Cell Phones in the Classroom

I came across two interesting videos on You Tube the other day pertaining to how cell phones can be incorporated into lessons. It got me thinking about the cell phone ban schools have and if it is a bit outdated. Of course there are the cons, such as constant texting, taking/sending photos, and accessing social networks all day long. But most students do not leave their phones in their lockers and do these things throughout the day already. When cell phones first became widely used and only functioned for phone calls and texting, it made sense that students did not need them during school hours. But now with all of the programs and web tools out there, they can strengthen a lesson. For example, I mentioned before that I had students use their phones to record a graded voice thread. In the videos I posted below, you can see how teachers are using them in other ways.

So I guess the question is, if we take away the "taboo" associated with them, will we have fewer problems? If we are worried about them being a distraction, we all know that students will turn anything into a distraction if they really want to. I worry about students using them to send mean texts to one another, or even taking a picture of me without my knowledge and posting it somewhere. So I definitely believe that if we allow them in class, there should be rules and consequences that accompany any misuse. But have we reached the point where the pros of occasionally using them in class now outweigh the cons? Check out the links below and let me know what you think.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzPket7eSTE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=161m3TtUaJg&feature=related