Smartphoning Your Classroom: Four Easy Ways to Use Hand-Held Devicesfor The Power of Good

These don't have to be evil distractions in your classroom

Smartphones are omnipresent in our lives, and, to some teachers’ chagrin, they are a constant in many classrooms. Sometimes it seems there is nothing we can do to get rid of them in the classroom. 

But they are not going anywhere. They shouldn’t go anywhere.

According to Pew research center, 56% of adults own a smartphone. But while that is an incredible number considering this technology is still relatively new, splitting up the demographics shows their staying power for the college-aged and adult learners. For those ages 18-24, the number increases to 79% ownership, and 23-34 is 81%.

Inspiring Curiosity with QR Codes

QR codes inspire curiosity and student engagement

After seeing a QR code promotion at some store, I knew I wanted to use them in my classroom. And after using them for a few years, I can easily say they have made my classroom much more fun and active. 

I always look forward to the first time I use this activity with a new group of students. They walk in the classroom and stare intriguingly at these strange, squiggly-lined boxes posted throughout the room. Because many students know what these are and have scanned them at various places, some start scanning before the class begins, and I have to shoo them away and urge them to wait to see what it is all about. 

Obviously, this is a good sign. It means the students are engaged and curious. 

Flashcarding 21st Century Style

A new way to Flashcard

I remember studying vocabulary the old-fashioned way. You buy a stack of 5 x 3 index cards, write the word on the blank side and your definition and notes on the other side.

Then you would stare at the word, quiz yourself and then flip it over to confirm whether you were right. The words and terms you memorized went in one stack, while the tougher ones went into another stack for further study.

Like many things old school, this now exists electronically. And no application or web site I have found is better than Quizlet.

Activating "Anticipation" Using Polls and Smartphones

Poll Ev is an easy way to turn smartphones into student clickers

One school district I worked at was thrilled after purchasing hand-held clickers. These were all the rage then, and rightfully so.

All students can participate in an activity by simply clicking a button and answering poll questions projected on a whiteboard. So even shy students, or students concerned about speaking up in front of the class, could add their thoughts. There is also the element of the student doing something and it immediately appearing on the screen. 

But nowadays districts and schools need not purchase these expensive devices. Students’ smartphones can be the clickers, and that is because PollEv provides the software and the Web site.

Enhancing Collaboration with Smartphone Quizzing

Socrative provides a number of interactive quizzing options

Socrative is officially described as a quiz-based web site and smartphone application, but I have watched it transform the way we do group activities in our classroom. 

You obviously start by making an account (“Teacher Sign Up”) and logging in. Socrative will assign you a virtual room number, which you will see on the main page. My number is 457893. This number is important because when students log into Socrative on their mobile devices, they need this number.