Industry Makes Pitch That Smartphones Belong in Classroom

Money for education will be a huge part of the new stimulus plan.  For those with something to market, this might be one of the few lucrative venues left.

At a conference this week in Washington called Mobile Learning 09, CTIA, a wireless industry trade group, plans to start making its case for the educational value of cellphones. It will present research — paid for by Qualcomm, a maker of chips for cellphones — that shows so-called smartphones can make students smarter.

Teachers, however, are not so sure that technology will save the day.

“Texting, ringing, vibrating,” said Janet Bass, a spokeswoman for the American Federation of Teachers, the nation’s second largest teachers’ union. “Cellphones so far haven’t been an educational tool. They’ve been a distraction.” Ms. Bass says it is “almost laughable that the cellphone industry is pushing a study showing that cellphones will make kids smarter,” particularly during a recession that is crushing the budgets of many school districts.

Do we really need to spend what little money the schools have on more stuff?  What makes for a good education?  Technical prowess is of no use to a mind that is limited and undisciplined.

Full article: New York Times