Cell phones have long been considered the "bad student" in class. They interrupt class, they're noisy, and sometimes they can help students cheat. But the times they are a changin' at Toms River middle schools where fifth and sixth grade students are now bringing smartphones to class in order to satisfy a new academic requirement. The fact that it is happening in the fourth largest school district in the state might change how other New Jersey schools view cell phones in class.

Vicki Rhein, a fifth-grade teacher at Silver Bay Elementary School likes the idea: "This is a great alternative to traditional pen and pencil work and promotes better critical thinking skills. We're finding that students are more engaged and even requesting to delve deeper into topics." The district piloted the program last year with 100 students and is working with 1,000 students this school year, with support from Verizon Wireless.

Verizon and GoKnow! Inc. are collaborating with Toms River to create the software that work with the mobile devices. The students can use the smartphones to conduct research, create animations, write reports and download books. And to help the students concentrate, the phones can't make or receive calls or do any texting.

Sources: Toms River School District, Verizon collaborate to incorporate cell phones intocurriculum, The NJ Star Ledger, and Smart Phones as a Teaching Tool, NJN TV