When smartphones first were invented, their popularity
rose amongst the ranks of all other phones. In the blink of an eye, every
person in America seemed to have one handy. As the popularity increased,
smartphones became used much more frequently inside the classroom - with or
without the teacher’s permission. When I was a freshman in high school, iPhones
were just beginning to become the monstrosity that they are today. In class, students would
frequently be on their phones texting or using some form of social media. For
obvious reasons, teachers loathed this new trend because it was disrupting
their class time.
As smartphones evolved, however, teachers have also
progressed and learned how to embrace the educational tools that a smartphone
can provide. This type of technology is a very powerful invention, and when
used properly can greatly benefit students all around the world of all ages. As
toddlers, there are countless educational games that can be purchased in the
app store to spark brain development and help children learn. One app that does
such a thing is called “Stack the States.” This app helps children to
learn shapes, capitals, and abbreviations of different states. The cartoon
shapes of the states and use of different levels makes the child learn while
having a great time. This app is only $1.99 and can be found here https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/stack-the-states/id381342267?mt=8.
For older students, apps
seem to have endless potential in the ways that they can help. Some can
create virtual flashcards, like STUDYBLUE, while others can help students learn new
languages, like Duolingo. Since
there are so many possibilities in the ways that a smartphone can help, more
and more teachers have been welcoming their use in classrooms for educational
purposes. In some schools, use of technology has even been integrated into the
curriculum so students need to utilize their devices. Although smartphones and
other technology do have their downsides, the good most certainly outweighs the
bad. One day technology is going to control the world, so we might as well
start adapting to it now.
One of my friends teacher's has students live tweet during class about in class topics. On the one hand, you can see how that would help engage everyone. I certainly agree with what you are saying, but we all know the upside to technology. That is why every single one of us uses it.
ReplyDeleteI am more curious about the downsides of smartphones that we haven't heard before: their relationship to ADHD, changes in social behavior, and their health implications (links to the spread of infections due to their "germiness" and potential links to caner because of radioactivity.)
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ReplyDeleteYour first URL ("This") resolves to "https://www.blogger.com/null". The sentence like, "This app is blah blah blah found here: http://verylongurl" should be rewritten. URLs for STUDYBLUE and Duolingo would be nice.
ReplyDeleteTechnology already controls the world.
Greetings from Micronesia, and the former Mr. FSU! Hope you're enjoying Dr. Lynne's class- she was definitely one of my favorite college professors!
ReplyDeleteThese are all great points about positive uses of technology in the classroom, however as a teacher I have a perspective for you to consider. I teach in the third-world so most of my students don't have smartphones, but some do. And those students can really be a hindrance during my lessons. Teachers tell students to put phones away for a reason- whether it's playing music or calling friends over to look at the phone, it's difficult to keep the classroom focused on learning when the students are distracted by their fancy gizmos. Most students don't care for the educational apps either, they'd rather go to the countless non-educational places on the phone, so there's really no good that comes of them in my classroom.
Maybe some teachers have adapted to find a positive use for the smartphones, but this teacher disagrees that they're helpful. I personally think that they have too many distractions to ever fully work toward a productive use in the classroom.