CELLPHONES
Cellphones are of great interest to me…how often do you see a student WITHOUT their cellphone attached to either their ear or hand? For that matter, how many times do you see nonstudents (us!) attached to their phones?! Instead of banishing cellphones from the classroom environment why not constructively integrate their use into your class!
Archive Face to Face Classroom Whiteboard for eCompanion/Hybrid/eCourse: There are times when, as an instructor, you and your face to face class created something amazing on the whiteboard in a brainstorming session and you wished you could show the world the result. Well, maybe not the world but you were very excited over the result of the team effort of the class! Take a picture of the whiteboard with your camera and archive it. Upload it for discussion in an online thread, wiki/blog. Or, upload the image to Doc Sharing or link out in a content item for your online class to review. Taking this a step further, capture information from another document or whiteboard on the run! Use your phone to take a picture of the information from wherever you are…a conference session, sitting in on a meeting, not enough handouts, etc.
Photo opportunity: Take a picture of something that will jog your memory of something you want to do in your online class. Or, take pictures to share with your class along with anecdotal text of something you do as a hobby or have been doing in your free time. Great instructor immediacy!
Student’s Names and Faces: In a Meet and Greet content item at the beginning of term, have students attach a picture from their cellphones to share so everyone can get to know each other on a more personal note.
Assignments: Depending on the subject you teach, send the students out to take pictures of nature, people or other things. Try to think of ways to use the phone. Using the phone in an assignment can help students become more involved and personal in the assignment.
Instant Blogging: If you are a blogger or have a class blog/website you can set up an e-mail address that you can post directly to that blog. Give that address out to students to get them involved! You will need an internet connected phone for this.
Class Montage/Slideshow: Have students take pictures throughout the term and create a folder in Doc Sharing where they can place their images. Share the photos in a class montage at the end of the term; assign some interested students to do this and encourage creativity…add music, etc.
Interviewing, on-the-spot reporting, podcasting: Incorporating a third-party software like Utterli, cellphones can become amazing instruments for students to do some audio assignments.
World of Media
Ten Ways to Use Cellphones in Learning
Ten Ways to Use Mobile Reporting
Using the ‘Comment’ feature, share how you incorporate cellphones in your class!
10 ways to use cell phones in learning
