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"It's an unacceptable and unreasonable expectation for parents to be Internet police for a school-provided device," Morin said.

"From a school standpoint, he's got to do what keeps the school from any liability — I get that," Walter said. "From a personal aspect, we monitor where our kids go online. It wouldn't have been an issue at our household. But there are others where it would have been."

“cell phones are not computers! They may both contain microprocessors and batteries, but as of today, their functionality is quite different…The computer is an intellectual laboratory and vehicle for self-expression that makes it possible for children to learn and do things in ways unthinkable just a few years ago. We impair such empowerment when we limit educational practice to the functionality of the least powerful device.”

Seventy-four percent of elementary school teachers reported that they used free Internet resources for lessons that they flashed on computerized white boards or offered on desktops or other gadgets, compared with 65 percent who said their digital content came from commercial providers, according to a January survey by Simba Information, a market research company.

The survey found that middle and high school teachers also gravitated more toward free online content.

“I demand that my peers and inner city school kids have a fair chance at life, furthering their education like privileged communities,” she continued. “Give us the resources we need. Because there are children like me who give a damn about our future.”

“Kids who have straight A’s and are college bound, that’s because people have been there in their lives to show them the way,” she said. “For those students who aren’t doing well, it’s a process of talking and having conversations with those students. Ask them why is that student being distracted? Why is he doing that instead of doing work? With kids and with parents, sometimes you have to pressure them and push them. It takes a lot of patience but you have to have those conversations and monitor what that student does.”

With the proliferation of mobile devices, many wonder if it is possible to permit students to bring their own technology to school, rather than the school purchasing a device for everyone. Our experiences with 1-to-1 technology suggest that this day indeed will come; however, we are not yet prepared to realize BYOT. There are several issues with BYOT; although, in our estimation the greatest concern is ubiquity of use. When schools have multiple platforms, it is increasingly difficult to shift the educational culture. More time will be spent normalizing technology than teaching students. If, and when, this ubiquity issue is addressed, either through improved technology or an elevated technological IQ, BYOT will become an attractive and necessary option.

After a pilot, Salisbury found iPads didn't support the kind of content creation, such as making movies or presentations, the district wanted in its classrooms. The five-year overhaul strives to move away from lectures to student-driven content creation, Ziegenfuss said. “Tablets have not quite evolved to the point of easily creating content,” he said, adding that might be totally different in a few years.