Jeremy, Ricky and I finished our podcast last night; I think it has a lot of great information about cell phone use in schools. There are several uses for these phones and I think we could engage our students more through the use of them. Obviously, there are drawbacks and those should be planned for when implementing such an idea.
I personally use the calendar tool in my phone as an agenda and I think these could replace the paper versions our schools spend so much money on. Our students don't seem to grasp the idea behind their planners; they just think they are a hall pass. If we allowed them to use their phones to give them reminders of homework and tests I feel they would better understand the benefits of keeping a day planner. The bottom line is to use some sort of planner, why should it be in a cookie cutter fashion that has been used for years?
I know most think that phones are a distraction, but can I ask one question: Don't most adults have cell phones on them all day? How is it they accomplish their jobs with such huge distraction right in their pocket? Just a thought.