Really they can. Or so say the US mobile trade body CTIA and Qualcomm.
Could it be that mobile phones have a place in the classroom for purposes other than driving teachers to their wits end?The CTIA certainly thinks so and has highlighted some findings from last week's Mobile Learning Conference, which sought to explore how cellular technology and devices can help kids learn in the classroom.
One initiative highlighted at MLC09 was Project K-Nect, which used mobile technology to improve math skills among 'at-risk' ninth grade students in select North Carolina schools.
The project was supported by Qualcomm through its Wireless Reach initiative.
Speaking at the conference, that company's Co-Founder and Chairman Dr. Irwin Jacobs said: "Social networking for educational purposes turned out to be one of the more useful outcomes of Project K-Nect as students reached out via their smartphones to get help on their math problems."
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Carly Shuler, a fellow of the Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop, added: "Just as television was a fundamental part of children's lives when Sesame Street introduced millions of children and their families to its educational potential, mobile devices are part of the fabric of children’s lives today.
"When Sesame Street started, the question they sought to answer was 'How can emerging media help children learn?' This question is just as relevant today as we consider the role of mobile devices in the education of 21st century children.”
The Mobile Learning Conference 2009 was supported by The Wireless Foundation, a charitable organisation formed by the member companies of CTIA.
The news comes on the same day that a UK study found that texting may actually improve language skills among children.
