Mobile phones in the classroom: Preservice teachers answer the call

• Most useful features are accessing the Internet, using as a clicker and using an educational app.
• Primary benefits are developing digital fluency and providing anywhere/anytime learning opportunities.
• Primary barriers are cheating and disruption to class.
• Primary disruptions are texting, playing games and tweeting.

This study examined the perceptions of 245 preservice teachers in Kentucky and Tennessee to determine their support for the use of mobile phones in the classroom, as well as their perceptions of the mobile phone features that they view as beneficial for school-related work, and the instructional benefits and barriers to mobile phone use in the classroom. The results indicated that almost half (45%) of preservice teachers supported the use of mobile phones in the classroom while one-fourth (25%) did not support their use and approximately one third (30%) reported uncertainty. The preservice teachers perceived many features/functions of mobile phones as being useful in the classroom, but they identified access to the Internet, clicker capabilities, use of educational apps, and use as a reader as the most valuable. They perceived cheating, disruptions, cyberbullying, and accessing inappropriate content as major barriers to the use of mobile phones in the classroom.