Every teacher’s nightmare is hearing a student’s cell phone go off while trying to teach. What do you do if this happens? How do you control misuse of cell phones in the classroom?
We have rules and policies already in place to combat cell phone use, but have you considered using cell phones as a TEACHING TOOL?
Believe it or not, there are advantages to using cell phones as a resource in the classroom.

My story: I remember preparing a lesson plan for hours the night before, for a classroom book report, “The Outsiders” – a classic by: S.E. HINTON. I knew the information well enough, but wanted to gather and research a personal biography of the author.
My introduction was going to cover and compare gangs in today’s society with gangs in the 50’s, using characters from the book. Part of the procedure was going to be introducing the author’s background to the classroom…I remember asking, “Who knows who S.E.HINTON is?” After a brief pause, a student who sat in the back, raised her hand and said, “she is an author who wrote books in the 50’s.” I was impressed. My second question was, “What kind of books did she write?” There was a pause again, the young girl raised her hand and said, “She wrote young adult books,” and named at least (5) of the books.
At this point, I was more than impressed. I was suspicious. Not to ever doubt my student’s knowledge, but she wasn’t that studious.
I walked towards her, and realized she was researching the information on Google using her cell phone for the answers.
Even though her action was wrong by having the phone in the first place, I must admit I was quite impressed with her ability to research the information so QUICKLY….
That information was researched and is now stored in her head. The answer was literally at her fingertips.

These are some Pros and Cons for using cell phones in the classroom:

Pros:
-Check the spelling/definition of a word
-Research a topic (Internet Access)
-Look up reference images
-Pull up maps (even with satellite imagery)
-Document a science lab with built-in digital camera/video
-Field Trips can be documented
-Fact check on the fly
-Mail questions to teachers they might be embarrassed to ask
-Take quizzes
-Record and/or listen to podcasts

Cons:
-Sending friends text messages during class time
-Sending or receiving test answers
-Bullying or harassment via unwanted text messaging
-Taking and distributing inappropriate digital photos of students

Food for thought:
• Smart boards are replacing the use of blackboard and chalk. Will cell phones replace calculators and dictionaries?
• Environmentally, how can the use of cell phones be helpful?

Website to consider:
• http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/16/technology/16phone.html