whelkstall

In France, mobile phones aren't confiscated by teachers, but used as an essential part of lessons. A Montpellier teacher, Phillipe Steger set up a range of educational activities after developing a means for students to access their lesson via mobile phones, with Internet access.

The method is relatively simple. The students log on using their mobile phones and select the material they need for the lesson. The students can take a test to review progress before moving to the main content

The system has enormous potential because more than threequarters of students have mobile phones in France. The percentage in the UK is certainly higher.

In France nearly 1000 didactic activities have been made available by different teachers and the evidence is that the students are enaged and productive.

The service is not completely free and there has been a lot of work to try to ensure that social differences and different Internet access doesn't prevent students engaging with the system. Conversations with mobile phone operators may enable the removal the 2 euros per month that each individual's access costs.

My immediate thought when I read about this was those kids who manage to type a line of text on paper or on the computer during a lesson, but can type dozens of words per minute on their mobiles.

If that skill can be transposed to doing their schoolwork we may be on to a winner.