Students and teachers at a school drafted a social contract for cell phone use in the classroom. They brainstormed rules and consequences, then narrowed it down to five clear rules based on business cell phone policies. The rules require phones to be on vibrate, kept in a designated area until use, and only allow publishing of media related to lessons with approval. A permission form will be sent home incorporating the rules and consequences. The social contract process engaged students in setting boundaries for appropriate mobile technology use in learning.

1. USING STUDENT CELL
PHONES IN THE
CLASSROOM
Liz Kolb, University of Michigan
Liz’s Mobile Business
Card
Send New Text
Message:
50500
In Message Type:
Kolb
Via contxts.com

2. http://www.polleverywhere.com/multiple_choice_polls/LTE1NDY3ODA1Nw

3. Why Cell Phones?

4. “Some of the most crucial steps in mental
growth are based not simply on acquiring new
skills, but on acquiring new administrative
ways to use what one already knows.”
-Seymour Papert

5. BYOT: Bring Your Own
technology
What is in
Your
Backpack?

8. "Kids tell us they power down to come to school.”
-Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow (2008)

9. Speak up 2010 Report 100,000+
students
For the first time since 2003, when asked
to identify the major obstacle to prevent
use of technology in school, students in
grades 6–12 said “I cannot use my own
cell phone, smart phone or Mp3 player in
school.”

10. #1 ACCESS/BRIDGE
DIGITAL DIVIDE

11. 98% of Students in Grades 9-12
Have Their Own!

12. Texting…

13. 54% of 8 year olds will have their own cell
phone!
By the end of 2010 it is estimated that…
Amoroso, (2006). Tween Market has the potential to double by 2010. Yankee Group Retrieved from
www.yankeegroup.com/researchdocument.dorid=14058

14. Mobile More Accessible Than
Computer/Internet
 73% of U.S. household’s
have Internet access
 57% have broadband
 43% have dial-up
 30% of U.S. citizens do not
use the Internet at all
 63% of people with a
household income of
<49K have no Internet
 87% of U.S. Citizens own Cell
phones.
 13% of U.S. citizens do not
own a cell phone
 94% of U.S. Citizens 18-45
own a cell phone
 18% of U.S. Citizens with an
income of <50K do not have
a cell phone
Park Associates and CTIA wireless association, both 2007

15. How Student’s Use Cell
Phones for Personal
Productivity

16. Research on cell phones in learning says…
1) "The proportions of textisms that kids used in their sentence
translations was positively linked to verbal reasoning; the more
textspeak kids used, the higher their test scores”
2) "The younger the age at which the kids had received mobile
phones, the better their ability to read words and identify patterns
of sound in speech.”
http://www.britac.ac.uk/news/news.cfm/newsid/14

17. PBS: Ready to Learn Study
 Parent’s cell phones loaded
with literacy software
 Parents living at or below
poverty line
 Findings:
 Participants found the
intervention to be a positive
experience, especially for their
children.
 They reacted enthusiastically to
receiving early literacy content
via cell phone.
 Most importantly, participants
reported that their children
enjoyed and benefited from the
program.
 Child participants, for the most
part, were eager and excited to
view the letter video clips.
 They frequently requested to
view the videos.
 Some parents reported that
each time the phone rang, their
children came running, hoping
the call was from Elmo.

18. Parent’s Say YES to Cell Phones
for Learning

19. Create a mobile class website
 http://ubik.com/

20. #2 ANYTIME,
ANYPLACE, ANYWHERE,
ANY PACE…

21. 1-800-2chacha
Send text Query
to 368266
Gather Data ANYWHERE…

22. Example: Mobile Note taking and
Organization: Speech to Text
 http://dial2do.com Create
an account
 Send Emails
 Blog
 Translation
 Post to your Google
Calendar, get SMS
reminders of your events.
 Create reminders
 Listen to any website or
news feed
 Tweet
 Accounting

23. Mobile Note taking and Organization Project:
Student’s Mobile Scheduling
High School Technology Students
Created a Google Calendar where all
assignments are posted and sent
via cell phones
Also use Remember the Milk to set up
“To Do lists” for students via cell
phone
Used http://dial2do.com
http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/20
08/08/kicking-off-school-year-web-
20-style-w.html

24. #3 EXTENDING
LEARNING

25. Summer Text Program
Norwich Free Academy
(Connecticut)
 Text of the week!
 Monday is vocabulary day
 Tuesday is science facts
 Wednesday is
mathematics
 Thursday is history
 Friday covers a variety of
topics including general
knowledge and cultural
literacy
 Each day is a theme
 Parents and Students Opt
in
http://txtblaster.com

26. Create Your Own Mobile
Scavenger Hunt
 http://www.scvngr.com (Trek)

27. SCVNGR Example
 Campus Tour
http://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=9waXmpba9BQ&fe
ature=related

28. Qrcode 2nd grade trip to zoo

29. Mapping on the go…
http://flagr.com

30. IMPROVING ON
TRADITIONAL
LEARNING

31. 9th Graders Text Messaging Romeo and
Juliet
• 9th Grade English in
Michigan
• Translating Romeo and
Juliet to “text speak”
• Start in class with
translating a few lines to a
wiffiti board
(http://wiffiti.com )
• Voting on best
“translations”
• Move to Homework
• Create a whole text
message novel of Romeo
and Juliet

32. 140 Characters or less…
 "Is there no pity sitting in the clouds
That sees into the bottom of my grief?
O sweet my mother, cast me not away!
Delay this marriage for a month, a week,
Or if you do not, make the bridal bed
In that dim monument where Tybalt lies."
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 3.5
 Send to:

33. Autistic Children
 Use pictures for parents/children to
communicate
 Social stigma associated with this
 Parents now use cell phones to take pictures
and show pictures to children (to communicate
w/out social stigma)

34. #4 MOBILE JOBS AND
CITIZENSHIP

35. Fundamental Shift in 21st Century
Workforce
 Technological changes are displacing low-skilled
workers and making room for more high-skilled
creative and innovative workers.
 Employers are calling for schools to integrate new
skills into education

36. Mobile Job Opportunities

37. Search for “cell phone
skills” on Monster.com

38. Fundamental Shift in Citizenship
Practices
 During the 2008
campaign, 49% of
younger voters (18-
24) shared
information via text
message about the
campaigns.
 http://www.visiblevot
e.us


39. #5 INCREASE
PARTICIPATION

42. CPSProject: Brainstorming
Interview with Joe Wood

43. Record Group Discussion
with Google Voice
 http://google.com/vo
ice
 Call Liz
 734-408-4495

44. #6 AUTHENTICITY:
CONNECTING “REAL
WORLD” TO SCHOOL
LEARNING

45. Mobile Podcasting/Dropcasting
Using a cell phone to record and then posting the recording to a public or private
website that has an RSS feed and can be downloaded as an MP3 file.

46. Mobile Podcasting Project: Connecting
Algebra to Real World
High School Algebra
Used
http://yodio.com
Web link:
http://www.yodio.co
m/yo.aspx?cardId=
LvAhgDUPZd6Ub
BgsTMN2aC
Interview with Jimbo Lamb

47. FIELD TRIPS &
HOMEWORK

48. Mobile Podcasting Project: Field
Trips
High School
Chemistry Students
on a field trip at
Cranbrook Science
Museum in MI.
Cell Phones pictures
documented
chemical elements.
Used: Camera on cell
phone and sent to
drop.io at
http://drop.io/CKCH
EM4

49. Mobile Podcasting: Songs about elements in
Periodic table
Chemistry
Periodic Table
 High School
 http://sarahdi.blogspot.com
/

50. Mobile Podcasting Project:
Live Radio Broadcasts
High School Students
Community Live
Radio Show in
Maine
Used
http://blogtalkradio.c
om
Web link:
http://www.blogtalkradi
o.com/lobstertalk

51. Mobile Podcasting Project:
Live Radio Broadcasts
 Advanced
Spanish
 Don Quixote
Discussion
 Each week
different
students in
charge of
discussion
http://talkshoe.co
m

52. Mobile Surveys and Quizzes
http://mobiode.com/
 Create surveys and
quizzes online and
send to phones via
text message (cost)
or mobile Internet
 Take Liz’s Survey
http://techtools.mob
iode.mobi

53. ORAL LANGUAGE
ACTIVITIES

54. Avatar Project: Spanish Oral
Exams
High School Spanish 2
& 3 Students
Developed an Avatar
to take oral exams
Used http://voki.com
Focus: Engagement
in oral speaking, oral
speaking exams,
culture representation
with images
Interview with Katie Titler

56. Voki Examples
Overseas Introduction
 http://anzaconnection.wikispaces.com/Introduc
tions
Fluency and Writing
 http://connect.pulaski.k12.wi.us/faculty/saellne
r/stuproj.cfm
6th-7th Graders Chat with President
 http://sites.google.com/site/thehistorylab/prese
ntations-1/chatting-with-washington

57. Katie Titler
 http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/2010_04
_01_archive.html

58. Phone Conference recoding
 http://freeconferencepr
o.com
 Record up to 250
people at one time on
one call
 Host controls
 Private storage

59. THE NEXT 5 YEARS…

60. QRcodes
 Bar codes for cell
phones. Take a picture
of a bar code and
receive information on
your phone.
 Need to download a
free reader on your
phone
 http://kaywa.com
 http://www.i-
nigma.com/CreateBarc
odes.html
 http://zxing.appspot.co
m/generator/

61. http://mrrobbo.
wordpress.com
/

64. Geo-Blogging Project:
Orienteering
http://kaywa.com

65. Live Video Streaming from
Cells
 http://qik.com/
http://qik.com/elikeren

66. STEP BY STEP GUIDE
TO GETTING STARTED

67. Step 1: Survey students

74. Step 2: MOBILE Safety

76. Life Consequences: Sexting
 Six teens face child porn (13 to 15) charges
after being caught "sexting" each other.
Criminal Charge!
 IN PA, 3 girls (12, 12, 16) charged with child
pornography for sexing. Picture of them in
bras.
 15% of teenagers have risqué photos of
themselves or their friends on their cell
phones.
 1 in 5 sext recipients report that they have
passed the images along to someone else
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2009/01/15/pn.sexting.teens.cnn

77. "If you take a picture, you can be accused of
producing child pornography; if you send it to
somebody, you can be accused of distributing child
pornography; and if you keep a picture, you can be
accused of possessing child pornography.
Anywhere along this chain of transmission of the
images, you can be charged as a registered sex
offender."
-Parry Aftab, an Internet privacy and security lawyer.

78. Cyberbullying Most Popular
in…
 Online gaming and virtual worlds
 Chat/discussion rooms
 Social Network Sites
 Instant Messengers
 Text messages
 Video sharing sites like Youtube

79. “The girl’s parents, wild with outrage and fear,
showed the principal the text messages: a
dozen shocking, sexually explicit threats, sent
to their daughter the previous Saturday night
from the cellphone of a 12-year-old boy. Both
children were sixth graders at Benjamin
Franklin Middle School in Ridgewood, N.J. “

80. Punish him, insisted the parents.
“I said, ‘This occurred out of school, on a
weekend,’ ” recalled the principal, Tony Orsini.
“We can’t discipline him.”

81. COPPA
 If a children’s information is posted online, and
they are under the age of thirteen, notify the Web
site or online service that the children are under
thirteen and that COPPA (the Children’s Online
Privacy Protection Act) requires that they remove
the information immediately.
 If they don’t respond right away, contact
privacy@wiredsafety.org privacy [at]
wiredsafety.org or the FTC directly, at
http://www.ftc.gov/.
 CyberLaw Enforcement
http://cyberlawenforcement.org/

82. Be a Proactive Teacher
 Talk about cyberbullying and what it is and
why it is not tolerated.
 Send home information to parents reminding
the monitor their child’s online and mobile
activities.
 Review the school’s policy on bullying and
harassment
 Talk about consequences for bullying behavior

83. Discuss Mobile Safety & Appropriate Use
 Part of digital footprint
 Your digital dossier that includes Internet activity such as social
networking, email, chat rooms,
 YOU can’t erase this!!! Permanent record
 EVERYTHING you send via text message (pictures, videos, text,
audio…etc) is PUBLIC!!!
 Example: Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick
 Mobile “bullying” and “sexting” is public
 MTV Special on Sexting and Quiz
 Students should know their plans
 Bring in their cell phone plan and a bill
 Discuss what is charged and how much
 Give Students a Survey
Learn more specific safety tips at Connectsafely

84. Rules and Consequences
 Cell Phone to Cheat
 Enforce school policy on cheating
 Cell Phone as Distraction
 Enforce school policy on tardiness
 Cell Phone as Bully
 Enforce school
bully/harassment/violence/threat policy
 Cell Phone to send inappropriate
pics/videos
 Enforce school policy on harassment/threat

85. Step 3: Social Contract

86. Tips for Social Contract
 The teacher should explain to the students that there should be some rules
concerning how their cell phones will be used in the classroom, and students
have an opportunity to be part of the rule making process (the goal is to have no
more than 5 simple rules to follow and a consequence for non-compliance).
 Students should be asked to brainstorm rules. During the brainstorm, students
should be encouraged to support their rule with reasons why it should be
implemented (such as “cell phones should be on vibrate at all times”, the student
should then explain why this is important. If they can’t, ask for other students to
help explain it.)
 Once there is a workable list of rules, students should be encouraged to narrow
the list to about five rules. The teacher may want to do this himself, or to use the
analogy of a professional job where one is given a cell phone and a contract.
One could ask the students to imagine that they were given a professional
contract, hen they could be asked which“rules” they think should be implemented
in their classroom. Using this analogy may also help to eliminate some
redundant or unnecessary rules.
 Once the rules have been selected. The students should be asked to brainstorm
consequences for not following the rules. Once again, asking students to
decide on the best option.
 The teacher should let the students know that she will be adding these rules and
consequences to a permission form that will be sent home to have parents and
the students sign.

87. 5 Rules for Cell Phones in
Schools
Set rules based on business regulations for cell phone
use (look at business contracts)
Social contract with students
 Must be on vibrate at all times
 Keep them in the front of the room until you are
going to use them.
 All messages/media sent or published must be
related to lesson.
 If you are referencing someone else in class, you
must have their approval before posting or
publishing.
 Create a permission form (in addition to the
School’s AUP)

88. Step 4: Permission Form

89. Dear Parents and Guardians,
We are starting a new project this year in our biology course. The
students will be taking pictures of different biological species that
they encounter in their everyday lives and posting on a private
class website. In order to capture the species in the everyday
lives of the students, I have given them the option of using their
cell phones to take the pictures and send them to the class
website. While the students are not required to have a cell
phone for the project, they are welcome to use their own if they
choose to and if you allow them. In class, we will be discussing
issues of mobile safety and etiquette before starting the project. I
will be using the ConnectSafely Guidelines for Mobile Safety
(http://www.connectsafely.org/safety-tips-and-advice.html ). If
you would like to participate in this conversation, please feel free
to attend the class sessions on March 5th and 6th during any of
the biology class periods:
8:00-9:00
9:10-10:10
2:10-3:10

90. In addition, I will be holding an information
night about mobile safety and the project
on March 3rd at 7:00pm. I will go over the
project in detail, show you how it works,
and also answer any questions you may
have about using cell phones in learning.

91. There is some research that supports the
need for using student cell phones in
learning and teaching students how cell
phones can be a productive and important
tool for their future professional growth.
This will be discussed in detail at the
information night as well as during the
March 5th and 6th class sessions.

92. Finally, you are welcome to participate in this
project! We are using a private space in a
photo-sharing site called Flickr, where all the
photos will be sent and eventually posted to a
map at the exact location they were
uncovered. You are welcome to take a picture
of a biological species that you encounter,
send it to kolb@flickr.com along with a short
text message on what you think the species is
and the location of where you took the picture!
Feel free to check the website each week to
see the learning progress. Login: Kolbbiology
Password: Biokid

93. I hope to see you in class and/or on the March 3rd information night. In the
meantime if you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to
contact me at kolb@gmail.com or by phone 777-222-5777.
I give permission for my child to use their cell phone for phone calling for
this project:
______________________________________________________.
(parent signature)
**They can only use _____ number of calling minutes for this project
I give permission for my child to use their cell phone for text messaging for
this project:
______________________________________________________.
(parent signature)
**They can only use _____ number of text messages for this project
I give permission for my child to use their cell phone for mobile Internet for
this project:
______________________________________________________.
(parent signature)
I give permission for my child to use their cell phone for taking and sending
pictures and/ or videos (circle one or both) for this project:
______________________________________________________.
(parent signature)
**They can only send _____ number of media messages for this project

94. Rules agreed upon by students and teacher
1. Cell Phones Must Be on Vibrate at All Times
2. Cell phones should be placed in the front of the room at
the beginning of class (at the designated table in your
numbered slot) and whenever they are not needed for
instruction
3. All mobile messages or media sent from your phone
during class MUST be related to the lesson or activity
4. If you are referencing someone else in class, you must
have their (recorded verbal or written) approval before
posting or publishing.

95. Consequences
The student will be asked to write a letter home to
you and explain why they did not follow the rules in
class. They will also be asked to come up with better
class guidelines around cell phones use in schools so
this does not occur again.
I will adhere to the classroom rules for cell phone use
__________________________________________
_________. (student signature)
Thank you
Liz Kolb

96. Step 5: Alternatives

97. Alternative Ideas
 Select an online resource that couples with cell phones, but also has
web-based options for uploading or sharing. For example if you use
Flickr to send pictures to and from mobile phones to a private place
online, students who do not have a cell phone, can still upload to Flickr
via the web.
 Grouping students. Purposely putting students in groups or pairs where
the teacher knows that at least one of the group members has a cell
phone that can be used for the project is a simple way to keep the
students who do not have cell phones anonymous (because the teacher
can say, “someone in each group should take out their cell phone to use
for this activity.”)
 Allow students to use your own cell phone.
 Landlines (many web-based cell phone resources have toll free calling
numbers) for phone calling activities.
 Center activities for K-8 students where the teacher can use one cell
phone with all the students during center time.
 Allow students to use hardcopy options that they hand in to you, and
you upload the work to the online resource. This is important since a
few parents do not want their children using cell phones in any capacity.

98. Step 6: Parent Information
Night

99. Parent Night Ideas
 An overview of why you are using the student cell phones.
 Mobile Safety for Parents
 http://www.whereoscope.com/ (track your kids via cell phone)
 http://www.safetyweb.com/ (monitor mobile use)
 http://www.picture-alert.com (parental control on mobile pics)
 Describe the project(s) that will revolve around cell phone use,
and any cost associated with the project and student cell phone
use.
 Alternatives that the students have for completing the project
without using cell phones
 Any change in school cell phone policy as a result of the
project(s).
 Rules of the cell phone use during the project and the
consequences for the students who do not follow the rules.
 Parents should be invited to participate in the activity (within
reason).
 Provide parents with multiple ways for feedback (email address,
a text message number, a voicemail (Google Voice would be