Listen to the Natives...Why Cell Phones

The article Listen to the Natives by Marc Prensky is an excellent justification for why we should be considering cell phones in schools. Beyond mentioning cell phones he also talks about other popular student everyday digital activities such as social networking and chat rooms. While I like to focus on on cell phones in this blog, I am a firm believer that almost all student-used technology should be considered potential classroom learning tools. By using our student's cultural tools we have the opportunity to cross the "gap" between everyday school activities and everyday outside school activities. Students may be more engaged and motivated to learn their science curriculum if they can use MySpace or a popular video game to learn it! While the media likes to focus on the negative aspects of these "everyday" tools, I think it is important to consider the potential benefits for the 21st century learner.