It will cost me $5 per month to have internet access on my phone that will give me 25Mb of data or $10 per month to have 200Mb of data. 200Mb of data allows me to view 13000 web pages or 17000Google searches or 200 minutes of you tube. Of couse there are higher data plans available too. I thought that if my students are using this technology then I should know about it too however, I thought that I would start off with the small plan until I worked out how I was going to use this technology....Now I have decided that I would need the second plan as I am getting excited about the opportunities the mobile phone opens up for me such as; I could do all the work I normally do on my computer anywhere at all, I am turning my phone into a laptop ( so this is my excuse to get a flash phone!!).
I can now see the vision more clearly that was shown to me by Wendy back in March this year in another course. By year 10 all students would most likely have a mobile phone and if they didn't wouldn't it be great to have one on the booklist; mobile phone with 200Mb data allowance. Maybe in the future there will be packages offered by phone companies especially for the schools?
I can see a the start of a lesson... okay students today you will need your mobile and paper and pencil if you'd like to take some manual notes as you will not be able to cut and paste verbal comments made during our meeting with council to discuss the logistics involved in planning our ..... we are using a chat room for our discussion and if you would like to ask a question you may do so by typing it in via your phone and wait for it to be answered by council, we are lucky to have a video feed as well which I will display on the IWB so that you may keep your phone on the text box.
This would save students needing to lug laptops around that may get damaged and cost more to replace, this would allow students to access the internet at home to retrieve messages from teachers, homework (they might loose their phone at this point!), partake in quizzes and collaboration with other students in a very inexpensive manner when compared to buying a computer and having access to this computer when other family members also need to use it. It allows students to choose when and where they complete these activities they could write a quick reply on the bus home from school or during tea break at weekend job.
Well both Oliver ,Keirsley and Scheiderman knew how to hook me in and get me engaged with this course! Once again human nature has an element of predictability to it.
Students using mobile phones in lessons for educational purposes is an interesting concept. It is great that you are going out and exploring these technologies in so much depth. I agree that one day this may be the way education is conducted. Although there are a number of benefits of incorporating such technology, have you considered other negative issues? Will all students be able to purchase a mobile phone? WIll everyone have sufficent internet usage? How will you monitor that all students are on task?
ReplyDeleteGreat points!
Hi Laura,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct, there are many details that need to be clarified in regards to mobile phone usage in schools. Perhaps students would only need to purchase a sim card or perhaps the school as a whole could do a deal with a provider that would provide sim cards with limited internet. Instead of so many computers or in addition to the computers, mobile phones could be purchased as a resource that allows more classes to use ICT in their lessons. The phones would then need to be booked for use by the various classes.
As for students staying on task, there is work that needs to be completed and the students would know -through regular reminders -that if they cannot stay on task and complete the work then we can revert to pen and paper alone and the students I'm sure would prefer the phone usage.
I'm sure there are still more issues I haven't considered!