#homework

In my school, we are revisiting a discussion we had a couple of years ago... using cell phones. Two years ago, some colleagues and I experimented with academic uses of cell phones:

We had students "taking notes" o a field trip by posting to a blog-- before they left we had associated with their phones with a blog on blogger and they uploaded photos and reflections...

We had students uploading "notes" during a video (Jesse Schell taking about games)...

The results were interesting... but now the issue has appeared again because it seems students were sending answers to each other during a test... my response now is what it was then:

If students can pass your class by performing simply on tests in which the answers can be passed back and forth, then you are probably not having them perform useful tasks. Chris Toy, the educators from Maine who speaks so well about technology issues, describes a simple solution... sometimes class is a place-your-cell-phone-on-the-desk-where-anyone-can-see-it day. Other times class is a make-sure-your-have-your-cell-phone-cuz-we-are-gonna-use-it day... (actually that is my interpretation of his message and that is the way I have translated it for my students).

Now I am starting to read how students are adding hash tags to their tweets so they can get and give homework help! Cool!