Using Cell Phones for Informative Assessment | Technology Teach-In

As a developing student teacher, I, at times, feel overwhelmed in my efforts to appease the continual onslaught of lesson planning. Hours of my week are put toward the gathering of materials and formation of realistic lesson plans—delusions of grandeur must at times be tamed by the reality of material resources and tweaked to more effectively address the context of my particular school placement. Recently, my professors have challenged my classmates and I to individually develop a lesson plan that integrates one of the everyday technological tools—blogs, wikis, cell phones, Diigo, or Twitter, to name a few—we have discussed in class. Given the context of my placement, this assignment is both challenging and intriguing.

When I assess the technological resources at my placement school, I am underwhelmed. Due to the normal financial issues that act as the Achilles Heel of many schools, the technological resources at my placement are limited. Those that do exist are in poor working condition or spread thin between the faculty. As I have discussed in one of my previous blogs, the ever present and most robust form of technology in my school resides the pockets, purses, or hands of many students: cell phones.

Cell phone usage in the classroom is normally discouraged by the faculty as it a source of distraction for students. Yet, in this new day and age where young babies know how to swipe on a cell phone or iPad before they can even speak—a scary thought—the prevalence and usage of cell phones in the classroom is becoming ever more commonplace. Although I recognize the negative impacts they can have in the classroom, I am challenged to change my perspective. How could cell phones be used in the classroom to further a student's learning?

This question served as the impetus behind the design of this technologically integrated lesson plan.

I am currently teaching Environmental Science, and I have been seeking out methods of assessment that I can use to develop a better understanding of where my students are in their mastery of the content and what misconceptions need to be addressed. Using polleverywhere.com, cell phones can help with this process!

This online polling system provides me the opportunity to ask my students questions to assess their understandings anytime during a lesson. Using their cell phones, students can anonymously text their answers to the prompt, and the responses will be tabulated in real time! The visual analysis will allow students to compare their understandings to that of the class, which presents an opportunity for student self-assessment, and it tells me how well students understanding the concept in question.

Below is a schematic of the entire process:

Using Poll Everywhere as a means on informative assessment in my future lesson plan will serve to uphold several of the student and teacher standards as set forth by the International Society of Technology and Education (ISTE). By utilizing Poll Everywhere as an activity in the classroom, students will be meeting the student standards for creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, and digital citizenship (ISTE student standards 1, 2, & 5, respectfully). Using this technology tool, I can facilitate student learning, design digital assessments, and promote digital citizenship and responsibility (ISTE teacher standards 1, 2, & 4, respectfully).

The use of cell phones in the classroom is currently considered an issue of classroom management and an example of poor behavior. Applications such as Poll Everywhere may serve to change this perspective. This mental shift, however, could backfire if not properly framed ahead of time as students may view this activity as an encouragement to further utilize their phones during class. The reward of this activity, however, is enticing, and I look forward to implementing it in my classroom.