Uses for Cell Phones

I was in my first inservice of a new year today, and it was one of those times when I wonder if my brain is wired the same way as others.

We were asked if we could brainstorm uses for legitimate classroom cell phone use and I was immediately writing down ideas:

• taking pictures of whiteboards so you can study
• podcasting using CINCH or other online services
• creating group lists among kids to collaborate on projects
• creating group lists so I can send kids who want a text of the assignment
  
• using the timer or calculator options
• timing the speed of communications by sending a text message to another person, knowing the distance to the nearest tower, and then figuring the speed of communication
• googling a short question through text

I am amazed, though, that my responses have all been about texting, which I thought was a worthless feature a year ago. Isn't it amazing how a paradigm can shift? What other uses are out there?