The cell phone policy in a traditional syllabus might read a little something like this: “Cell phone use of any kind—voice, texting, calculator, photography, etc.— is banned during class. Phones must be rendered inaudible; turn them off completely or silence them during class time.”

While this policy might be justifiable and—in some circumstances—absolutely necessary, it might also be quickly fading into the realm of educational antiquity. For instance, what happens when students’ phones double as personal computers that might be used in and outside the classroom to help them acquire course content, engage in different kinds of “doing” and “observing” experiences, simultaneously pursue multiple learning goals and participate in reflective dialogue?

Addressing this technological shift in anticipation of the first day of Fall 2007 classes, Paul Levinson of Fordham University asks, “What should I do about iPhones? I have no idea how many students will have them today, but it’s a sure bet that more and more students will have them in the future.” Levinson goes on to answer his own question by choosing to “err on the side of open systems,” stating: “If my students want to use their iPhones as cell phones, and have conversations with friends during the class, so be it. But on the chance that they’ll be using the iPhone to locate some bit of fascinating, pertinent knowledge on the Web - hey, that’s all to the good.”

Levinson’s concern is certainly relevant to all in academia. “The times, they are a changin’,” and we must ask how our classroom policy should adapt to utilize the benefits of this change for improved teaching and learning.