Elaine+Week+7

I believe that the perceived innovators and early adopters are business executives and students as the first have readily embraced the technology and understand the inherent capabilities of the cell phone as a communication and productivity tool. Students have quickly embraced the cell phone as a communication tool and are quickly coming to pace with the educational uses and abuses of the cell phone. In order for the cell phone to finish meeting critical mass, the cell phone needs to have attained affordability, extended service areas, faster download/upload speeds, compatible applications across manufacturers, and acceptance by educators and parents.

The laggards in this innovation include some teachers and parents. The main concerns revolve around cheating, distractions, lack of training on integration methods, affordability, compatibility, language disintegration, and trialability. Research is only just beginning to surface on the use of cell phones in the classroom and its affect on students and teachers. As more teachers try out the cell phone for limited activities, the greater the chance for the cell phone's immersion into the scholarly culture. Parents need assurance that students are learning and not just "playing" in the classroom and teachers need to feel secure that the integrity of their lessons remains intact.