AndreaCTER

When I was reading the article Two to Three Years: Mobiles « 2010 Horizon Report: The K12 Edition, there is a section that mentions how cell phones and like devices can be used in the classroom.  Since I am a math teacher, I scrolled down hoping to find something groundbreaking I can use.  This is what I found:

Math. Skills that require drill and practice lend themselves to mobile study. Students can get in a few minutes of practice wherever they are — and as many of these applications have a game-like feel, they may not even mind the drills.

Now I have to ask, why is this revolutionary?  We are supposed to be using technologies to expand how our students think, connect, and collaborate.  So if the only example that can be used is for students to “drill and kill” on a mobile device, are mobile devices really changing the face of education in math?  Yes, students have more access to practice, so yes, it is a great study tool.  Ground breaking it is not.  It is homework in 21st century format.  It is comparable to the teacher who puts notes on a Powerpoint and then brags about how they incorporate technology into the classroom.

Maybe I haven’t found the right articles yet, but other than quick access to information, I have not found a great reason to have cell phones in a math class.