The days of note-passing are over. Every time you look down a school hallway these days, students seem to have their eyes glued to their high-tech cell phones and their fingers furiously tapping at the tiny keyboards. Why doodle your boyfriend’s name in your notebook when you can Tweet his name between emoticon hearts from your very own handheld?
Despite the typical cell phone ban at Wiregrass Ranch High School in Wesley Chapel, Fla., students continue to use their cell phones on campus and in class, where teachers who spot cell phone offenders can take them away for an entire day.
All teachers except for one, who is actually incorporating texting into her lesson plans.
Tired of competing with cell phones for her students’ attention, the 12th grade science teacher has her students use their cell phones as polling devices to keep them actively engaged in class discussions, reports ABC Action News. She uses a polling program that is downloadable from polleverywhere.com, and is free for groups with less than 30 people – perfect for a high school classroom. The teacher asks a question, the students text in their votes, and then the results are displayed via PowerPoint. How easy is that?
It might not be such a bad idea, considering that 43% of teens openly admit to texting during class anyway.
What about the 10% of students at Wiregrass Ranch who don’t have cells? No big deal – they just share with a friend.
With such a technology-oriented youth population, more and more teachers seem to be connecting with their students’ minds by “connecting” with technology. What do you think? Would you ever allow texting in your classroom for educational purposes?
Tags: cell phones, technology, texting
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