Teaching Generation Text: Using
Cell Phones to Enhance Learning. Lisa Nielsen and Willyn Webb. San
Francisco : Jossey-Bass. 2011. 304 pp. ISBN: 1118076877.
In
Teaching Generation Text: Using Cell Phones to Enhance Learning, educators
Lisa Nielsen and Willyn Webb give reasons and strategies both for teachers and
for students to use cell phones inside and outside of the classroom for
educational purposes and to enhance student learning. Although the authors
recognize that many schools and administrators ban the use of cell phones in
schools, they are nonetheless determined to implore teachers to take advantage
of any opportunities they have to use cell phones to improve student
achievement. In fact, Nielsen and Webb make the claim that if teachers want to
do what is best for students, if they truly care for students, and if they want
to prepare students for the future and the current world, teaching about and
using cell phones in the classroom is ideal. The authors do not stop, however,
with simply giving reasons for why cell phones can improve student achievement.
Teaching Generation Text is filled with research-based strategies,
lessons, and activities that use cell phones in various content areas. The
authors encourage readers to use the sample lessons and strategies to consider
ways in which their own classroom can be enriched and enhanced through cell
phone use.
Although
smartphones are becoming the norm for students and teachers and offer
advantages such as web access and a more advanced computing capability, Nielsen
and Webb show readers “how to engage learners in fun, free, safe, and easy ways
using nothing more than a basic, text enabled cell phone” (p. 22). Since
texting has become an effective means of communication for both students and
teachers because of its efficiency and nondisruptive nature, it only makes
sense to use this tool to enhance student achievement and learning. Nielson and
Webb first give texting uses for teachers, such as communicating with parents
and staff as well as using texting with services such as Wiffiti, Google Voice,
Twitter, and Flickr. Once the teacher has a grasp on using his or her own cell
phone efficiently for educational purposes, ideas for using cell phones with
students can be considered. In the classroom, using services like ChaCha, Google
SMS, Textnovel, and Voki are encouraged by the authors and using research-based
instructional strategies are not lost on the authors. Lessons are suggested by
Nielson and Webb that support and enhance the research-based strategies
identified by Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, and Stone in Classroom Instruction that
Works. These strategies include creating an environment for learning,
helping students develop understanding, and helping students extend and apply
knowledge.
With
the recognition that not all teachers will have the immediate approval of
school and administration to use cell phones inside of the school, Nielson and
Webb give six building blocks for success using cell phones, the first of which
is to secure school’s approval toward establishing an environment in which cell
phones can be used. A detailed six-part plan to breaking the cell phone ban is
included in the Appendix. Once approval is given, teachers should secure parent
and student agreements, teach students about cell phone safety and etiquette,
develop an acceptable use policy, establish classroom management procedures,
and plan activities with students. Along with a description of each of these
building blocks, the authors include samples and templates of various forms
that are necessary to complete the process.
When
considering the use of any technology in the classroom, teachers must be sure
that the instruction is not being compromised simply to engage the learners.
Although students are often motivated and excited to use cell phones in the
classroom, “just using a cell phone itself will lose its appeal and value
quickly if it doesn’t actually enable students to either do things better or do
better things” (p. 168). The authors’ recognition of this fact is apparent in
the enriched lessons scattered throughout the book. It is not enough to simply
use cell phones in the classroom, because this can be done haphazardly without
any impact on student achievement. Nielson and Webb stress the importance of
well thought-out, standards-aligned enrichment lessons that truly enhance
student achievement through the use of cell phones.
Although
the idea of cell phone interactions between teachers and students inside and
outside of the classroom appears to be a valid way to enhance student
achievement, there may be significant problems and hurdles for teachers who
choose to implement them. Some cities and states are enforcing policies that make
digital communications between students and teachers off limits. Furthermore,
many parents will likely have hesitancy in allowing much of what the authors
describe when it comes to teacher and students interactions as well as cell
phone use in the classroom. This could greatly restrict many educational
professionals who wish to implement the plans Nielsen and Webb lay out. Although
the authors encourage readers to “think outside the ban” (p. 23), they should
provide more information on this issue. Another concern that is not addressed
as significantly as it should be is the idea of students who will be distracted
by using their cell phones for non-educational purposes. The authors include a
short section on establishing classroom management procedures regarding the use
of cell phones, but it is lacking the depth that many teachers will desire when
it comes to this issue.
Despite
the lack of depth on certain topics in the book, Teaching Generation Text:
Using Cell Phones to Enhance Learning is a valuable resource for teachers
and administrators who desire to use cell phones in a way that improves student
achievement. Motivating students to learn can have a major impact on student
achievement, and cell phone use can certainly provide that motivation to engage
students in learning. As Nielson and Webb point out, students value and love
their cell phone use, and it would be foolish to continue to fight against
something that has the power to benefit students. By using cell phones,
teachers can “empower students to use tools they already own as a means for
better education” (p. 22). Educators who desire to empower their students in
this context would do themselves a favor by reading and discussing with
colleagues the ideas and practical strategies Nielson and Webb provide in Teaching
Generation Text.
