“From Toy to Tool” by Liz Kolb
In the article, the author proposes that cell phones can be learning tools. Since cell phones are part of a student’s daily life, teachers are starting to relate this device to constructive knowledge in their classroom. An audioblog is a voice message from a phone that immediately posts to a blog site. They can be posted anytime from anywhere. Audioblogging with a cell phone creates opportunities for students to conduct interviews. One worry of using blogging coupled with audioblogging in the classroom is privacy and protecting students. The article states that “Blogger.com is not a password-protected blog site and so anyone can read the blogs and audioblogs posted by the students. Despite these concerns, there are a lot more benefits of using audioblogging. The last sentence of the article states, “Students can transform cell phones from being just a social toy to a learning tool in their everyday lives.”
1. How can I introduce the use of cell phones in a science or math class? In science, students can use audioblogging to collect sounds from animals, waves, cars, etc. Or they can create their own sounds for a class assignment. They can interview people for a science or math project. Also, in math they can use audioblogging to rationalize a difficult math problem.
2. How can I as a teacher control the use of audioblogging posted in a Web resource for class? One way would be to create the blog myself and set the password so that I can have all access. So every time that there is a new post I would be able to check if it is appropriate and let a student know if he/she needs to change something.
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