There was a recent study done by Zogby Analytics about the use of smartphones among people aged 18-24 years of age. 87% of participants say they are never without their smartphone. 68% would rather use their smartphones than a personal computer or laptop. I didn't need a study to tell me that this is the way the world is trending. If you just look around everyday, you can see literally almost everyone using a smartphone. I can't think of one student that I know that doesn't have a smartphone. It's the new tool that everyone will have in their tool belts from here on out.
As a future educator, that is exactly how I see this: as a tool. As a learner, that is exactly how I use my smartphone. I use my smartphone to learn all the time. I am constantly Googling words I don't know or looking up something referenced in a textbook I'm unfamiliar with. I have a calculator application I use for math. I think the education system would be dumb not to utilize these smartphones as a resource for today's students.
I would definitely use smartphones in my classroom. I'm a secondary major, so I assume 99% of my high school students would have a smartphone. I would let them use them in class for all types of things. Looking up references, checking statistics, facts of the day apps, Google Maps or Google Earth, and making videos are some of the things I would do, just off the top of my head. I think using the camera app to make videos or a video project would be a great PBL activity for students. Any chance they get to use the smartphone, I think they will jump at. We might as well make it a chance to learn, as well.
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