Five Reasons to Allows Students to Use Cell Phones in Class

I thought that this post brought up a lot of valid points as to why students should be allowed to use their cell phones in class. I think that one of the most important points is that when we consider the real world, or preparing our students for future jobs, there isn't a job where the use of a cell phone can't be handy. I know for myself I have used my phone many times to look up information to answer questions, or define vocabulary on the spot, or find an address/phone number for a field trip. I also liked the point about collaboration. Smart phones allow for collaboration to happen at students fingertips. If they are fluent in one form of communication, such as texting, or video chatting, why shouldn't students use these skills to increase collaboration in school projects. Cell phones are also "free technology" supplied by the students. Students can take notes, read and receive e-mail and documents, and watch videos for a flipped classroom on their cell phones. I also think it is important to "go with the flow" of technology use among our students rather than trying to fight it. As teachers, we can get more students involved academically by engaging them through avenues that they are comfortable with, and for many students, this is through their phones.

http://theinnovativeeducator.blogspot.com/2012/07/5-reasons-to-allow-students-to-use-cell.html

Digital Storytelling

For my digital storytelling project, I used Photo Story3. It was confusing at first, especially because I was unsure of how to eliminate the black backgrounds behind each picture and how to type over the pictures. I also had difficulty with recording, and Steve had to help me do it. It took some playing around with the program, specifically with picture effects and colors for text to make it look the way I wanted it to. I am really happy with the end result and I enjoyed putting the project together. I will definitely use this program again in the future for lessons and personal use. I think that I would be awesome to create an "All About Me" Photo Story to show my students on the first day of school. It could also be good for reviewing expectations and rules of the classroom.

My digital storytelling project is titled, "NASA: A Brief History and Resulting Benefits". I chose this topic because I plan on using it for my integrated unit plan. I plan on having students watch the video as an introduction to the unit and then they will complete two research projects. The first project will be on one of the space missions, and the other one will be on technology or an invention that has come from the research done by NASA. They will be specifically reading a publication by NASA called "Spinoff" to complete the second project.

Digital Storytelling Project

Digital Storytelling Project

Podcast