How to use smartphones in classrooms

The potential of smartphones, supported by a strong classroom management system, can be summed up with what is called ‘The Five C’s’, which are Collaborate, Communicate, Create and Coordinate/Curate. Of the 44 ideas below regarding smartphones, 12 can be accomplished with a simple mobile phone. Look at the enormous potential.

Use smartphones to collaborate

• Have students peer-assess their classmates’ essays through a Google Form embedded on teacher page, and allow them to view real-time constructive criticism. Afterwards, polish up the spreadsheet and share with students. Believe it, they will be interested.
• Allow texting in class to peer-edit and offer constructive criticism for writing projects. Just imagine students sharing thesis statements and introductory paragraphs without ever saying a word. This is just one of the strategies to use to create a quiet and successful writing atmosphere in Studio 113.
• Make brainstorming visible via a projected image with Polleverywhere.com and Wallwisher.com. Using these two sites really is too simple. Although Wallwisher requires an Internet connection, students may use a mobile phone for Polleverywhere.com.
• Create a shared list of notes by making a Google Form available. Most tech people usually embed Google Forms on the teacher page for easy access. Afterwards, they make the spreadsheet of notes available to all students.
• Have students post relative links of videos, websites, etc. for a unit of study. Some tech geeks like to think of this as the ‘Army of Talent’ completing a task in a fraction of the time it would take one teacher hours to finish. This strategy is highly effective as it invites students to co-create their learning environment and unit. A Google Form would easily serve this purpose.
• Make thoughts visible by having students post videos and text or by having them phone in their answers to Voicethread.
• Engage readers in real time as they work through the assigned reading by collaborating with their peers via a Twitter hashtag, Polleverywhere.com, Todaysmeet.com, or Wallwisher.com.
• Have students call in-class peers during an interactive learning structure.

Use smartphones to Communicate

• Use FaceTime on the iPhone to add outside audience members during class discussion or learning activity. This is perhaps one of the coolest things some teachers and students have recently done in class.
• Allow students to read from their smartphones during SSR (Silent Sustained Reading) while sharing interesting articles via Polleverywhere.com.
• Allow students to video or audio record your assignment instructions.
• View student exemplary products from school YouTube channel.
• Augment lessons with excellent videos from Ted.com or RSA.
• Use a Twitter hashtag to augment the in-class lesson or extend the conversation after class.
• Establish a Twitter class account to share class assignments and reminders. If students do not want a Twitter account, make it easy. Embed the Twitter feed on your teacher page.
• Send students reminders in-class/after-class through ClassParrot and Remind 101.
• Have a silent discussion via Todaysmeet.com.
• Capture learning moments. Ever had a student raise a hand, make a connection, and say, “Have you seen the video that….?” Ask students to email pertinent links during class and show the video in minutes.
• Have students assess the teacher through a Google Form.
• Use Google Translate to break down language barriers.
• Use Instagram or Twitter to advertise class projects.

Use smartphones to create

• Write with apps such as My Writing Spot and Evernote.
• Set up a portable writing station by connecting a keyboard to smartphone via Bluetooth.
• Use dictionary and thesaurus apps.
• Use Dragon Dictation for struggling writers. Interested? Click here.
• Write on-the-go during a field trip or active lesson on campus with Tripline.
• Create “How-To” guides using apps such as SnapGuide.
• Write to Blog Post via the Blogger app.
• Peruse playlists while double-checking the lyrics on the Internet to create a soundtrack that applies to current studies.
• Create Twitter parodies of certain characters, historical figures, chemical equations, geometry theorems, and animals of study in biology class.
• Create a mini-presentation, skit, or formal response to a prompt and email the video to teacher’s Posterous blog spot.

Use smartphones to coordinate/curate

• Relax and write with apps like Nature Music or iZen Garden.
• Listen to music as a source of inspiration for creative projects.
• Have students access their peers’ blogs by sharing a Symbaloo webmix on teacher page.
• Point students in the right direction for creative tech tools.
• Save time and paper by accessing documents on teacher’s website.
• Share spreadsheets of notes with Google Drive.
• Get to know your students by having them complete a Google Form.
• Research key sites to bolster students’ projects.
• Manage students’ knowledge of current lessons by having them take a quiz directly from their smartphones via Socrative.
• Allow students to check their grades via online gradebook or learning platform.
• Have students question peers outside class and send their recorded opinions to Voicethread or Posterous.
• Use apps like Reminders and PocketLife Calendar to plan study times and project times. The Weather Channel app is handy for avoiding weather conflicts during outside project time.
• Use the calculator app to calculate scores during gamified learning structures.
• Use the stopwatch and timer apps to manage class time.

#Quick fact

The world’s first scientific psychological study of a smartphone-based treatment was conducted at the University of Linköping. It investigated whether a completely new treatment for depression, administrated via smartphone, could reduce dysphoria and improve life quality.

The study was specifically targeted at those who felt low or depressed, and had a smartphone. Two ways of working with depression through smartphone was tested in the study.

One was based on behavioural activation, the other one on mindfulness practice.