Mobile Devices archive
Judge Upholds NYC School Ban on Mobile Phones
In a blow to parents and school groups fighting the New York City Department of Education’s prohibition against mobile phones on campus, a judge has ruled that the board was within its rights to institute the ban....
Buy One Laptop, Give One Free
It shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that the developers of the so-called $100 laptop have changed their minds and decided to make the device available to the U.S. market. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be able to stroll down...
Back to School - Don’t Forget Your Cell Phone!
As middle school students go back to school this week in Montgomery County, MD, many of them will probably have cell phones in their backpacks. But this school year, they won’t be penalized for doing so, as the local school...
Schools drop laptop programs - but are they dropping the ball as well?
The New York Times is reporting today that some schools have been dropping their student laptop programs, labeling them a failure. But what’s the actual failure taking place here? I fear it’s a failure of expectations and imagination....
The iPod of the Beholder: Can MP3 Players Enhance Learning?
First it was cell phones, and now it’s iPods. K-12 schools around the country are beginning to ban students from carrying MP3 players, fearing they may use them for cheating. Yet at least one university is embracing the exact opposite...
Virginia Tech: Yet Another Wake-Up Call for Better Emergency Preparedness
Eleven years ago, Readers Digest proclaimed Blacksburg, Virginia as “The Most Wired Town in America.” So why couldn’t this wealth of technology be used to save lives during the horrific massacre at Virginia Tech? Perhaps the wrong tools were in...
Caught on Tape - For Better or Worse
A student records a teacher violating school policies, leading to a ban on students taping teachers. What’s the story here, and who do you think is right?...
The Mobile Phone Debate’s Latest Twist
As yet another school district bans students from carrying cell phones, a mobile phone carrier heads in the other direction, creating school-based contests to encourage students and their parents to interact via text messaging. The timing couldn’t be worse....
New York’s Cell Phone Proposal: Lock ‘Em Up
In the latest twist over the battle over student cell phone use in New York City, school officials are proposing a compromise. And so far, it seems that many students and parents aren’t buying it....
The Student Becomes the Spy Master
A video of a recent tasering incident by a police officer against a college student gets posted on YouTube and creates a public outcry. With more and more students having access to camera phones, how do you balance maintaining discipline...
Mobile Devices in School: What Policy Would You Create?
In the latest twist in the debate over the role of cell phones in schools, the parents of an Oklahoma high school student have filed larceny charges against two local school officials for refusing to return a confiscated cell phone...
Should Schools Teach SMS Text Messaging?
You may think that today’s kids already know everything they need to know about SMS text messaging, but some educators are now arguing that students need to learn texting in the classroom. Are they on to something, or is it...
Making Mobile Phones Mandatory: A New Educational Trend?
While some K-12 schools are leery of students possessing cell phones in the classroom, a growing number of universities are becoming downright enthusiastic. Some colleges have gone so far as to make cell phones a requirement for incoming freshmen. What’s...
Should Principals Be Allowed to Review Students’ Cell Phone Records?
A Boston-area school district is asserting the right to search students’ cell phones for inappopriate information. Does this policy, one of the first of its kind in the US, cross the line?...
Should Students be Allowed to Carry Cell Phones?
Wired News reports on current attempts by parents groups and policymakers to force New York City schools to allow students to carry cell phones. The schools have long banned mobile devices as a public nuisance, but critics argue that cellphones...
