Educational Uses for Cell Phones Reaction

Marc Prensky talks about the possiable uses for cell phone in the classroom setting. The nice the about cell phones is that most people have one, even in elementary schools the number of students with a cell phone are rapidly reaching fifty percent. Cell phones are like a miniture computer that fits into your pocket, therefore meaning, extremely convinient. If cell phones are one of the biggest resources students have to connect on why not let them use them to there fullest advantage? Today'g high-end cell phones have the same computing power are our mid-1190's PC did. "It's time we begin thinking of our cell phones as computers(1)."
"Most American teachers and administrators believe that cell phones have no place in the educational procces(2)." Maybe it is time to re-think the cell phone, the main question Prensky says is "What can the learn" and the answer is "anything," but it all depends if we design it right. Think of exactly every part of a cell phone, and its potential for classroom use.
Voice only cell phones, they are the most common but rapidly being upgraded. They can be used for things like learing languages, on of the biggest things it is being used for. It also can be used for poetry, literature, public speaking, writing, storytelling, and history. One can take a guided tour of voice or listen to a lecture. "...virtual relationships are now second nature to students, and often preferred(4)."
SMS, or also known as Short Messaging Service, they provide timely remiders and other things. SMS is used by tv shows to do polls and by marketers informational quizzes.. In schools SMS can be used for pop quizzes, poll students' opinions, class discussion, tutoring, and testing.
Graphic displays, most peoples cell phone has some type of graphic display even if it is basic. Schools are currently using computers for animations in things like anatomy and forensics, but just think, we could use cell phones instead. Someday cell phones will replace text books, since they can be put onto phones.
Downloadable programs, people can download the same tools and teaching programs that we download on our computers, and use them in new ways. So by letting them use their phones you will see more exploration.
Internet Browsers, the downfall is that the internet cost more money a month, but it is possiable to use it on almost every phone. There are websites being specifically designed for cell phone compatability. Therefore this is turning peoples cell phones into research tools.
Cameras, they can be used in the classroom for collection data, documenting, jouralism, classifing images, follow progressions overtime. It can also encourage creative writting when they capture a perfect image.
Global posistioning, since each cell phone has a device in it to tell exactly where you are, it is easy to collect information from your location. Some colleges are already using this feature during orientation.
Video clips, this is a new feature, but is able to be used in class to encourage television journalism and creative movie making.
As you can see there are endless possibilies to the world of cell phones. It is accepting them and changing our norms to fit into the 21century technology. As future teachers we need to accept the changing world and encourage the use to help teach our students.

Prensky, M. (2004). What can you learn from a cell phone - Almost anything. Marc Prensky. Retrieved October 6, 2009, from
http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky-What_Can_You_Learn_From_a_Cell_Phone-FINAL.pdf