Sensei, I forgot my book...

I often hear this from my students. Sometimes accidents happen, but usually this says that this person is disorganized, disinterested in the class, or both. Books can be a help in learning, but for some people they may be another excuse to avoid learning. I think using mobile phones as readers can help increase opportunities for learning.

Students by and large NEVER forget their mobile phones. For most of them, his or her mobile phone is a like another appendage. It would be easier to forget an arm or a leg.

Teachers should try to exploit this. Why not email lessons or readings to students directly on their phones? This would be one way to make sure - or at least dramatically increase the chances - that no one 'forgets' to bring reading materials to class.

E-reading

One of my interests, both personally and professionally, is electronic reading. By electronic reading, I mean reading texts on a computer, mobile phone, iPod or some other device, rather than on paper. There are several advantages of e-reading over traditional media.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of e-books available on the Web - for free! Paper books can be expensive. One place to get legal, free e-books is Gutenberg.

In future posts, I'll share some more reasons why I think e-reading is the future in education and advice on how to get e-books into your reading life.