The Ten Building Blocks for Learning with Cell Phones.

                                            The Ten Building Blocks for Learning with Cell Phones (1) 




1) Build RelationshipsBreaking the ban starts with the building of relationships with key constituents. Here is advice on how to get started.

• with self:
• Realize that leadership begins with example. There are those who are threatened by transitions and change. To break the ban, you will need to present yourself in ways that do not make your colleagues uncomfortable about their instructional methodology.
• with students:
• Let students know you care about making learning fun and relevant and ask them if they’d like the option to be able to do work using their cell phones. Most likely, the answer will be YES! If they are interested provide them with homework options that enable them to use cell phones.
• with parents and guardians:
• Start with the parents by using the cell phone as a tool to bridge the home-school connection. You can have a “Text-of-the-Day” to update parents on what’s happening in the class. You can text parents individually to share information about their child. You can poll parents with Poll Everywhere to get their input and show their opinions matter. You can read this article for more ideas 6 Ways to Use Cell Phones to Strengthen the Home-School Connection . Once parents are on your side and see the value personally, your job convincing other stakeholders becomes much easier.
• with colleagues:
• Try to establish yourself as an innovative leader when it comes to empowering students and teachers with technology. A focus on student centered learning is key. At grade or subject meetings, offer to support teachers in harnessing the power of cell phones for themselves, and if they’re ready, with their students. Get them started and model for them. Perhaps have a polling question in a meeting or gather input with a Wiffiti board.
• with administration:
• Start by working within the system to bring about technological change. Become known as someone that works with what your school has on hand and is flexible to administrative needs. When the opportunity presents itself, respectfully present the need for change and recommendations to update your school’s technological teaching processes.
• with district:
• Become known as a tech leader. Offer to participate in school and district-wide technology decisions. Offer to collaborate with the district technology coordinator and others to help establish a new acceptable use policy (AUP) that will allow the use of cell phones as a learning tool. (The AUP is a critical step toward technological change, many districts are still working with AUP’s developed in the late nineties.) Keep in mind that in most cases, what is acceptable in the physical world applies to the online world as well.

2) Embrace ResearchIn today’s educational climate providing evidence that the work you are doing is aligned to research and standards is crucial! Here are some ways to do this.

• In addition to content area alignment, ensure your cell infused lessons indicate alignment to the National Education Technology Standards.
• This is a sample of a math teacher’s compilation of Standards-Aligned Activities with Cell Phone and Other Technologies
• Incorporate the use of cell phones aligned to Robert Marzano’s nine research-based strategies.
• You can think of your own or use some of these ideas shared on The Innovative Educator blog.
• Demonstrate careful research of the use mobile technology to building principal and district administration. Provide specific data and examples that are up-to-date, not out-of-date.
• Frohberg, D. (2006). Mobile learning is coming of age: What we have and what we still miss. Paper presented at the DELFI 2006, Darmstadt, Germany. (http://www.ifi.uzh.ch/pax/uploads/pdf/publication/71/2006_DELFI_Darmstadt_MLearn_Framework.pdf)
• Pursell, D.P. (2009). Adapting to student learning styles: engaging students with cell phone technology in organic chemistry instruction. Journal of Chemical Education, 86(10), 1219
• Shuler, Carly Ed.M. (January 2009) Industry Brief: Pockets of Potential: Using Mobile Technologies to Promote Children's Learning
• Speak Up, . (2010, March). Creating our future: students speak up about their vision for 21st century learning
• Trotter, A. (2009). Students turn their cellphones on for classroom lessons. Education Week, 28(16), 10-11
• Vavoula, G., Scanlon, E., Lonsdale, P., Sharples, M., & Jones, A. (2005). Report on literature on mobile learning, science and collaborative activity
• Wood, C., Jackson, E., & Wilde, L. (2009, July 24). Children’s use of mobile phone text messaging and its impact on literacy development in primary school.
• Compilation of Mobile technology Journal Articles and Research

3) Plan Activities

• Planning is key. Create and develop a plan, lessons, and activities that you can share with those who care and want to know what you have in store for the use of cell phones in the classroom.

• Develop a well thought-out plan for embedding cell phones into instruction. Invite your students to partner with you in developing ideas to meet learning goals using cell phones. This plan can be shared on your class and/or school website as well as distributed to parents, guardians, and school community members.
• Lesson plan to use with students to begin drafting plans
• Develop a well crafted outline and description of lessons and activities that could be used for learning with a cell phone.
• For lesson and activity ideas visit
• Harnessing the Power of Cell Phones in Class Lesson Plans
• Mobile Learning Lesson Plans | Scholastic.com
• St Marys Schools Lesson Ideas
• Invite administrators and policy makers to observe the lessons. If possible, involve them as students in the class so they can actually participate and experience first-hand an activity that promotes student engagement and achievement.

4) Pilot ProgramBe willing to start small, demonstrate success and work from there.

• Meet with those key in your school and district decision making to map out an acceptable pilot program i.e. district technology coordinator, building principal and assistant principals.
• Sample pilot program - Delta Schools, Colorado
• Ensure that the pilot program includes all teachers interested in participating.
• Make sure to invite administrators to observe and participate when you are incorporating cell phones into the curriculum. This can be one of the fastest ways to build relationships and get key stakeholders on board.
• Film videos of what you and your students are doing. Publish on online spaces to celebrate the work your students are doing.
• As an example see Culbreth Middle School’s collection of videos featuring the use of iTouches.
• Video of a student field trip to the Chesapeake Bay. Twitter updates at the end of the video were posted by the students during the trip via cell phones.

5) Access for AllAnyone interested in embedding cell phones into the curriculum has heard the argument, but what about the students who don’t have a phone??? Well, you do the same thing as you do when your class doesn’t have enough textbooks. You don’t say, I guess we can’t do our work. We find workarounds. Partner or group students. Have some extras on hand for those who don’t have. Reach out to the community for support, but don’t use that as an excuse to not innovate instruction.