4 Responses to “Mobiles boost literacy?” [jump to the comments form]

1. Anthony Barnett
   September 25th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

   The Sky news article “Video War Games ‘Boost Working Memory’” (7/9/09) included the note that according to Dr T Alloway, text messaging and micro-blogging on Twitter have a negative effect on short term memory. Nevertheless, considering the high percentage of 9 year olds using mobile phones and the findings of the Coventry University research maybe it’s time for primary schools to invest in mobile phones and include lessons using them. This would also help address one of the findings from the international comparison (see Becta website – 2009)i.e. that children don’t tell the difference between advertising and content, as well as the e-safety issues.

2. Dai Laughing
   September 27th, 2009 at 9:36 am

   I would imagine that using technology – like mobile phones – at a young age would lead to children being more ICT competent in life. However I am undecided whether I would agree that mobile phones would boost literacy. On the one side, phones would make the idea of writing meaning to one another (which would be a benefit, perhaps without children even knowing)fun and up-to-date. However mobile text messaging encourages the shortening of words so that more meaning can be incorporated into the message for the same price.

   You could argue that being able to shorten sentences into their phonetical sounds is evidence of good literacy, but I think it encourages shortcuts in all aspects of literacy including spelling, grammar and vocabulary.

   Furthermore, phones are not just phones anymore. If you allow phones, you might as well allow children to browse the internet on their phones, listen to music, take pictures of each other and so on. These are distractions that would seem more appealing than focussing on the lesson at hand. Some may argue that children could do all that on individual laptops anyway; but there are programs that can be used to allow the teacher/staff to monitor the whole classes use. This is a much more effective use of ICT, as childrens work can be maximised onto the class board (or all pupils laptops) for them to see/annotate/mark etc.

   I have spent most my experience working at a secondary school. Mobile phones are not allowed because pupils use them as distractions from their learning. By giving primary schools phones to ‘play’ with then we are further encouraging this attitude that will continue with them into further education.

3. Daniel Franklin
   October 1st, 2009 at 8:04 pm

   I’m not entirely sure I agree with the use of mobile phones in the classroom. If they are invited to bring their phones in from home, then first off it could alienate those children who may not have their own phone. It also opens up another avenue for bullying to occur through, there are always reports popping up in the press about the misuse of text messaging and video on phones.

   By inviting mobile phones into the classroom, what would there be to teach? An incorrect way to spell words, when the rest of their school lives they have been taught phoneme and grapheme, word structure, punctuation etc?? How to use the video function? How to make phone calls? All of these would be skills that they would most likely already possess given the nature of society.

   I don’t feel there is enough evidence to suggest that using phones in the classroom would be benficial in an educational sense.

4. Chris Husband
   October 2nd, 2009 at 9:01 am

   I do not agree that phones should be used in schools. There are many reasons for this, firstly, there will be an increased chance of bullying if all children have their phones in school. Also, what will teachers be able to teach children what to do, as they will know what to do already, quite possibly to a better degree than the teacher!
   Another point is that all children may not have a mobile phone so they may be outcast socially if they are asked to bring one in.
   The only possible benefits are with spelling in text messages but then this may lead to incorrect ’slang’ spelling and this is something that the teacher needs to get creative with if they are struggling for new ways to enthuse the children.

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