The Educative Potential of Cell Phones in the Social Studies Classroom

Abstract

Over 75 percent of teens have a cell phone, and today's youth are increasingly turning to their cell phones to communicate and access information (Pew Internet 2009). As teens gain access and use mobile devices outside of the classroom, there's been a growing movement for teachers to enlist the digital tools students really use and are comfortable with to learn inside the classroom (Brooks-Young 2010; Collins and Halverson 2009). This manuscript provides an overview of recent research in teen access and use of cell phones inside and outside of the social studies classroom. Furthermore, it provides social studies teachers, researchers, and community members with cell phone-based activities, resources, and strategies to advance student learning in the social studies.