Smart Phones in the Classroom

An amazing thing happened recently, more people bought smart phones than traditional computers. Why do I say traditional computers? Well, if you have a smart phone you may realize that you are really carrying a very powerful little computer that happens to let you talk to people more than you are carrying a telephone.

I recently made the plunge into the smart phone world. Wow! This was the first electronic device I have purchased in years, maybe ever, that worked the way I thought it should from day one. Unlike my laptop, it doesn’t take minutes to boot up. I turn it on and everything is there. Installing new programs, in the smart phone world they are called “apps”, is a breeze. And what an amazing set of apps to choose from. It seems that whatever I want to do, I can do with an app.

Now I carry this amazing computer, phone, video camera, camera, automated direction telling system that can store e-books, play music and perform way too many other things in my purse. As a former typing teaching I am even getting used to the small on screen keyboard. At times, it makes me wonder why I use my computer.

I even saw recently that there are companies making accessories that turn smart phones into portable electronic microscopes. I can’t imagine all of the cool things people will be able to invent to make the smart phones even more useful.

So, my questions to you are:

1. How many of your students have smart phones?
2. How do you think smart phones can be incorporated into the classroom to improve student learning