TEACHER: Imagine that you are a refugee from a war-torn country, trying to migrate across Europe with what you can carry in your backpack. What would be the most important possession to bring with you? Many of you have one with you right now. And although, your water bottle and the California roll you brought for lunch would help, I'm not referring to these necessities.

The answer for many immigrants is a smartphone. Today, we'll take a look at how smartphones are central to the success of immigrants journeys. Many members of this class have their own stories of how their families came to the United States. And most of you are very familiar with a multitude of apps on your own smartphones.

So let's take a look at these two ideas and see why smartphones are so useful for immigrants. I have always been interested in my own family's story of immigration through Europe and onto North America and have been fascinated while researching the 21st century version of this narrative. We'll get that narrative going by first taking a look at the widespread use of smartphones by immigrants, next considering how smartphones are vital to immigrants journeys and finally, seeing how smartphones are especially essential in dangerous situations.