There are MANY viewpoints on this hot issue in school systems.  I admit, until recently, I’ve been on the side of “no cell phones in class.”  Our school system does have a policy against using them, and I have collected more than a few devices being used during my class.  Our students are literally addicted to using their phones.  They text and tweet non-stop.  I get so tired of them not paying attention during my class because the phone is in their lap!!  But, I might be changing my mind (gasp!)…

A big part of my Kenan experience has been incorporating the technology we learn about in our professional development workshops into my classroom.  A lot of those technologies allow students to use their phones for good – for finding information, enhancing their learning, or for accessing information at their own pace.  I have a better understanding now of the push to give students and teachers access to technology.

My students are using their phones to respond to polls that I give, to keep time on the stopwatch app, and to take pictures of their lab experiment.  My hope is that keeping them engaged in the class will keep them from doing other things with their phones.  Do I catch them texting?  Occasionally, yes.  But, they think of some really creative ways to problem-solve using their electronics, so it’s a compromise I’m willing to make.