When searching for topics for my blog entry, I came across this article concerning the presence of cell phones on college campuses. Recently many universities have implemented the use of cell phones, particularly smart phones such as the BlackBerry and the iPhone, in the classroom for educational purposes. These purposes include keeping up with attendance, taking quizzes, scheduling classes, and assisting communication between teachers and students. More schools are starting to jump on this band wagon. For example, Abilene Christian University in Texas is giving iPhone's to two-thirds of its entering freshman class this year. As more schools start to accept cell phones as educational tools instead of classroom contraband, universities can use this as a PR platform. The convenience of cell phones is undeniable and, for the most part, every student owns one. The benefits of this new method can easily be seen and potential students to universities are not likely to ignore it. What better way to attract an upcoming freshman's attention than be telling them they can have their cell phone in class? However, is allocating the use of cell phones in classrooms going to purely be a more convenient way to communicate with students and ease their lives, or is it just going to make texting, Facebooking, and web-surfing during class easier to get away with? Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks?
1 comment:
I think they're already a huge interruption, and I can't imagine what it would be like to have students beeping my cell phone at all hours of the day and night -- but, my friend who teaches at ACU (and got an iPhone because of this initiative) said it is invasive.
I'm such a luddite.
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