the classroom is a great idea. It promotes technology and demonstrates that we as instructors are open to adapting to current trends. Smart phones make life in general more simple.
You are correct in calling it an addiction. Students have no problem coming to class without a pen or paper or their books, but they wouldn't leave the house without a phone.
I agree. I have seen employees fired because they spend too much time on their cells. Not allowing them in class helps prepare students for understanding that being on their phone can get them fired.
Our future is fastly moving forward and we must move with it, in addition to the liberal environments that we are inviting we would be remiss if we did not accompany our nuances with a discipline so that new additions are not abused. Accountability is crucial a culture must be determined or pruned to be a conducive environment for cell phones, to assure that they are used appropriately.
Vatina,
these are all great ideas & demonstrate a way that technology can be incorporated, in a useful way, into the classroom & students can see the applicability to their career fields.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
For classes that I teach such as a computer class. Student are aware not not using his or her cellphone in class. I often believe that this is a good strategy, becuase, I have seen too many student dismissed from extern for cellphone usage during work hours.
Student are prone to using cellphones. I have several exercises that requires the use of cellphones. For instance, I may call a student and pretend to be a disgruntle patient to see how he or she will respond. Also, I may send a mass text,informing them to respond with an answer or email me an assignment. I have certain applications that are free they can use. For instance, I teach medical billing and coding and the student can download an application that will hellp them define an answer. The students are required to compare the codes for the coding book and the application for accuracy.
We do not allow cell phone use in class because it tends to be a distraction to other students. Some of my students seem to have an addiction to being able to use their phones and this can be a real struggle in class.
We also have students using cell phones for the app's. With the diverse classroom it's nice to see "Y" sharing the info with the Boomers
Barry,
this is a great strategy & demonstrates to our students the professional use of these devices.
Ryan Meers, Ph.D.
As I teach culinary and nutrition... I allow my students to use their phone (especially the iphone) for a number of utility tasks.
First as a calculator, and the the Ap Food+ as a nutrition calculator, ShopSavvy as a product locator and price comparison for menu planning..
And the like, the number of aps that you can find directly related to any topic are amazing.. Granted you do have to try them out and limit the use of certain aps, as the material is not necesarrily updated frequently.
But it keeps my technology savvy students entertained and those who are not so knowledgeable... they get a lesson in "computers" from their classmates.
Hey, Rob, there is a free website called Study Stack that you can use. Follow this link to see what I put up there: www.studystack.com/users/jcoombes
