Wednesday, 11 July 2012

Mobile phones - Distraction or Beneficial?


This week in Managing E-Learning students were to participate in a wiki activity, on the impact of mobile phones in classroom. When applying this issue to Bono's six thinking hats, a number of thoughts and ideas were raised. These will be explored within this blog post.


The characteristic of the wiki that led me to understand this activity was the column of "colour perspectives'. This column clearly outlined what needed to be considered for each colour hat.  I was the first person to participate in the wiki, therefore I was unaware of what was expected and was unable to respond to others opinions and views, nor take them into consideration. However, the questions provided allowed me to create a response. I was also able to find a recourse discussing this issue/idea. 


I believe that mobile phones could be incorporated into classroom activities, if used appropriately. It is noticeable that smart phones are making it easier for students to access materials such as PDF files, word documents and emails. It is a common a observation that mobiles in schools are disruptive rather than useful.  However, I believe that by using mobiles it may promote students to participate in certain activities, as they are comfortable and confident in using them. 


The students that 21st century learners will be engaging with are digital natives (Prensky, 2001). However, I believe that with the technologies that are already being used frequently in a classroom, that there is no need for mobile phones. I believe that more negativity will come from this than positive. It could promote cyber-bullying, distracted by personal life, and could eventually lead to cheating in work and more. 

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