There is a sort of ebb and flow to the mainstream media’s affinity to handhelds, tablets, and smartphones. Some months, the devices are “Revolutionizing the 21st century learning experience!” This fall is all ebb. Two most recent examples come from the Washington Post and the UK Guardian. In the first, teacher Launa Hall laments the loss of classroom chatter: “My lively little kids stopped talking and adopted the bent-neck, plugged-in posture of tap, tap, swipe.” In the second, the writer wrings hands: “The fact that parents working for pioneering technology companies are questioning the value of computers in education begs the question – is the futuristic dream of high-tech classrooms really in the best interests of the next generation?” Both articles then go on to reference the same blasted OECD report that uses dated and vague data for its Luddite lament. The argument is getting stale. Like it or not, students need access to devices and information in order to not only compete, but survive. Let’s learn how to use them the right way. —Kevin Hogan, Content Director
