NYT writes today that a lot of high schools who started techoptimistically giving a laptop to each of their students have decided to take them back, because the one-to-one student-laptop ratio doesn't seem to be doing any good for education. The lede of the article:
"The students at Liverpool High have used their school-issued laptops to exchange answers on tests, download pornography and hack into local businesses. When the school tightened its network security, a 10th grader not only found a way around it but also posted step-by-step instructions on the Web for others to follow (which they did). Scores of the leased laptops break down each month, and every other morning, when the entire school has study hall, the network inevitably freezes because of the sheer number of students roaming the Internet instead of getting help from teachers."
Interesting, vis a vis all of the arguments for and against letting undergrads have laptops in lecture so that they can google "Duke Lacrosse T-shirts" instead of taking notes. I, for one, still think somebody should invent the lecture hall wireless-blocker device and make a mint.
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I'm never sure I understand why kids jerking around on laptops is worse than them writing notes or doodling or any of the other non-listening things they do during class. Also, really, if 10th graders are hacking networks and things, clearly they're learning something from their laptop access -- they're just not learning what the school wanted them to learn.
I don't know, I'm always somewhat relieved when students use their technologies for no good -- shows gumption.
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