Parentella

Recently, I was enthralled by watching this video of reading Alice in Wonderland on the IPad. I was amazed at how this transportable device brought the book to life. What if every child could read a book this way? Would this increase literacy rates? Would children learn to explore the materials in books rather than just soak it all in? Would this relate to our digital natives who grow up playing video games and could relate more to reading in this manner? So many of the questions came to mind; however, the reality is that getting an Ipad in every child’s hand is probably less feasible than allowing students to use tools many already have. This is where mobile phones can really bridge the digital divide. I’ve taught in several poor districts but have yet to see a parent or child without a mobile phone. In certain areas of the world I know there are still many who don’t have mobile phones. However, if your school is one of the many that have mobile phones then why not use the phones for learning?

This past Wednesday on the #PTCHAT educators, parents, principals, and other stakeholders gathered to discuss and debate the topic of mobile phones in the classroom.

Parentella: Teachers: Are you using mobile devices in the classroom or are they still out?
cybraryman1: Students/Teachers/

Administrators must 1st join together to develop clear policies on the use of cell phones in schools
readtoday: Mobile phones offer great promise. eg. in Africa many more mobile devices than computers
zmanrdz: Inkster schools us cell phones in class. Take a look http://www.engin.umich.edu/newscenter/feature/educationaltech/
aleaness: @Parentella also gives shy students a way to share
cybraryman1: I have sites for using cell phones in the classroom here: http://bit.ly/3vltkZ
mswojo: @Parentella more than half of my students have smart phone though some don’t have data plan.
tonnet: What about the parents that can’t afford the iPad, Kindle, or even a smart phone?
rushtheiceberg: @ParentellaI am all for using mobil devices in my class – administrators, not so much!
gregkulowiec: itouch like device, not cell phones will be the most beneficial handheld tool. Wifi capability is a must.
NoFlashCards: @Parentella Like anything in moderation and as long as it’s not the only method
educatoral: @Parentella Bullying is a problem but isn’t cheating really sharing?
classroomtools: @educatoral Cheating can be unauthorized collaboration, but it can also be stealing.
jeonghyeun: @readtoday wonder if smart phones have an positive or negative impact on closing digital divide.

Parentella was created to solve the issue of parent and educator communication at elementary, middle school and high school levels. As part of this mission, we are hosting weekly #PTCHAT discussions to encourage a productive dialogue between parents and educators. We hope you will join us Wednesdays at 9 p.m. EST.

You may also want to join Parentella on Facebook to keep updated.  We invite you to propose questions for upcoming topics on #ptchat. View the entire transcript here.

If you are new to following hashtag discussions, you may want to check out this video tutorial on using Tweetdeck for hashtag discussions.

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by Shelly Terrell