Is it a Phone that has Apps or a Computer that has Telephony?

The technology landscape at the Aggie is changing, some ways slowly and others very rapidly.  And one of the perpetual (and perplexing) questions we keep asking is student cell phone use at school and in class.  As one teacher put it in a recent blog post: "Why is school the only place my kids can't take out the electronics they have in their pockets to answer the questions?"

Thanks to Paula for forwarding along this article from Ed Week, The Powerful Computer in Your Pocket: Using Smartphones in the Classroom.  I think it's excellent and provokes some important questions, like why are we afraid of technology?

There's an amusing video - the pencil video - which is on YouTube so if you're viewing this at school, below is the video [which you can't link to in the article].


The SAMR model - referred to in the article - is the work of Reuben Puentedura, a notable education consultant, especially on the topic of technology.   Earlier in the year I published a short paper - What is Ed Tech? - which gave a brief description of the model and explored the what, why, and how of technology in education.

This is an interesting paper recently published by Atomic Learning - and educational consultancy specializing in professional development and technology training.  It looks at various models of technology adoption in education and the process of change.

Finally, for those interested in a more traditionally academic oriented discussion, this is a paper published by David Thornburg - education thinker, consultant - for the US DoE in 1999.  Although a bit dated, much of what Mr. Thornburg has to say is relevant in today's landscape of technology.