A Second Look at Mobile Technology in the Classrooms: Don’t Ban It. Use It!
Abstract
The misuse of smartphones in class frequently exasperates teachers. Instead of seeing this mobile technology as a nuisance, teachers can use it to their advantage. Smartphones can maximize collaboration, improve assessment, expand routine vocabulary lessons, augment out-of-class activities, and add multimedia tools to lessons, all while using technology that is both familiar and enjoyable to the students. The article highlights 3 free cross-platform software applications (apps)— Socrative, Edmodo, and Blogger. Each app is rated according to the following features: appearance, daily setup, ease of use, educational benefits, quiz format and grading, registration, speed, teacher control, tips/help, and user options. Evaluations, sample lesson activities, and walk-throughs are also included to emphasize each app’s strengths.