Texting School?

I had a conversation with my 2nd grade daughter that went like this on Sunday: 

Rylee:  "Mom, when will I get to go to texting school?"

Me:  "Texting school? What do you mean?" (Bewildered)

Rylee:  "When will I get to text in school?" (She asked me seriously.)

I wasn't really sure how to answer that question.  Rylee has her own devices and likes to text people and it has been a good way for her to work on her spelling.  I worry about her not being engaged enough at school because she often doesn't complete her work and I will often find worksheets stuffed in the back of her desk as I go in to see what missing work she needs to turn in.  She only gets to use computers once a week during her school week and that is about the extent her of technology use during the day.  The entire second grade class just completed a project that was labeled the The Great Brain Report.  Rylee's report was about how ice cream was made and if it was nutritious or not.  She had to write a two page report, create a project, and then share it with the class.  There was a celebration at the end of last week where family and friends were invited to come and observe the projects and celebrate with the students.  The list of ideas for projects that were sent home did not include anything technology driven.  Rylee loves to use her iPad to take pictures and videos.  She decided that she wanted to create her project using her iPad.  So she created an iMovie trailer that showed how ice cream is created.  She did her own videoing and added her own text.  She was very "engaged" with her project and actually enjoyed creating it and learned a lot.  Learning became fun!!! Why aren't teachers suggesting these types of ideas for their students to create in the classroom? I have been thinking about Rylee's question, "When will I get to go to texting school?"  I sure hope that she doesn't have to wait until middle school before she can use a device as part of her learning.

Ice Cream: It's Delicious and Nutritious