Peter’s comment in Leading Off that students shouldn’t have cell phones at school is, I suspected, the prevailing opinion among most folks who don’t have children in middle school or high school, and perhaps even among the majority of those who do have kids at those grade levels. Which is why I’m surprised to see how many good, smart comments there are on the DMN DISD blog detailing my take: that it’s important to integrate widespread technology into the learning environment, and that parents who don’t keep up with their kids by cellphone don’t have teenagers. (Definition of good and smart? Agrees with me.) Two examples:
(via What Works in Schools): If you are staying abreast with the research on instructional technology, cell phones can play a relevant part in a teacher’s everyday curriculum. To do this though, a district must embrace the concept of using the tools students bring to class everyday such as cell phones and MP3s. Then have rigorous and relevant professional development on how to integrate these tools into the CPGs, and finally, have courageous campus administrators and teacher leaders who not only model and monitor the integration of these tools, but encourage others to begin to use them as well.
(via Cliffhanger): My kids and I use texting to communicate changes in plans, pickups, after school events and other things outside of classroom time. For those of us who have to live in the real world (i.e. not at 3700 Ross Ave.) with multiple kids to keep track of, two working parents, dentist appointments, tennis lessons, music rehearsals, client meetings that run late, etc. cell phones are not only an issue of convenience but of safety.
