I read an interesting press release about a week or two ago and it took some time to process but then it hit me as something really cool – teachers using mobile phones to teach.

Brilliant!

I remember about two years ago seeing my younger cousin text messaging on his phone at no less than the speed of light to no less than five friends consecutively. At the time he was in high school and I asked him if kids were doing that in class.

Of course they were.

Teachers would try to stop them or enforce punishment, but there was only so much they could do. Mobile phones had become so prevalent in school that it was unlikely he or a classmate would go an entire “period” (as they called it in my high school) without texting someone at least once. There was no stopping it. Unless…

What if you forced students to use their mobile phones to prove they were paying attention, rather than as a distraction? That’s what Poll Everywhere and Mobile Messenger are doing with their SMS-based education program and partnership with high school educators. Poll Everywhere’s program encourages students to send SMS responses to educators’ quizzes or lectures via their own mobile devices.

Perhaps the classroom isn’t the best place for m-commerce initiatives, but think where this can lead in terms of brand building. Imagine testing applications developed and provided by Scholastic, or mobile technology providers partnering with schools and universities. Not the most traditional of e-commerce routes, but one that I see happening soon.

You?