Opinions

=Opinions=

=Either For:= I certainly come down on the side of allowing students to use their cell phones in class for educational purposes. I pioneered the Flipped Class concept ( __ @http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H4RkudFzlc __ ) and in my class, my students watch videos of our direct instruction. One component of the flipped class model is use of these videos. I have students watching my chemistry videos in class on their phones. We also give computer tests and many of the students take these on their smart phones and iPods. I encourage this since I don’t have enough computers to go around my classroom. This has helped us in our underfunded school. I say: lets not try and fight the digital culture, but rather infiltrate it.  Jonathan Bergmann, NBCT 



I agree with Pamela. These are the times we live in and if we don’t teach our students the etiquette about cell phone use in a lecture type sitting then they will have none and will be at a disadvantage when they are able to use them unrestricted in a 300+ lecture hall. We want to teach our students how to best utilize the tools that are available to them. My hope is that if smart phones and ipads eventually replace computers then how to use that technology will be taught just as the use of the computer was originally taught (and still is though most kids would be fine without it).

= Or Against: = = Why? Because there's no reason to provide guidance for the use of something that they're not allowed to use in class to begin with. All of the things you cite in your email are issues that are germane to instruction in my class or otherwise with communicating with me. Cell phones and their use or misuse fall into neither of these categories and as such don't merit my time or effort; I have enough to do with teaching them chemistry without taking on their other bad habits or inclinations. =