Using Mobile Phones in the Classroom

[Timothy Gangwer]

In a country where the number of mobile phones exceeds the number of people (ComReg, 2006) mobile devices can play a vital role in teaching and learning. Unfortunately many schools still prohibit their use inside the building. If you are lucky enough to work in a more enlightened environment, the list below provides a number of applications which can be used with mobile phones

• Poll Every Where: Simple Text Message Voting- Poll Everywhere is the world’s first all-software audience response system. http://www.polleverywhere.com/
• Wiffiti: Use your cell phones to text information to the website for free. http://wiffiti.com/
• Mobiode: a simple and flexible solution for mobile surveys and polls, which can be used to collect data from users via their mobile phones. http://mobiode.com/
• Utterli: Use a cell phone to post images, videos, audio or text to a blog or web space. http://www.utterli.com/
• TalkShoe: a service that enables anyone to easily create, join, or listen to Live Interactive Discussions, Conversations, Podcasts and Audioblogs using cell phones. http://braincast.viatalk.com/account/login
• Radar: Real time sharing of cameraphones pictures, videos and conversations. http://radar.net/
• Qik : enables you to share your videos and moments live with your friends, family and the world-right from your mobile phone! http://qik.com/
• ChaCha: Text a question to Cha Cha with a cell phone to get an answer. http://www.chacha.com/
• TextTheMob: The easiest and most entertaining way to collect feedback from your audience: Project polls or message boards on a large screen, have everyone send their input via their cell phones and see results instantly!http://textthemob.com/
• Gcast: created podcasts, audio greetings, gcast.com is a podcasting and audioblogging platform that offers an easy way to create and distribute audio content. http://www.gcast.com/

Of course the iTunes Apps with the iTouch is another great resource.

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