Will E-Rate Mobile Device Experiment Loosen School Rules on Cellphones?
Wed, 29 Sep 2010 19:58:00 +0000 And a child shall lead them. In this case, it is a generation of children who are in the lead and may ultimately force policy changes on the use of cellphones and mobile devices on school campuses. When talking about the Federal Communications Commission’s recent policy changes for its E-Rate program, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski credited student mobile phone use for inspiring the commission to create and fund a pilot program to demonstrate how mobile devices can be turned into everyday learning tools. “Early experimentation demonstrates the potential of on-the-go learning. In Onslow County, N.C., in an experimental program supported by Qualcomm, high school students were given smartphones with 24/7 Internet access. The students who were taught math on these learning devices were more likely to achieve proficiency in Algebra than classmates who had the same teacher but weren’t given phones,” Genachowski told a Silicon Valley audience. Gaining widespre
