Flaquer Feldman, Oriana - Zambón Bertran, Brenda Y.

Enhancing pedagogical practices through cellphone integration in classrooms

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Escuela Normal Superior N° 15 “Domingo Faustino Sarmiento”

Profesorado de Inglés

UDI Workshop – Academic Reading and Writing

4th Year – 2023

Title: Enhancing pedagogical practices through cellphone integration in classrooms

Students: Flaquer Feldman, Oriana and Zambón Bertran, Brenda Y. | 37152972 -

44282331 orianaflaquer@gmail.com and zambonbrenda02@gmail.com

Teacher: Lic. Prof. Patricia S. Sampietro

Flaquer Feldman, Oriana - Zambón Bertran, Brenda Y.
Enhancing pedagogical practices through cellphone integration in classrooms
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Enhancing pedagogical practices through cellphone integration in classrooms [PS1]

Abstract

In an era marked by rapid technological progress and global challenges, traditional

classrooms transitioned to remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, revealing the
importance of digital tools. However, post-pandemic classrooms have often reverted to
restrictive policies against technological devices, such as mobile phones, citing distractions
and potential learning impediments. This proposal advocates free teacher training courses
that empower educators to harness cellphones as effective pedagogical tools. These
courses can prepare both educators and students for the demands of the 21st century.
Ultimately, this approach may lead to more efficient and future-ready education.

Keywords: Pedagogical tools - Technological resources - 21st-century education –

Professional development

Oriana Feldman Flaquer is a fourth year tertiary level student at the Teacher Training
Programme of ENS N° 15, in Entre Rios, Argentina. Her research interests are sociocultural
awareness, classroom management and educational technology.

Brenda Yael Zambon Bertran is a fourth year tertiary level student at the Teacher Training
Programme of ENS N° 15, in Entre Rios, Argentina. Her research interests are intercultural
awareness, new pedagogies, digital literacy, and classroom management.

Proposal

In an era of rapid technological advancement and unprecedented global challenges,

the confluence of digital innovation and evolving pedagogical paradigms has created an
educational landscape defined by new opportunities. Especially during the latest worldwide
sanitary crisis, traditional classrooms had the necessity to make exclusive use of these new
technologies making way for remote learning, as educators worldwide were forced to adapt
to new pedagogical approaches which included the use of different technological devices.
Nevertheless, as the pandemic subsided, classrooms went back to the modality they had
before the pandemic, revealing a noticeable absence of technological devices in the post-
pandemic classroom.
Flaquer Feldman, Oriana - Zambón Bertran, Brenda Y.
Enhancing pedagogical practices through cellphone integration in classrooms
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Nowadays, as explained by Selwyn and Aagaard (2020) there is a growing worldwide
trend to ban technological devices, such as cellphones, in classrooms and schools - the
same tools that have been fundamental in virtual classrooms. In an article for the Harvard
Digital magazine, it is claimed that many of these policies are imposed in order to reduce
distractions, views that are founded on the proven theories that allowing phones in the
classroom negatively impacts test scores and long-term learning retention (Boudreau, 2022).
As result, as noted in our observations in a EFL secondary school classroom in Escuela
Normal Superior in Concordia, teachers are not encouraged to work with technological
devices, producing disadvantages in their classrooms, for both the teachers and the
students: for the former, it limits the amount of resources available to work with, and for the
latter, it decreases the development of academic research skills and motivation.

One way to address this situation would be to design and implement a variety of free
courses for teachers that focus on training them on how to use various technological
resources to promote a more active learning process in the classroom, Fitzula (2019)
suggests employing competitive situations, points, and prizes to promote course learning
objectives, accomplish school-related activities, stimulate discussions, or crowd source
questions by means of social media. In the case of secondary school teachers, these
courses could centre on the use of mobile phones in the classroom because of the wide
range of applications these devices have. The main reason for this is that cell phones were
observed to be already present in the secondary school classrooms, so it would just be a
matter of finding ways to use them properly and exclusively for academic purposes; for
example, to be able to search for terminology so as to acquire vocabulary, or even for
sharing online syllabuses and sending reminders to the class.

The implementation of these courses into classrooms provides numerous benefits to

teachers, learners, and the educational system as a whole. Through adequate training,
educators can harness the potential of cell phones as effective [PS14] pedagogical tools. They
would gain access to bounteous educational applications and online resources, enabling the
creation of compelling lessons and immersive learning experiences. Additionally, the
incorporation of educational software, quizzes, and interactive exercises is proven to
effectively engage students retaining their enthusiasm for the learning process. This
approach might equip educators and students with the necessary skills and could prepare
them to confront the challenges of the 21st century. Ultimately, this mode of instruction may
lead to a more efficient and future-oriented education.
Flaquer Feldman, Oriana - Zambón Bertran, Brenda Y.
Enhancing pedagogical practices through cellphone integration in classrooms
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References

Boudreau, E. (2022, August 10) Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Cellphones in
Schools. Harvard https://www.gse.harvard.edu/ideas/news/22/08/weighing-costs-
and-benefits-cellphones-schools

Fitzula, M. (2019) “Using Mobile Devices in the Classroom”. Stockton University.

https://stockton.edu/ctld/documents/facres/mobile-devices-in-the-classroom.pdf

Mustapha, I., Van, N.T., Shahverdi, M., Qureshi, M.I., Khan, N. (2021) “Effectiveness of
Digital Technology in Education During COVID-19 Pandemic. A Bibliometric
Analysis” International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (IJIM).
https://uis.brage.unit.no/uis-xmlui/handle/11250/2982095

Selwyn, N., & Aagaard, J. (2020, April 19). Banning mobile phones from classrooms—An
opportunity to advance understandings of technology addiction, distraction and
cyberbullying. British Journal of Educational Technology, 52(1), 8–19.
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12943

Bibliography

Ahmad, T. (2020, February 14). Student perceptions on using cell phones as learning
tools. PSU Research Review; Emerald Publishing Limited.
https://doi.org/10.1108/prr-03-2018-0007

Becton Loveless (n.d) “Using Cell Phones as Learning Tools. Education Corner”.
Education Corner. https://www.educationcorner.com/cell-phones-learning-tools.html

Nancy Barile (n.d.) “How to Deal with Cell Phones in School”. Hey Teach.
https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/how-deal-cell-phones-school1808.html

Swales, J. M., & Feak, C. B. (2012). Academic Writing for Graduate Students. University of
Michigan Press ELT.