Parents, teachers, and other authority figures have long bemoaned the terrible influence that technology has on children. Television, movies, and video games introduce them to violence, the internet opens them up to attack by adult predators, and all of the media that bombards them daily has led to an entire generation of ADD-addled children. Okay, that may be a bit harsh, but there’s no denying that kids these days have a pretty short attention span, and the arrival of mobile devices on the scene doesn’t seem to be helping the issue any. In classrooms especially, smart phones and tablets are likely the bane of a teacher’s existence. But all of that is about to change thanks to a handy little app called GoSoapBox.

While there are actually plenty of apps out there geared at aiding those in the academic community when it comes to managing a classroom more efficiently, this one is different in that it is geared towards improving the conversation on both sides of the desk. That’s right; this app encourages kids to use their smartphones and tablets to interact with the teacher and the class during lectures and lessons. This might sound kind of distracting, but provided the teacher monitors the feed throughout, it can actually provide for a uniquely fulfilling classroom setting that benefits both teachers and students.

Here’s how it works. The teacher sets up an account (at $15 per month or $90 for a year of service), and then students log in using a password. Teachers can then posit questions for the class, to which they may respond during lessons as a way to start a discussion without ever having to raise their hands. Kids can also post questions to clarify, and either the teacher or other students may post answers. In addition, students can vote on the relevance of questions so that the teacher has an idea of where to steer the lecture so that the greatest number of students get the information and clarification they seek. And finally, students have the option to set their status via a “confusion barometer”. They can either opt for “I am getting it” or “I am confused”. As more students select “confused” the teacher’s barometer goes up to signal that the classroom may not be following along.

To some, this system may not sound that great, since it encourages classrooms full of students to hold their tongue and interact via electronic device. So there is the question of whether or not this could stunt socialization within the classroom setting. But the truth is that it’s no different from your average masters in IT program versus top online masters in IT programs (for example) in that the kids may still interact, even if only virtually. In fact, it will probably help more students to learn since they won’t be distracted by noisy classmates, and even shy kids will get to ask questions.

Of course, there is the small issue of hardware. Most schools don’t have the money to provide devices for every student and even if a few students happen to have a smartphone or tablet, the system won’t work unless everyone can participate. But it’s a pretty good bet that it could work at the university level, and with more and more kids of younger ages adopting mobile technologies, it might not be long before this is a more viable option for classrooms than computers.

Editor’s Note

Thanks to Evan Fischer for this quest post. He is a freelance writer and part-time student at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California.