I found myself in a very interesting discussion last week regarding the use of technology in the classroom and the characteristics of the millenial audience in that classroom.  I was actually sharing some of the cool technology that we played around with in class, namely Poll Everywhere, with a couple of my baby boomer and gen X colleagues.  The question arose about rules regarding cell phones in schools.  Specifically "Does anyone even know what the rules are about having cell phones in class?"  This from the one Gen Xer that doesn't have a teenager with a cell phone growing off his fingers . . .  Those of us who did immediately responded "They are not allowed, they must be turned off and in their lockers at all times.  And thank goodness for that rule!"  Apparently we feel this way because the world would come to a screeching halt if students were allowed to carry a cell phone into class.

But then it dawned on me.  How are teachers supposed to be able to utilize some of the technological advances in learning when the school does not allow for the device that supports it to be brought into class?  I posed this question to my peers and it was amazing how we all just had to say hmmmm, I'm really not sure.  It made me stop and wonder if we are not doing some of the same things we have been so critical of others in the past.  We make a broad sweeping judgement about a technology because of the threat it could pose.  Because it could be misused, we just ban it from the classroom.  Thus leaving teachers to think of ways to engage the student population by utuilizng dated methods. 

I wonder if we've taken the right approach.  It seems like some of the negative aspects of the technology have been around since the dawn of time.  Students have always cheated, teachers have always had ways to find out.  Does this really change anything?  This generation, the millennial, have never known a time without cell phones, laptops, ATM's, etc.  The list can go on forever and ever, right?  How is it that their learning environment should not represent their everyday world?  Why is it that we think it is best to ban the very technology that makes them who they are, which is an amazing, collaborative generation, tied together in ways that we've never thought imaginable.  Do we tie the hands of the educator or free them to do what it is they do best - integrate the real world with the laboratory to lead to learning.  I'm not sure what is right or wrong, but it certainly seems worthy of additional thought.