Won't somebody please think of the children!

An article on the Star caught my attention a few days ago. It was about the Peel Board's policy decision to encourage students to bring any technology to class while the board invests in better wifi networks. It seems to show some potential as students, teacher, parents, and other school boards monitor the program's success.

There are many things to discuss here. First, there is an obvious and inevitable distraction issue as students tune out their teachers and go on Facebook, Twitter, or this blog. Second, it invites jealousy and theft for very expensive items. Third, there is an equity issue since some students and their families cannot afford the technology. Fourth, there will definitely be some boys who look up *ahem* explicit material while at school, I guarantee it.

It is not all doom and gloom. The good points start with embracing the cultural movement towards technology instead of fighting it. In this way, the teacher's and students' time is put to better use for actual learning. Second, an insightful and organized teacher can fully utilize the technology to enhance the learning and promote engagement. This is already implemented with the use of SMART boards and TI-Inspire calculators. However, only one person at a time can use the SMART board (usually the teacher), and there is a high learning curve and little reward for using the graphing calculators. A personal laptop or tablet addresses both of these problems. Third, an even more insightful and organized teacher can observe the independence of students who take control of their learning using technology that they are familiar with and highly interested in.

Since I am in computer science, I am definitely in favour of students becoming familiar with technology, web sites, and most importantly, user interfaces. The best way to design better programs, websites, and UI, is to be an end-user and observe the gaps, flaws, and ways for improvement. For those interested in computer science during high school, it is especially useful to have a personal laptop to be able to code anywhere and gain invaluable experience. Yes, I'm geeky and I know it!