Last week I saw a story about some private colleges and the University of Maryland this year handing out “free” iPhones or iPod Touch devices to some of their students (any parent who has ever written a tuition check understands that the concept of “free” and anything related to their child’s education is dubious, at best).  Spokesmen for the schools explained the move, stating that, among other things, it would allow for improved security (in the wake of the Virginia Tech tragedy) by allowing for a quick and accurate way to reach students with vital information. The technology was also being touted for its ability to help students maintain contact with professors regarding assignments and grades, do research and respond to surveys. It has also been suggested by some that participating schools may simply be trying to elevate their images as “cool”, cutting-edge institutions. In searching for details on the story, I learned that while the hardware may be given to the students, they must pay for the monthly service fees. Also, the University of Maryland at least is emphasizing that theirs is a pilot program designed to answer specific questions about how both professors and students can integrate the new technology into the classroom, as well as enhancing safety and time management. Nevertheless, there are concerns for misuse of the phones and the distractions they will cause. It doesn’t seem so long ago that we were hearing about colleges handing out PCs to incoming freshmen, and what a novel and even extreme move that seemed to be. I would imagine that, given a few years, we will wonder what all of the fuss over this latest issue was all about. Professors will still need to be engaging and informative in the lecture hall (if not, students have ALWAYS found ways to be distracted). Students who allow themselves to play games or text their friends instead of attending to their studies are the same ones who, 10 or 20 or 50 years ago, would have found some other way to goof off. And, finally, the “outside” world and its latest technologies and demands will be there waiting when the student leaves school and has to work in and survive that environment, whether they’ve been held at bay outside the ivy-covered walls or not. Better that those tools be invited in, studied and put to creative, positive uses than treated as a threat to the educational process. Patty Vanikiotis, proofreader