Toys to Tools: Connecting Student Cell Phones to Education (Paperback)

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Key Phrases: student cell phones, enhanced podcast, help blog, Connecting Student Cell Phones, Lesson Plan, Voice Mail (more...)

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Product Description

Many, if not most, educators view cell phones as the enemy. Author Liz Kolb sees them as powerful technology in the hands of students. Acknowledging the current reality at many schools ban student cell phone use in the classroom Kolb discusses a host of innovative and highly interesting uses for the technology that do not require using the phones in the classroom. She also addresses the issues that have caused the bans and provides guidelines for overcoming the problems.

Ignoring, or worse, demonizing a technology that students willingly and actively use in every other aspect of their lives is not a winning educational strategy. Mini lessons and powerful resources throughout the book are easily adaptable and appropriate for almost any grade level and are designed to enhance learning both inside and outside of the classroom.

This book is a practical guide for educators who would like to turn what many consider an annoying digital toy into a powerful educational tool.

Also available:

RSS for Educators: Blogs, Newsfeeds, Podcasts, and Wikis in the Classroom - ISBN 1564842398
PowerPoint Magic - ISBN 1564842355

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is the trusted source for professional development, knowledge generation, advocacy and leadership for innovation. ISTE is the premier membership association for educators and education leaders engaged in improving teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education. Home of the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS), the Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology (CARET), and ISTE's annual conference (formerly known as the National Educational Computing Conference, or NECC), ISTE represents more than 100,000 professionals worldwide. We support our members with information, networking opportunities, and guidance as they face the challenge of transforming education.

Some of the areas in which we publish are:
-Web. 2.0 in the classroom-RSS, podcasts, and more
-National Educational Technology Standards (NETS)
-Professional development for educators and administrators
-Integrating technology into the classroom and curriculum
-Safe practices for the Internet and technology
-Educational technology for parents

About the Author

Liz Kolb is currently an adjunct assistant professor at Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. She is also completing her PhD in Learning Technologies at the University of Michigan. She taught high school and middle social studies in Cincinnati, Ohio and she also spent four years as a high school technology coordinator and teacher in Columbus, Ohio.

Product Details

• Paperback: 225 pages
• Publisher: International Society for Technology in Education (October 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564842479
• ISBN-13: 978-1564842473
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #59,094 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to bring cell phones into the curriculum, December 22, 2008

By	Paul A. Baker "communicator" (Madison, Wis., US) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kids love their cell phones. Teacher and technology advocate Liz Kolb reasons that because students are highly motivated to interact with technology, they will find classroom content more compelling when they can develop content-based projects for their cell phones.

Interestingly enough, the learning activities in this book don't require students to actually bring their phones into the school.

Kolb shows many ways to integrate these "toys" into the K-12 curriculum nevertheless. Cell phones are potentially tools for knowledge construction, data collection, and collaborative communication. They can serve as collection devices for photos and videos when used with free online resources like Blogger and Flickr for creating a local landmarks photoblog, for example, or for a geometry digital storybook, rock identification, or photo mapping.

Students can brainstorm from their cell phones by sending text messages to a live Wiffiti screen. While on a field trip, students can text their observations or notes to the class Wiffiti screen and discuss their experiences back in the classroom.

Using the instant messaging service Twitter, teachers can set up a homework help group or study group hotline for students to collaborate on homework. For projects involving audio media, Kolb provides lesson plans for an oral history project and a virtual science symposium, among others.