The Cell Phone Questions

If you have stumbled upon my randomly-updated blog, then you have most likely come around to hear of some of the things I have to say about the usage of cell phones in the classroom. Out of the group leaning that way, many will have stumbled due to a project that is assigned to them for graduate school, and while I absolutely love the program that said school is using, I am disappointed that they have given a project of such low order thinking in a program that is supposed to promote higher order thinking skills. I have mentioned this to a few of the people that I know that are professors in the program, but still, the project has not changed.

So, even though I am starting out somewhat ranting, please know that this is meant as constructive criticism. So, let's start with what I see as issues to a project that states "Find a teacher that has used cell phones in class and ask them questions about the following things." These questions will be posted below. In 2008, I would say that this would be a very beneficial course of action to follow, as the use of cell phones was so new, there was nearly nobody doing it. I received a ton of inspiration from Liz Kolb when I saw her at NECC in San Antonio (NECC is the old name for the ISTE Conference), and I dove right in. I started using Poll Everywhere with one of my classes, and the kids were so enthralled by having a reason to follow the rules that they immediately turned their phones off and put them away so they wouldn't have them confiscated for accidentally having them ring in class. They now had a reason to follow the rules, so I went to my principal to ask for permission to use cell phones in my classroom (the old "ask for forgiveness" routine). So, if this idea has been around for over three years, why are we still asking questions about starting to use them in schools?

Now, I know that there are still many schools out there with a zero tolerance policy. In my classroom, my policy is, "If you're getting all of your work done, then why would I care if you send a quick text message? It's a lot less disturbing than yelling across the room!" Yet many are still shocked that I would allow such a thing, but you know what? This is the world our students are living in and need to prepare for. They need to learn how to balance all of the different tools they have available and to properly utilize them to be productive. When I see a kid texting in class (and getting all of their work done), I often have a short conversation with them about ways they can use the device more productively by challenging them in new ways. For each student it's different, and they each get a different idea from our discussions. If a student is just on their mobile device (cell phone, iPad, iPod, etc.) and not being productive, they first get a warning, then the device is confiscated. A privilege has been abused, and a consequence handed out. So I'm not just that teacher that allows free use of the devices. And in my flipped classroom, it's a privilege that works out pretty well.

So we are now in a time where we aren't just talking about cell phones, but mobile devices. So the fact that this project is still only asking about cell phones is disappointing to me. Why aren't all mobile devices included? And why is it still a low-level project? I have had hundreds of emails from students in the same program ask the same questions, and I often am bombarded by twenty or so emails all within 3 days. Having to answer the same questions over and over is monotonous on my end, and I am sure that the instructors have seen the same answers over and over. I feel bad that there are times in the year that I do not have time to respond due to other obligations, and some students are left searching out other avenues. I have suggested that I could to a short recorded video for the program and answer the questions that way, or even have a time mutually set up to do a synchronous web interview or webinar, but alas, this university (again, I am not bad mouthing the university. I really, really do like what they offer, and recommend the program to many) has not agreed.

So, I do want to help spread the word of integrating cell phones and mobile devices in the classroom. I also want to be able to keep my sanity and not have time for anything else. I also want to prove a point that a new higher-order thinking project needs to be designed in place of the current one to provide a better educational opportunity for these graduate students, and, in turn, their students. These graduate students are tasked with "interviewing" me through email. Well, I am going to respond to all of the questions I get from this program here in this post. If you have questions beyond these and have a genuine interest for integrating mobile devices into your classroom, I will respond. Just be patient. I am a full time teacher, and my students and duties do still come first, but I will get around to further questions.

So, here are some of the most common questions I receive.

1. Does your school currently have a policy on cell phone use?Our policy states that all mobile devices should be turned off and out of sight unless given permission to use in class by the teacher for educational purposes. As I allow a pretty lenient use of the devices in my class (as stated above), I consider being able to be more productive while multitasking to be a very educational purpose, as that is a 21st Century Skill our students will all need when they move beyond high school. 

2. How long has this policy been in place?I think it changed sometime in 2009. I was actually a rule-breaker when I first used cell phones with my students to gather evidence of their learning by utilizing Poll Everywhere. The policy was that all phones needed to be turned off and out of sight during all school hours. Period. But I knew my students all had them, so why not utilize them in a more effective way? After piloting, I approached my principal for permission, or, if things took a turn against what I did, for forgiveness. 

3. What are the consequences for students who abuse the policy?We are to confiscate the device and take it to the office to be held there for one week. A student may have a parent come to the office to retrieve the device in exchange for serving time in a Saturday detention. I am not a big fan of this policy, as we don't take away a student's voice box if they speak out of turn, but I really don't have many issues where I have to enforce the policy either. And when I do have to enforce it, it's usually pretty warranted, and does lead to an educational discussion with most of the students affected. 

4. How did parents react to the use of cell phones in the classroom?My students' parents were ecstatic! It used to be that they were paying large sums of money for students to be social and to entertain themselves with the devices. Now, for that same price, not only are they being social and entertained, but they are being productive (and learning how to be more productive)! Who isn't happy about getting more bang for their bucks? On top of that, parents can receive updates through text messaging services (used to use TextMarks, now use Celly) including assignments and notices about upcoming assessments. 

5. What do you do for students that do not have their own cell phone or text messaging plan?Luckily for us, we were part of a grant program known as Classrooms for the Future (CFF) that provided technology and instructional support for our core secondary classrooms, so there is a computer cart in my classroom that students have access to. Any service that I have used with cell phones can be accessed on those computers, or students could share their cell phones. If there was an issue of recording audio, often a computer or land-line could be used in place of a cell phone. I always make sure to say, "If you don't have your cell phone today..." instead of, "If you don't have a cell phone..." as I don't want to point out that a student may not have this all-important piece of social status (flair), and it seems as if they just kept it at home, in their locker, or they could choose to state that they don't have one. 

6. Could you briefly describe a project your students completed utilizing cell phones?The project itself really had nothing to do with cell phones other than for delivery. I wanted my students to have a better understanding of quadratic equations, so they researched a way that quadratics could be applied to something they enjoyed. As research commenced, students narrowed down their topics, and some even learned about some higher level mathematics that they would not see in the classroom setting that school year. One student dabbled into Calculus years early, another moved into some Physics, all through the gateway of quadratics. A few years earlier, I would have had students write a report on their findings. Instead, students wrote a script, submitted it, discussed it with me, did more research and experiments, revised, and resubmitted, all before the cell phone came into play. Once the script was approved, students recorded the script through a phone call using a service known as Yodio and the project was done. See my class wiki for the projects. There are so many different services out there now that allow for recording like this, and be aware that you might find a service you like one day that might be gone the next or charge you for use.
So, in the end, this wasn't a cell phone project. It was just a project that integrated cell phones. As the students knew they'd be using cell phones, they were excited about the project. By connecting to something in their own lives, they were even more excited. So here is my higher-order project assignment for you: What can you do in your classroom to better reach your kids, where integrating mobile devices is not the purpose of the project, but a way to enhance it.

So for all of you that are here just for your graduate course, here are the answers to the questions you were probably going to ask. For those that were unable to benefit from my knowledge prior to this post, I am sorry I couldn't help. As educators yourself, I am sure you understand how precious time is for me. And for anyone who wants to know more, feel free to contact me! Maybe we could have a full conversation on twitter, via Skype, over email, or even face-to-face.

Teaching time management to middle school kids using cell phones

This is a great way to let kids learn how to use the tools on their cell phones. This was presented by Gail Schuler from Pleasant Valley School District at #petec2010 at the poster sessions.

Poll Everywhere Returns Clearing Results to Educator Accounts...For Now

Last week, Poll Everywhere made a change to their accounts, and it caught a lot of people by surprise. One of the features educators love was moved to the premium teacher account, and it was not necessarily taken well by many. As I was the one who had introduced many of my colleagues to the service, they turned to me for answers.

Truth be told, I hadn't noticed it at that point in time, so I did some investigating. I hadn't seen any notice, so I sent a direct message to @polleverywhere on twitter. In the meantime, I mentioned to others that polls could always be copied, so there was a way to bypass the non-clearing problem, though not as convenient as clearing each individually.

Poll Everywhere responded, and there was a great reason that Poll Everywhere made this change, and in the long run, it will be very helpful to teachers and districts for data collection. First off, the students absolutely love using Poll Everywhere. One of my students today said, "I feel bad for doing this in school. We've always been told it's wrong and against the rules to use our cell phones to learn." This is a great tool!

But this new change will benefit all those who use it. The problem is, how to pay for it. For now, Poll Everywhere has returned poll clearing to the free education account, but I am sure that it won't last. This is only speculation on my part, but I imagine it will remain through the end of the school year and then be moved back into the premium educator account come June. This would allow for teachers to use the service as they are used to for the remainder of the school year, which is good for teachers.

But we, as educators, cannot just allow for the switch back to happen without reciprocating. During this time, we have to show the power of this tool. Get your administrators and school board members into your classrooms to see the use so they realize both how powerful a classroom tool this can be as well as the amount of money that could be saved against buying classroom sets of clickers.

We are still at a point where many districts are not looking at adding to their budgets, so it might be difficult to get districts to pay for a plan. When looking at the K-12 pricing, the building/district plans seems pretty sweet. Why not get kids to pony up $2.50 per year with the promise of allowing them to use their cell phones in school (at appropriate times, of course)? That's only one and a half sodas that they would have to give up. I think they could handle it.

Of course, requiring kids to pay for this might not be the best plan either, and many teachers cringe at the $129 per year cost. But what if you only paid $10.75 a month for the teacher account? Doesn't that sound better? I know I could handle that quite well.

Oh, and, when you do the math, $10.75 a month comes out to $129 per year. It doesn't change the overall cost, but might make it easier to afford as opposed to a one-time yearly cost. I guess that would be my suggestion for a change for next year.

As it is, Poll Everywhere wants your input. First, read their blog post about this issue. Comment on this post to offer suggestions or visit their Get Satisfaction page. Remember, services like this just cannot remain free forever. They have helped us out, now what can we do for them?

The Continuing Discussion of Cell Phones in Schools

Even though Classrooms for the Future (CFF) has ceased to be in any form it once was, one of the great collaborative areas for the former CFF Coaches (many are now Instructional Technology Coaches) is our listserv. Today, a question arose as to whether allowing cell phones in schools would violate CIPA arose, as many districts want to ensure that they can obtain as much funding as they can. I can assure you, allowing cell phones does not violate CIPA. If the students are not using their phones to access the schools network, then it is fine (it is necessary to have classroom management skills to allow their use, though). If a student is using a cell phone to access the school's network, well, the network should already be filtered anyway!

But this led to another discussion about allowing them or not as devices period. As many of you know, this is an issue that I hold close, as I feel students should be allowed to use the devices in school and have had success integrating the technology into my classroom. But I did enter into the debate on the listserv, and realized that my argument on there could be very useful to other educators trying to bring cell phones into their districts. Below is part of the conversation:

There is a modicum of responsibility that will always rest with the student. If they are properly using the cell phone for educational purposes, then there is no issue. It is only when they move outside of the area of "educational purposes" where the issue arise, as with any other tool. If a device is being used inappropriately, then it needs to be addressed thusly. However, if we are just saying "No" to a device due to possible disruptions, we are only inviting more disruptions (students WILL have cell phones with them, regardless of the rules).

But a question I bring up is, "Do we want the 'inmates' running the 'asylum?'" I no longer need public school for my personal gain. I have a job in a public school, but this institution is not here for me. It is here for the education of the students who walk the halls every day. We should be providing them an environment that suits their needs and desires. They have expressed again and again that they want to be able to use their cell phones in school, both educationally and socially. Yes, there are potential issues that could arise, but I think I could come up with a similar situation for any issue that does not use a cell phone. We have dealt with those issues. We can do the same with cell phones.

Since I have started using cell phones in my classes, there have been fewer phones confiscated from those who are students in my classes. As we are using the devices, we are also discussing appropriate uses, etc. I even model how to react to a ringer going off during class by leaving my ringer on and having a friend call it while I am teaching. It rings, and while continuing to teach, I just reach into my pocket and silence the ringer. I don't make a big deal. I don't fumble around. I just go about as if nothing big is happening (I do have to say that my classroom phone rings much more frequently than any combination of cell phones in my classroom during lessons). After going over my lesson, I have a small discussion with my students about how to react (or not react) to a disruption of this sort.

Two weeks ago, a situation arose where my students were tested. A student forget to silence her phone (we all make this mistake), and it went off in the middle of a lesson. She quietly and calmly silenced the phone, I kept teaching, and not a single student reacted in any other way to the "disruption." The lesson got through to them. Now, had I followed the rule to the letter of the law, I would have confiscated the phone on the spot. I would have had to stop the lesson to ask for the phone, possibly argue with the student that didn't want to part with her device, and then get the class back into the lesson. Which, I ask, is more disruptive?

I hope an argument like this can help more districts allow the use of cell phones in education. There are so many things that can be done, but only if the ability to use the devices is there.

It was bound to happen. Thankfully, we have Yodio!

I remember the days when the only way to record yourself through your phone would be to call a friend and have them hit "record" on a tape recorder on their end (or why not just use your own?). Then along came Gcast and gabcast. They were great! You could call a toll-free number, enter a PIN, and record to your heart's content! This was great for classrooms, as now there was no need to have any recording software or laptop. All that was needed was a phone (which pretty much comes standard with any classroom) or a student or teacher cell phone. Great!

Unfortunately, Gcast and gabcast are businesses, and they need to make money. Through gabcast, you can purchase minutes ($.10 a minute...reminds me of old Sprint commercials) for use for recording from your phone, and Gcast will be charging a $99 yearly subscription fee for recording phone calls (Edit: uploading audio you already have recorded is still free). It was bound to happen. I wish Gcast would have given more than a week's notice, as I was planning on using their service for a class project in two weeks. I can't really afford to spend the $99 out of pocket for a subscription at the moment, so I needed to find a new way to record from a phone. (Edit: Gcast is offering prorated subscriptions for educators through the remainder of the school year.)

Luckily, someone found another way, and it is known as Yodio. Currently, it is free to record from your phone on Yodio, so I think I will be trying this out with my Advanced Algebra classes later this month. I am going to see if there is a way to allow kids to record from their cell phones or my class phone and then funnel them into one page for listening, and I think there is a way. It seems that I can search for recordings by unregistered phone numbers while also including a PIN, but I guess we'll wait and see.

Aside from still being able to record for free from a phone (how long until Yodio switches to a pay plan, I wonder?), Yodio has another feature that could be very helpful in extending digital storytelling. Not only can I use audio in Yodio, but I can use digital pictures that I (or a student) uploads to help share my thoughts. Then, it can be embedded and emailed, as well.

In the end, it could be a blessing to the quadratics project I am having my students do to be able to use Yodio instead of Gcast, as I was planning. I was more familiar with Gcast, but part of being a lifelong learner and teacher is to be able to try new things, and this is yet another opportunity.

OPPOSE PA HB 363: A Letter to My State Representative

As you may have heard from any number of educators earlier today, a few Pennsylvania State Representatives have introduced PA HB 363 on February 11, 2009, (the final day of PETE&C) in an effort to ban cell phones from all facets of education, including allowing students to carry these devices with them at ANY school sponsored activity, including dances and sporting events. I urge all Pennsylvanians to contact your State Representative and tell them to OPPOSE PA HB 363! Here is the letter I sent to my State Representative:

Today, I was forwarded information on PA House Bill 363, which proposes to ban student cell phones from schools. As an educator, I cannot support this idea. Cell phones are no longer just devices for making phone calls. These are devices that teachers across the state are integrating into their classrooms, and it is highly engaging to out students. I have begun integrating into two of my classrooms to great success, and the students in my other class are now demanding that I do the same for them. As an educator, I have to make sure that I am able to reach my students in a way that will get the most out of them, and the students in my school have let it be known that they want to learn how to be productive with these devices. They want to learn how to be more productive with cell phones, and believe it or not, they do care about learning proper etiquette for use, as well.

I have been a huge proponent of cell phones in education and have spent a good portion of the past year promoting the benefits of allowing these devices in schools. I have been collaborating with educators across the country to provide uses for these devices. There are man great plans already out there, and educators are being more and more innovative in their integration every day.

Recently, I have presented at a tech director's meeting for IU 13 and at the annual Pennsylvania Educational Technology Expo and Conference (PETE&C) about the issues that have been brought up from allowing cell phones in schools. Almost every single issue can be narrowed to a problem with structured use, not with cell phones. When calculators were first introduced into education, there was a lot of push back, but now you cannot have a math class without them. Computers were considered to have no place in the everyday classroom. Today, we have made the biggest strides in our classrooms that to the Classrooms for the Future grant. Both of these devices were met with trepidation, but it was structure and innovative educators and leaders that have turned those tools into must-haves for all students.

This same issue exists with cell phones (and other portable electronic devices such as iPods, mini-camcorders such as the Flip, and PDAs). Yes, they can be distracting. Yes, there could be issues with improper use. However, with the proper structure, these issues will become non-issues. Not only that, but as educator, I have a responsibility to provide the best education to each and every student. If I were to restrict their learning environment, I would be cheating them out of their future and limiting their potential.

I urge you to oppose PA House Bill 363, which proposes to ban these devices from all school functions. Not only will this be limiting what teachers can to best educate our students. You will also find that many parents will oppose this bill. At Annville-Cleona, we have a more lenient cell phone policy which allows our students to carry them as long as they are turned off, and allows teachers to allow their use within a structured environment. However, we have had to deal with many parent complaints that they want their kids to be able to send them messages during the day, such as at lunch. Our parents want their kids to have their cell phones with them at all times. On top of that, the bill is banning students from carrying the devices at all school sponsored activities. This would include sporting events where students are spectators, and even on buses on the way back from participating in sporting events. As a soccer coach, I like the fact that my players can call their parents when we are 10 minutes away from the school so that neither the parent or student is waiting for the ride home.

I am more than willing to continue a dialouge on this issue, and am willing to even come to Harrisburg to speak with any number of Representatives that may have questions. I know there are educators just like me statewide that feel the same way, especially my fellow CFF Coaches. Many of us have been sending letters today already. Each Representative could easily find CFF Coaches in their own district to speak with about this issue.

Again, please oppose PA House Bill 363.

--
James Lamb, Jr.
Annville-Cleona Secondary School
Mathematics Department
Classrooms for the Future Coach
717.867.7700 ext. 4213
Email:jlamb@acschools.org
Skype: jimbo.lamb
iChat/AIM: MrLambMath
twitter: misterlamb
delicious/diigo: misterlamb

Cell Phones in Education: An obstacle

I have just been sent a link that may provide a huge obstacle to my passion of integrating cell phones into the classroom, and it is called PA House Bill No. 363. This bill is being referred to the Committee on Education to amend "the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14)" which banned student pagers from schools, with the exception of emergency workers and medical reasons. This bill is aiming to apply the same restrictions to cell phones. Here is the proposed wording. Italics are new wordings, while [brackets] are removed wordings.

13 Section 1317.1. Possession of [Telephone Pagers] Electronic

14 Devices Prohibited.--(a) The possession by students of

15 telephone paging devices, commonly referred to as beepers,

16 cellular telephones and portable electronic devices that record

17 or play audio or video material shall be prohibited on school

18 grounds, at school sponsored activities and on buses or other

19 vehicles provided by the school district.

20 (b) The prohibition against beepers and cellular telephones

21 contained in subsection (a) shall not apply in the following

22 cases, provided that the school authorities approve of the

23 presence of the beeper or cellular telephone in each case:

24 (1) A student who is a member of a volunteer fire company,

25 ambulance or rescue squad.

26 (2) A student who has a need for a beeper or cellular

27 telephone due to the medical condition of an immediate family

28 member.

29 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.

I urge each and every educator in PA to contact the Representatives that introduced the amendment to the bill, as well as the members of the Committee on Education to inform them of the immense mistake it would be to apply this amendment. Inform them of the great things that the educators in this state are doing with cell phones both in and out of the classroom. Remind them that the devices are not the problem, but the improper use is, and that we cannot continue on in education ignoring devices such at this, both as educational tools as well as the need to make sure today's youth are being taught proper use of these devices for their own safety, as well as proper etiquette and use.

Here are the names (click for contact) of the Representatives whose names are on the bill, as well as those on the Committee on Education.

Angel Cruz, D, District 180
Rosita C. Youngblood, D, District 198
T. Mark Mustio, R, District 44
Thomas R. Caltagirone, R, District 127
Douglas G. Reichley, R, District 134
Harry Readshaw, D, District 36
John P. Sabatina, D, District 174
John J. Siproth, D, District 189
W. Curtis Thomas, D, District 181

Find contacts for all State Representatives here. Find yours and tell them NOT to support banning cell phones in education.

Committee on Education (including contact info).

Also, sign this virtual petition.

Spread the word. Let educators decide how to run their classrooms. We need our students to have access this technology for the sake of our world!

Short Cell Phone Post

Today was a day of cell phones for me. It started this morning when I attended the IU 13 Tech Coordinator's meeting to talk about cell phones in education. My main focus behind the presentation was to discuss why we block the use of cell phones and why we should allow them to be used in a structured environment. I have a feeling that I will be going through the presentation again and posting it as an enhanced podcast (possibly on the soon-to-be-opened IU 13 iTunes U page).

As I expressed many of the concerns that I have heard over the years as to why we should ban cell phones, I countered with statements that showed those same concerns were there before cell phones, and that the cell phone was just a new medium that we have to create the structure for use. After all, if teachers don't teach these necessary skills to our students, who will? Isn't that our job?

I moved into showing some examples as to how cell phones could be used by demonstrating Poll Everywhere through this poll, this poll, and this poll. I talked about how this tool is a mean to gather information for a teacher to determine whether the class understood the material, as opposed to waiting until the next day after a failed homework assignment or on the quiz. Then I demonstrated Gcast with a podcast I had recorded the previous night through my phone, talking about how they could be used to record observations on a field trip.

Of course, I had to talk about iPhones and iPod Touches and the Apple App Store (while mentioning that other smartphones were getting similar stores) and the educational apps that were available at their fingertips, many for free!

I finished my presentation by discussing things we have already dealt with in schools. We made the switch from slide rule to calculators, but there were those that said they would never catch on in education. Today, they allow educators to focus more on interpreting data and delving deeper into what the mathematics can tell us as opposed to medial, repetitive tasks. Sex education was once a highly discussed issue. We all hope that our children and students will abstain and wait until they are mature and fully ready for sex, yet at the same time, we know that many will have sex. But we don't just teach abstinence. We teach safe sex because we want our students to protect themselves and make smart decisions. Are we going to tell our students to abstain from cell phone use, or are we going to step up and teach them how to properly use them?

Later in the day, after I got back to school and was preparing materials for my substitute the next day, I noticed twitter messages about Flight 1549 going down in the Hudson. Of course, my first reaction was worry for those who were lost and how this would bring back fears of flying and worry of terrorist attacks.

But then I tuned into CNN to view the coverage and saw a plane floating in the water, with ferries and other boats swarming to and from it. It was a spectacular site seeing how quick the response was and the willingness of everyone to help. And as I was watching CNN, they kept showing photos from cell phones of the rescue process. As the place went down in New York City, there were potentially millions of witnesses. This potential tragedy has now turned into one of the greatest real-world learning experiences we have ever encountered in aviation.

Think about this. The pilot was able to basically land the plane safely in water, keeping the plane intact, for the most part. The flight crew and passengers acted immediately to open doors and work on getting out of the plane. That in and of itself is highly beneficial for the airline industry in training of their employees.

But the thing that could be most beneficial is the abundance of data that is now available about what happened. Every single person who used their cell phone to snap pictures of what was going on, or everyone who call 911 when they saw the plane going down has helped to contribute data to learning how to deal with other similar situations. Had this happened ten years ago, we would not have been able to share anywhere near this much data.

So I continue my quest to promote the positives of cell phones in our society. I will continue to fight on behalf of allowing the use of cell phones in education (in and out of the classroom) and our need to take charge and teach proper use of these wonderful devices.

Cell Phone Exploration: Day 1

So, I began my foray into utilizing cell phones in my classroom. I am starting out with my Advanced Algebra classes. So far, I am only utilizing Poll Everywhere to gather quick responses to short questions, almost as you would with a CPS (but a lot cheaper). Neither myself or my district had to purchase the CPS, as we use either the cell phones students already have or the computers we received through the CFF grant. This allowed for 100% participation, regardless of whether a student has a cell phone or not.

I first asked a review question from the previous day, hoping to see the correct answer. I set up a multiple choice question with four possible answers, and I had all but one student in the two classes choose the correct answer, but I believe that was due to being unfamiliar with the process. It was good to know that I got through to them, and you are not always able to know that until it's too late. It is so nice to be able to receive this feedback as a teacher, as I was then ready to move on to the next topic.

Right now I'm working on a unit dealing with solving systems of equations. We covered the substitution method today. We worked on two problems together as a class, then I set them loose on a third example to do on their own. When they were done, they were to submit their answer as a text answer. Most of the students did the work correctly, except for one step, where they ended up losing a possible solution due to making a very common error. I was somewhat expecting that, which was a great thing that allowed me to review the concept. Had I gone through this problem at the board, I know I would have lost most of the class. By allowing them to make the mistake and then going back over where the mistake was made, we were able to deal with an error that comes around very often, and I had my students' attention when we covered it. The other students that made a different error also were able to determine where their mistake was made, as well.

I think for now, I will continue using the polling option with my classes to see how they further react to our use of cell phones in this capacity. They seemed quite receptive for now, but I will have to continue to grow in my use of this mobile technology if I am going to make a success out of this experiment.

On another cell phone note, I was speaking with my buddy Chris at a retirement dinner last night, and he was telling me how he was using coupons through his iPhone. How interesting. He had been doing it for quite some time, until the other day he attempted to use a coupon at a place of business that he had done so before, and he was told that they needed a paper copy of the coupon. It was no longer good enough to just scan the bar code from the iPhone. How 20th Century. Could you imagine if businesses actually embraced this idea? They could have coupons posted on their sites, and by accessing these coupons, they would be building web traffic, which would help with their advertising revenue on their site. It could be a win-win for everyone involved! This could be something to keep an eye on in the future.

Priorities and Cell Phones (A Two Part Post)

Part I: Priorities

In an effort to try and do a better job in both teaching and CFF Coaching, I have realized that I need to better prioritize what I need to do. My body is constantly telling me that it cannot handle the stresses being imposed on it by the double duty, so I guess I should listen to it and rethink how I am approaching the two positions. So here goes:

1. My students. They have to come first. That's why I'm here. And as long as I am teaching and coaching, teaching must be the top priority. After all, without them, I wouldn't have either position.
2. Reflection. I need to reflect better. I have this blog, so I need to take the time to use it. I constantly jot down notes, but often find I don't have the time to do anything with them. That needs to change if I am to grow.
3. Time for me. As it is, it is now 4:30 in the afternoon, almost 2 hours after the contractual time we are allowed to leave school, yet here I am, still in my classroom, gathering resources and organizing. I often remain here until 5 PM or later, then go home and do more work. I need to tell myself that enough is enough. If I can't get it done during my work hours, I shouldn't kill myself trying to get it done at home. I'm only a half-time coach, so I can only accomplish so much. I have to look at the small accomplishments I achieve as the successes they are. If my district truly wants to get the most out of this position, they must be the ones to commit to making it a full-time position. I'm not a miracle worker. Of course, this will also mean less that I will be offering my district, but again, I'm killing myself right now and that needs to change.

I guess those are the three big goals that I need to accomplish right now to get things back on track for me. My body has been telling me that I'm demanding too much. I need to start listening and get it back in shape. There are some roadblocks, however. I can't always have my students as the number one priority, as there are requirements of CFF that take me out of my district and, thus, away from my classroom. I have seen that it has had a negative effect on them. Grades aren't where they should be. We're a whole chapter behind where I need to be due to having to review what was to be covered when I was out.

In an ideal world, I would be able to be a CFF Coach full time. I would be able to achieve so many of the goals that I have set for myself, and would be able to assist the staff and student body to better understand what the 21st Century skills are and how to include them in their everyday instruction and learning.

Part II: Cell Phones

It's no secret that I am a big proponent of using cell phones in education. I have used them sparsely at this point, and I really want to see if I can fully integrate them as a learning tool, so my Advanced Algebra students have a treat awaiting them when we return from break.

I already have great ideas for using Poll Everywhere (and their web voting for those without cell phones) for quick feedback as to whether they understand the concepts we are covering. I tried it once, and it worked pretty well.

But I want to look at it as something more. How can we use the cameras on the phones to analyze with the math? How can we use calling features to record our thoughts? What about texting to gather information and get quick answers?

It's time to shift into driving the technology to do for us what we want it to do. True, there are many arguments out there for not allowing cell phones in schools. But they'll be there, whether we allow them or not. Why not teach the proper use?

To help me with this, I just ordered Toys to Tools by Liz Kolb, and I am using her blog as a wonderful resource. She truly inspired me last year at NECC, and now is the time for action! Over the coming months, I will be blogging about how the process is going (what works and what doesn't) as an effort to reflect more (see Part I of post) as well as to help share why we should embrace this technology in our schools.

Cell Phones as Learning Tools

Now here is one of the sessions I have been looking forward to. One of my main goals for this year is to integrate cell phones into my instruction, and here is the first session to do so. We start out with a poll on wiffiti. We answered a question on the percentage of schools that are providing 21st Century instruction (I guessed 29%).

The presenter for this session is Liz Kolb. Visit the wiki for the session here, and her blog and book. All of the activities we are seeing today can be done with any cell phone, so a smart phone is not needed (although there are more ideas for these smart phones).

Liz gives us four reasons to integrate cell phones in learning.

1. The number of students that have cell phones: 76%. We sent a text to polleverywhere to see how polling live can be used.

2. How do students use their cell phones? Communication, texting, and music are big!

3. How do students like to learn? They like to collaborate, they want to get things at anytime or any place, have structured activities, and have relevance to their world. How do you do this? How about ChaCha? Use 1.800.2CHACHA or text CHACHA [242 242] for an almost immediate answer.

There are also mobile blogs that are available out there. News organizations are depending on instant info from normal citizens, and many sites (CNN.com, etc.) are offering places for iReporting. We are going to become mobile citizen journalists for NECC 2008. We're looking at go@blogger.com. This is some amazing stuff. I'm going to be posting photos to my blog like crazy now!

Next is gabcast. You can podcast directly to a blog. This session is so amazing. Why are they limiting Liz to only one hour and only one session? I can't wait to get her book! If you are ever at a conference (or anywhere else) and get a chance to see Liz speak, do yourself a favor and do so! This is giving me so many great things that I can do with my students (and teachers).

We move onto Flickr and their mobile version. Then on to blip.tv. And finally Jott. There's just too much! I wish I could share more, but I was playing. Hopefully we can get Liz to come to our CFF Boot Camp this fall, and THIS is exactly what we need!

If you want more info on a session like this, please check out the links in the beginning of this post. I wish this session had a lot more time.