This document discusses using cell phones to record interviews for a civics assignment. Students will study principles of democracy and examine the current state of American government. They will then conduct phone interviews on topics like discrepancies between founding principles and modern practices. Students will set up free accounts on the iPadio platform to record and post conversations. Links will be shared on a class blog so students can listen to and comment on peers' interviews. This allows students to engage with course concepts through real-life political discussions and applies multiple disciplines like history, civics, and communication skills. Teachers should consider factors like student access to technology and time needed for the project.

1. Cell Phone Interviews Technology in the Classroom

2. Cell Phones in Education Recording and posting to the internet Purpose: Using phones as a way to record conversations outside of class encourages students to interact with material in new, meaningful ways and provides greater opportunities for exploration

3. Phone Recordings Cross Disciplinary Applications English: practice reading fluency Math: students explain their thought process History: deliver a historic speech with context Science: document observations Music: record a song Civics – Election Interview homework

4. Lesson Background Students studied principles of democracy Consent of the Governed Popular Sovereignty Majority Rule Representative Democracy Students studied the election process, who runs, who votes and the different levels of government

5. Objective Students will examine the state of modern democracy by describing discrepancies between the Founding Father’s principles of democracy and American government today Assessment Measure: Students will critically examine our government by assessing in a “State of Democracy” essay

6. Technology Used Any Phone The Internet iPadio – records phone conversations online Blogger – forum to post recording links

7. iPadio and Blogging Students create a free iPadio account If internet access is a hardship, teachers can register a phone number for the student Students record a phone conversation which is then available on iPadio Links can be posted to a teacher-generated blog to control content Blogger is an easy blogging tool

8. Using Student Recordings Students can listen to interviews from their peers by accessing the Blog Students can respond to posted recordings on the Blog Exemplar recordings may be discussed in class

9. Making Civics Real The interviews add real-life context to the principles of democracy Connects theoretical principles of democracy to realities Gives students the opportunity to engage in a political discussion

10. Points to Consider Student access to internet and cell phones Parental attitudes and availability Sufficient time to complete the assignment at home Ample time to develop the Blog Practice technology use and interview style in class

11. As a Student Complete a cell phone interview Work with one partner Follow the directions on the handout to set up an iPadio account For demonstration purposes, complete a 1-2 minute conversation Send the URL to cnrodkey@smcm.edu