Same Suburb Different Park

I’ve called this one “Mobile Phones put to good use”, because most of the time mobiles are seen as an annoying distraction – they are usually forbidden during school hours anyway.  But the 2008 Horizon Report outlines many constructive, educational uses for them.

Mobile phones have become much more in recent years than just a phone.  They are communication tools, and have many functions, particularly those phones that are mobile broadband enabled.  Nowadays many phones are capable of viewing any content that is on the internet, not only phone-specific information.  The Horizon Report suggests one use for the broadband-enabled phone is museum tours.  The student can wander through the museum and have information podcasted directly to them, eliminating the need for clunky audio tapes and information books.

People can now use their phones to update their blogs, too, and the level of instant collaboration it allows is impressive.  Students can send information to a communal blog, and have immediate feedback posted back to them by the teacher.

The iphone, and similar next-generation phones, have arrived in Australia but are still basically in a stage of infancy.  The paradigm is still shifting, from the phone being seen as, well, a phone, to a multi-media centre with many functions and uses.   When they become more widespread, we may well see phones being used in an educational setting.  Until that day comes, however, I am certain they will remain banned in the classroom for being an unwanted distraction!

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