Mobile phones to turn into teachers?

Teachers have long loathed mobile phones for the very reason that the students they teach so hard spent more time with them rather than their textbooks. Even the strictest rules forbidding the use of them in school do not seem to work. Some how, the young minds find ways to sneek them into classrooms or use them in the restrooms. There are even surveys indicating that the spelling skills of students has taken a heavy hitting due to the inveterate use of text messaging. However, a school district in Michigan seems to think otherwise.

Inkster Public Schools based in Michigan have tied up with Sprint and GoKnow Learning Inc.,a byproduct of the University of Michigan to turn this widely used device into a learning tool that will benefit the students a great deal. Inkster engaged Sprint in a trial during the summer school session of 2009. In the trial, Sprint handsets that were loaded with GoKnow software were used in classrooms wherein students used them to complete and synchronize assignments, gather data, prepare PowerPoint and slideshow presentations.

The trial was a huge success, with the students achieving a 25% increase in their achievement scores. Inkster Public Schools is thus planning to implement this teaching methodology for the 2010-2011 school year. Looks like mobile phones are doing something nice for the student community for a change. Hopefully, schools in the UK will try something similar.

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