Book Review: Teaching Generation Text

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.