Digital Directions reports that the Virginia State Board of Education is considering limiting communication between teachers and students. At the forefront of the proposed guidelines is the issue of text messages between teachers and students. It is the goal of the VA BoE to ebb sexual misconduct in the classroom. If the policy passes, a final vote will be held on February 17, school districts still have the choice to fully adopt the new limitations, edit the plan, or not adopt them at all. This ruling is therefore more symbolic than revolutionary, but it raises several questions regarding teacher-student interactions.
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There was an interesting story in the New York Times a couple days ago. It seems that with every new technology Apple creates, schools are always major focus of their sales and marketing strategy. The high school I work at owns over 1,900 MacBooks, while iPod Touch labs are also becoming a familiar sight in schools. It isn't surprising that we are now seeing Apple's newest product, the iPad, infiltrate our classrooms, too. The article does a great job of analyzing the academic benefits of iPads versus the costs of iPads. Sure iPads are beautiful, engaging, and probably a great classroom resources, but they're also expensive. The school in the article payed $750 for each new device. It's an expensive hobby, but is it worth it?
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