Cell Phones as Clickers Pt 2

If I drop an arrow at the same time that I shoot one horizontally, which hits the ground first?

A the arrow that was dropped
B the arrow that was shot
C they both hit the ground at the same time
D impossible to determine

Can Impressionists Be Watercolor Artists?

Is this effect possible using watercolor as a medium?

A YOU BET
B NOT A CHANCE
C MAYBE??

Cell Phones as Clickers Pt 1

Q1 The perspective of this watercolor is

A one-point
B two-point
C impossible to tell





Q2 The perspective of this watercolor is

A one-point
B two-point
C impossible to tell

Calendars and Draft Notes and Visual Reminders

This is an easy one! All your kids can use calendars to count days, and can save a draft notes using text for their assignments (even if they don't have a text service). They can also take pictures of the assignment on the board, and they will have a visual reminder.

Have them set an alarm to remind themselves about the test two days from now. Have them use the stopwatch..(available on some phones).

Even if you don't know how to do these things, they do. And that's the really important part!

SMS (txting) is a must

So, what do my kids do in the classroom? They text. We email. They text. We correct grammar. They text. You get the picture.

I asked my students if they would like to receive homework reminders directly to their phones. More than 75% of each class I teach responded in the affirmative. They signed up in my room, using a first name and a last initial, then left.

After hauling out my cell phone manual and I discovered that I could set up a group mailing list. COOL. I only use the first name feature on my phone, anyway, and so I placed an abbreviation on the last name for each class (Ast for astronomy, 9th for ninth grade science, etc.) This allows me to easily group the kids together.

Now, the tough part...entering in all those numbers without damaging my fingers. I gave the list to my teenage daughter with the nimble fingers. She put the first name and last initial and the class code. I made a group list by using a feature on the Contact button. My phone allows up to 25 contacts in one list so I need to make two group lists for one of my bigger classes. I simply send a text message to the class and I am good to go.

=========
How well does this work?

I had the opportunity to go to Atlanta with a group of 31 people this summer--4 chaperons and 27 teens. This technique was invaluable and allowed us to keep on schedule with ease, simply by sending a message like: Meet at the front escalator at 8:30 am.

My excitement rating:*****/5

You Knew It Had to Happen

We've all seen those youtube clips. A cell phone rings in the classroom, a teacher grabs it, and smashes it on the ground. End of problem.

What, you haven't seen it? Oh, no. Surely not. Well, click here and you can see the ugly adventure. Notice that I am not posting it. I don't want to start a blog and imagine that nightmare being the only thing teachers remember about a cell phone.

SO, what will this look like? I am trying to figure it out myself, but I just want to give people a starting point for the classroom. If we can turn these machines into tool, we can work with the needs of our students.