California District Asks Students To Bring Device To Classroom

The Palm Springs (CA) Desert Sun (9/19, Mitchell) reports Desert Sands Unified School District "will encourage parents to send their children to school with a phone, tablet or computer - anything that connects to the Internet - so teachers can incorporate technology in the classroom." School budgets "don't allow them to keep up with changing technology to provide devices for every student, and many students already have these devices at home, Director of Technology George Araya said. The district cannot require that parents purchase anything, and there will be a transition period in which some students have these devices and some do not, Araya said."

 

Some Michigan Schools Reconsider Cell Phone Bans.The AP (9/19) says some schools in western Michigan "are reconsidering cell phone bans, as teachers tire of fighting students about their use and find that the devices can enhance learning." Holton Public Schools superintendent Jason Kennedy "said that by allowing students to carry phones into class, schools have the opportunity to teach responsible use while reducing discipline. The district recently updated its policy to allow electronic mobile devices to be used in classrooms if teachers agree."