Today, as my 10th grade students entered the classroom, I was asked repetitively to send a note home to the parents, confirming that I use cellphones as a teaching device.
I do, and it is fantastic. BYOT (bring your own technology) is a growing trend among some educators, because school districts simply do not have the money to buy every student a device to use.
Effortlessly I have 100% class participation, students are excited and eager to participate. I had cheering, and applause during a Romeo and Juliet review. I have never had cheering during a review of any kind, so this was an interesting turn of events. Students that normally do not speak up, and are shy now contribute enthusiastically. It's something special when students say "Can we do this again? It was fun!" in regards to a lesson. I had immediate feedback on strengths and weakness of my previous lessons by watching their answers populate in front of me. I could do on the spot reteaching or discussion when a weakness presented itself. Students that did not have cell phones quickly were paired with those that did, and they worked excitedly as a team to answer the poll questions.
Here is a video for the parents if you would like to know more about it.