I thought that the use of technology in the Chicago public schools was more useful and educational than the use of technology in the ACU video. The kids in Chicago seemed to really benefit from the iPads, but I didn't see or hear any evidence that proved that those kids were learning better with the iPads than they would without them. I didn't really see the need for the iPads. Personally, I thought that the ACU video was a little ridiculous. It seemed forced and staged to me. The girl in the video also seemed to completely ignore the negative aspects of having an iPhone. Although very useful, my iPhone distracts me all of the time. The iPhone has so many features which makes it easier to do a lot of things, but the abundance of features also makes it easier to become distracted and do a lot of unnecessary things like play games or go on facebook and so on. I think Newton South has enough technology as of right now. I think it's good to have the option of using technology because it is necessary sometimes, but I don't think we need to use technology more than we do because of the distractions it offers.

I found that in both Chicago and ACU, students weren't really benefitting all that much from the iPads or iPhones. In Chicago, it seemed like basically everything the students were doing with the iPads could be done just as easily without them. However, in letting children use iPads at such an early age, they will be better equipped to use modern technology later in life because they will have a solid foundation with them, instead of just trying to teach themselves years later. At ACU, it seemed like the students weren't really benefitting at all from the iPhones, because everything they were doing with their phones could easier have been done without them. I don't think that introducing iPads and iPhones into Newton South more than they are already is a good idea, because the negative aspects seem to outweigh the positive ones.

I think that in both cases, the use of technology wasn't that useful and certainly wasn't necessary. In the Chicago Public schools, it seemed like almost everything the students were doing on the iPads could be done just as easily without them. In the ACU video, it seemed weird to me that they school encouraged students to be on their phones all the time. There didn't seem to be anything gained from using the iPhones all the time, and if anything, they seem like they could be a huge distraction in class. The only positive that i could see from incorporating so much technology is that it familiarizes kids with technology that they need to be able to use in their careers, like using the internet and typing. These skills, however, are things that most kids pick up naturally, especially in Newton. I don't think South needs to embrace one-to-one computing, because the only benefit is being familiar with the technology, which most kids are.

I agree that technology can be a great tool for learning and also with the claim that it can be distracting. I have technology all around me at home and it's really hard for me to get work done to the point where at most nights i start my homework after 10. This probably wouldn't happen in school's because there is a lot more structure in school, but there still is a chance that it can be distracting. Also, most of the technology that i learned to use was by myself. People dont really need to taught how to use technology because for the most part it is very user friendly. All in all, i think that technology would be amazing in schools because it could help make lessons a lot of interactive and fun as opposed to dry and lengthy experience that it is now.

I think that with advances in technology comes an inevitable increase in the use of modern devices in school, but I don't necessarily see a need for the embrace of mobile learning at Newton South High School. Lap tops and iPads are both useful pieces of technology that, as the first video stated, allow kids to better engage in learning and essentially take a "virtual fieldtrip." These devices, however, should be limited and websites like Facebook and Myspace should be blocked, because they will not be serving to help kids learn if they pose these distractions. With cell phones, however, it is virtually impossible to turn off texting abilities, so a mobile device will almost always serve as more of a distraction than a learning tool.

Although technology can sometimes be useful in teaching, I really don't think that it's ever necessary. The younger children in Chicago seemed to somewhat benefit from the iPads, but they don't need them in order to learn. The use of technology in ACU felt like a huge waste of time and money to me. Iphones are quite expensive and every student definitely doesn't need one. In both cases, the students would have been fine without technology. You don't need technology in order to make students enjoy school more and having such a heavy reliance on technology can negatively affect students too. From personal experience, I know how distracting apple devices can be. I wouldn't want to have to rely on a toy for all of my school related work. Technology in small doses can be beneficial for learning, but we shouldn't embrace it as much as ACU does.

As Rayna said, I think that the iPads in the Chicago schools were definitely effective in preparing the kids for when they grow up, because as the first video depicted, technology is advancing quickly. Exposing younger children to it makes them prepared for the real world. At ACU though, the iPhones weren't as useful. It promoted laziness, because students could get everything at their fingertips. And as everyone else said, it could serve as a huge distraction in class (what with the Facebook and the Internet in general readily availabe), and a malfunction could turn a student's world upside down.
So no, I don't think Newton South should embrace mobile learning or one-on-one computing, because there's no guarantee that students will be able to effectively handle that much freedom.

I think that technology in the classroom can be a useful tool at times but to me the drawbacks outweigh the benefits. The world around us is changing quickly but the fundamental skills like critical and logical thinking will be needed no matter what. Technology is changing rapidly as well, therefore there is no point to base entire curriculums off of an iPad since it would be outdated by the time it would be put in to use. The chicago school district seems to have utilized the iPad well but like many of the posters above me has said, the same things can be learned without technology. The ACU video was just a little ridiculous. I honestly think that they would be distracted during class and that such a large dependence on technology will lead to malfunctions which will completely ruin the learning experience. Many seem to think that convenience is beneficial to learning. However, in order to be good learners, one must be able to think for themselves and that requires patience, curiosity, and motivation. The knowledge that there is so much information at the click of a button makes the process of learning seem obsolete.

At this point, I don't think that Newton South should embrace technology in the same way that the university in the video does. As that video shows, basing an education on an iPhone intertwines too many factors, including information for school and not for school, all in one medium where everything is very easily accessible. Because of this, I think that it's too difficult to separate those types of information, and distractions are inevitable. Also, too much valuable data is stored in one area, so if it's lost, a student could be in a tough situation for classes.
Despite those problems, I do think that the facts noted in the first video are worth acknowledging. It seems like technology can't be avoided, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I think there should be some degree of separation between technology and school, but some embracing of technology is important to stay up to speed with improving capabilities.

After watching these videos, I don't think that using advanced technology in classrooms necessarily improves learning but it can help in some ways. It can help with research and sparking new thought but it can also serve as a distraction in the classroom. I don't think it makes sense to base a curriculum around the teachings of the newest technology such as iPads because technology changes as time goes by and it would be pointless to waste time on a piece of technology that will be history in a matter of years. However, I think it is helpful to teach about how to use technology in general properly. It was interesting to see how effective the technology was in the Chicago schools, but that might not be the same for all places.

I do not think that the students at Chicago and ACU were benefitting from the iPads or iPhones academically, but I do think implementing that kind of technology in the classroom allows for students to be more equip for the world. The iPhone and iPad were definitely more efficient that large textbooks and paper handouts, but neither the iPad nor the iPhone yielded better results when it came to actually understanding the work. I think that Newton South could definitely strive to be more tech-savvy and eco friendly by allowing homework to be done online (such as blogs like this), but I think that there are simply too many distractions on an iPad for all of our school work to be done on it, and students would benefit more from traditional textbooks and handouts that force them to read without cutting any corners.