I can't really think of any ways to use cell phones inside the classroom, and it seems to me that the distraction would outweigh the benefit. I do believe students should be able to keep phones on them in case of emergency but do not think texting in class should be allowed. I think cell phones can be valuable tools on field trips. You can now go to the Baltimore Museum of Art and have a narrated tour via cell phone.
I think video games definitely have a place in the classroom, since computer games have been used in class for a long time. Some video games can be just as educational as computer games.
You Tube could be used to introduce students to different cultures or performances. My son's 7th grade language arts teacher shows them Shakespeare performances on You Tube to help them comprehend the plays they read. He also let his students videotape him doing a silly dance and put it on You Tube as a reward for completing a big project in time.
I don't know about using social networking sites in school. They are all blocked from access at my son's middle school. I can imagine students communicating with or learning about students from another culture on a social networking site, but I think it would be hard to ensure the other students are who they say they are. I think it would be safer if only the students enrolled in a certain school were networked on a certain site, with access to outside members blocked. There could possibly be some academic applications in that case.
Blogs should definitely have a place in the classroom. Group projects could be collaborated on via blog, students could log observations, and books could be discussed.
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I agree with what you said Valerie. I think that some of these forms of technology do belong in the classroom, but they need to be monitored. My main issue with using these forms of technology in the classroom is how to protect the students in the correct way. Students deserve to have their privacy protected and we need to do that. Including some of these forms would benefit the children, but like you stated the benefits may be exceded by the "costs".
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