The reality is that cell phone use has become a vehicle for constant and immediate communication in our culture and the solution to increase social interaction in our learners might not be to eliminate a safety net, but to incorporate personal technology in a meaningful way. So how can we use a device that is often times associated with distraction in a way that fosters social interaction?
Research supports the link between learning and social interaction as conversations and opportunities to discuss content allow information to become more concrete within the learner. Social interaction can very in group size from participation as an individual, learner pairs, and small and whole groups. As an individual, learners can respond to classroom polls and content check questions directly on their cell phones and laptops. Apps such as Poll Everywhere and Socrative allow the instructor to create formative assessments and polls that allow learners to interact in real time, providing the class response in a Power Point visual.
To provide learners with opportunities to solve, discuss, negotiate, and think with peers in pairs and groups, Corkboard Me and Sync In are apps that allow learners to collaborate on “post-it” boards for projects and work on documents in real time simultaneously.
For questions beyond and outside of the classroom, apps Group Me, Remind and Simply Circle allow learners to chat with instructors and classmates in a whole group setting or a private conversation. Images, videos and content can be shared and uploaded to supplement learner as well. Pocket is an app that allows learners to save content and access it later on their device without an internet connection.
Using cell phones in our instruction and incorporating phones in learner participation puts the student back in the focus of the curriculum by creating an environment that is safe and tangible by the learner. Embracing personal technology supports the ideology behind a blended learning environment, that learning must be adaptive and responsive as the world our learners live in changes. Cell phones are no longer our enemy! They are a most helpful tool and facilitator of social interaction that may not have manifested in an outdated traditional classroom environment.
Have other ideas or apps to share? Please do!