Week 8 Case Study: Cell Phones

Depending on my school's policies regarding cell phone use, as a teacher, I probably would have handled the cheating situation with Laura and Jessica similarly to how their teacher handled it. I do not intend to tolerate cheating at all, regardless of how students do it. If this had been my classroom, I would have made sure to warn students about the penalties for cheating before it was an issue. I do not think it is fair to spring a punishment on students without a fair warning. If I did confiscate the cell phones, I would hold them "ransom" as a way to talk to Laura and Jessica's parents about the issue; it is important to make parents aware of what happens in school. I may allow Laura and Jessica the opportunity to retake the test, but I would take points off for cheating so that my point remains clear-cheating is unacceptable.

I do not think I would entirely ban all cell phones in my classroom. I would like to be able to trust my students. I think sometimes the best way to encourage a behavior is to make it wrong. If I ask the students to respect me in return for my respect of them and their belongings, it may be effective in keeping them off their phones. As long as students are paying attention and not cheating in my classroom, I do not necessarily mind them being present. I do not know for sure how I would implement cell phone use in my classroom, but it may be beneficial to ask students how they would use their cell phones to help them within the English classroom and outside of it to do homework. My school's policies would matter to me as a starting block for my personal decision on whether or not cell phones would be a positive or negative presence in my classroom.

Laura and Jessica do deserve punishment of some kind. Clearly they already got into trouble for talking in class when they were not supposed to. Using their phones to communicate was an extension of that same problem so was a blatant dismissal of what the teacher had expected of them. If this is the first time either one has cheated on a test, some leniency may be appropriate, but it must be made clear that cheating is not okay. I would probably be willing to allow them to retake the test for partial credit. However, I would want to make sure Laura and Jessica clearly understood that cheating would not be tolerated at any point, and if it happened again, the punishment would be more severe.

I do not think that cell phones should always be banned in schools. I think teachers can make the decision to allow them or not depending on whether or not they find them a useful tool. I do not understand entirely why parents would feel the need for their child to carry a cell phone in school in order for them to be safe. I do understand that parents could find comfort in their child having a cell phone for the trip to and from school, but a school should be a safe environment for kids. One solution for classrooms that want to prohibit cell phone use could be a blocker. I am aware of classrooms that have already implemented them. The blocker blocks cell phone reception making it so that students cannot receive messages or access internet on their phones. Students would be able to use their cell phones in the hallways and during breaks. They could not, however, use them during class or tests. This could be an effective way to enforce policy while still allowing parents some comfort of mind. If a teacher desired to use cell phones in their classroom, they could avoid the use of a signal blocker.

What resonated with me, was just how big of a deal cell phone use really is in a classroom. The school I attended was in a town that did not have cell phone reception. So although most students owned a cell phone, it was completely useless in the school. We were not distracted by it, nor was it able to be used to cheat. I think it is very interesting how ways of implementing modern technology, including cell phones, is being considered for classroom use. Although I am seeing the value in it, I am not sure I entirely agree. There are many other options for technology that are available for students to use in class. Also, not all students will have smart phones or even phones with equal capabilities, thereby disadvantaging some of them. I do believe that there is a place for cell phones within our world, but I am not sure yet where they would fit in my own classroom if at all.

Week 6 Case Study

Students can gain a variety of skills useful beyond the classroom through a digital storytelling project. One is simply organization of data, which is a skill necessary to some extent in virtually any job. Also, thinking creatively, or outside the box, can be practiced when creating a digital storytelling project. Manipulating different elements of a project, gathering evidence, comprehension, and critical thinking about different levels of the project can all be applied to digital storytelling and numerous situations outside the classroom.

Teachers really do not need much training or preparation before they implement digital storytelling into their classrooms. I would say that a teacher should make his/her own digital storytelling project as an example for students but also as a way to learn methods for putting one together. Teachers should plan for time in computer labs and a learning curve as many students will never have done a project like this. I do not think it is ridiculous for teachers to assume the "learn as you teach" method a little bit; this project could certainly be used to promote problem-solving, so teachers do not need to spoon-feed the solutions to students. Allowing students freedom to explore different ways is good. Teachers should have a basic knowledge in order to help students with questions, but the purpose of digital storytelling is not so much about the technology as about what is being produced by the technology.

Digital storytelling definitely holds much potential benefit for shy, quiet students who do not like public presentations. This is a way to share with a class in a creative way without having to stand in front of a group of peers, which is typically very uncomfortable for many people. In the case study, Glenna (the shy, quiet girl) was very comfortable with posting her digital storytelling project to YouTube where her class could view and comment on it. It is a "safe" way to open up among peers.

Outgoing students would not necessarily be harmed by a digital storytelling project. It probably would not have the same impact for them, as it would for a shy student, but is a new way to present ideas and learning, which can benefit all students. Outgoing students would potentially enjoy the opportunity to express themselves in a new way and however they want. Teachers could have an in-class discussion about the projects as a way to allow outgoing students the opportunity to share their thoughts in a comfortable way for them as well.