Are North American students being left behind? It is amazing to read articles in our daily newspapers on how mobile phones are being banned from American and Canadian classrooms while in other countries such as Japan, the Philippines, and Germany the mobile phone has been embraced as a strategic, technological tool for delivering enhanced learning in language, science and in math.

With more computing power than an average computer of the 1990s today’s mobile phone is the most powerful integrated technological device of our era. 3.5 billion people have a cell phone of the 5 billion on the planet. We need to embrace this technology, and set the example for our children on acceptable use to educate respectful future citizens. Running from the technology is the not the answer.

The mobile phone is a powerful educational tool and has proven to have positive impact on the learning experience. A test in North Carolina showed that math students given specially integrated cell phones to assist with algebra studies found students performed 25% better on exams. A New York school that defied the cell phone ban, received free Samsung flip-phones where students could earn prepaid minutes for high test scores and good behavior, discovered they had more empowered students and better classroom control. Teachers developed better communications through text messaging and the school was able to monitor the student phone use and reprimand for any abuse.

Schools spend hundreds of millions of dollars on computers at an average cost of $1,000 per year per child. From a cost efficiency basis there is a good argument for cell phone use as part of the daily classroom. From an educational perspective here are just a few of the benefits:

* Math – cell phones have a calculator function

* Schedule and calendar functions are available

   Notebook for taking notes

* Stopwatch for timing assignments or presentations

* SMS – for voting, polling or short quizzes

* Internet browser – 3G provides fast connection for research online

* Camera – you can photograph that growing plant from seed

* Video – science experiments that only happen once you can record

* Google Maps for history assignments

* Microphone – for music class and memorizing a song

* Bluetooth technology provides reporting back to home base

* GPS – cool scavenger hunts anyone?

* Applications and software – an exploding area with programs like m-explore, vlingo, and m-learning

The mobile phone is getting smaller and more powerful every day. Soon educators around the world will be handing our the equivalent of credit card size cell phones in every classroom with preloaded software and details on class contacts and assignments. Are North American children going to be left behind? I hope not. Text mania is as strong here as anywhere. Children send on average 400 texts a month. They take their cell phone with them wherever they go, even to bed. We need to be apart of their world, to engage them and to provide leadership and education on the appropriate social use of this technology.