Using Cell Phones in the Classroom

© Hill Street Studios/Blend Images/Corbis

According to an April 2010 study by the Pew Research  Center:

“Cell-phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, with cell calling a close second. Some 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004. Those phones have become indispensable tools in teen communication patterns. Fully 72% of all teens -- or 88% of teen cell phone users -- are text-messagers. That is a sharp rise from the 51% of teens who were texters in 2006. More than half of teens (54%) are daily texters.”

The chart below shows the frequency of use of texting in teens compared to other forms of communication.  This study was from 2010 – just imagine what the stats and numbers would look like today!

Blogging with Elementary School Students

Students in Jon Schwartz's Classroom, Blogging and Learning!

When I first started delving into various articles about incorporating blogging into the classroom, I must admit, I was a bit skeptical.  Of course I can see why blogging would be useful to some students at some grade levels, especially in middle/high school.  But, I was unsure if blogging was really a suitable medium for elementary school students, especially for first graders, which is what I am currently teaching.  However, I was very pleased and intrigued to discover that utilizing blogging as a learning tool can be very beneficial and rewarding for young students!