Students take their cellular
phones everywhere. Thus if they are used in the classroom they may be able to
connect to and continue with what was done in the classroom. In their spare
time /waiting time outside the classroom they may build on classroom work. They
may use their cellular phones to capture /record phenomena or entities that
they may share in the classroom. Their use in the classroom helps to bridge the
divide between their lives outside the classroom and inside.
Like any available resource which may be effective in
conducting a particular lesson cellular phones may be used. The cellular phone
could be used as a excellent resource in a number of different lessons. The
question is; should it be made a standard part of the classroom?
Each
form of the technology associated with computing has its pros and cons. However
I think it will be stretching it far to incorporate the cellular phone as a
standard device in the classroom. I see three problems associated with its
size. 1. It can be easily snatched and concealed. 2. It can easily be passed
around therefore cheating can be done both online and by passing around. 3. It is
difficult to monitor by observation what students are doing on cellular phones.
The accumulated cost of
using the cellular phone whether to text or speak would be very high since you
pay for each use. My final concern has to do with radiation. Although the
radiation issue is being downplayed by certain research it is a reality. The
combined radiation effect of having so many cellular phones operating at the
same time in the small space of the classroom would be quite considerable.
