“What we’re labeling as ‘distraction,’ some see as a failure of adults to see how these kids process information,” Ms. Purcell said. “They’re not saying distraction is good but that the label of ‘distraction’ is a judgment of this generation.”

The surveys also found that many teachers said technology could be a useful educational tool. In the Pew survey, which was done in conjunction with the College Board and the National Writing Project, roughly 75 percent of 2,462 teachers surveyed said that the Internet and search engines had a “mostly positive” impact on student research skills. And they said such tools had made students more self-sufficient researchers.

Speaking of textbooks, ebooks are becoming more prevalent in schools with the advancements of e-readers and tablet computers.  I think in the near future that students won’t carry around big bulky backpacks filled with heavy textbooks.

I’m not sure if this is directly connected to learning, but we don’t pass notes in class anymore.  Students text one another instead. It's just another funny way how technology has changed education.

Much attention has been placed on interactive gaming as a powerful platform for student learning. Every day, new programs and web-based tools are teaching our students content that was once paper or chalkboard based.

Dyslexic students struggle with word formation, and as a result, often cannot express themselves fully in writing, and demonstrate their true level of knowledge. Teachers are thus unable to assess their work correctly, as the writing difficulties pose constraints to the students’ ability to show their knowledge and comprehension. Technology can greatly improve the education of dyslexic students. It can allow them to reach their full capabilities, and to overcome the learning difficulties that arise from problems with handwriting. In general, having an access to computer can greatly improve dyslexic students’ academic results, creating a level playing field among all students. As keyboarding has become a wide-used skill in today’s educational practice, more general introduction of keyboarding software promises great benefits for dyslexic students. Features such as standard letter fonts, automated editing, spell-check, and word processors with text predict all simplify writing for dyslexic students. Devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants, e-book readers and tablets/laptops have been increasingly used in education. The level of their usefulness for dyslexic students depends on their built-in features, including text-to-speech and speech-to-text functionalities, format of the text, the screen resolution and memory, connectivity for connecting external devices such as higher quality microphones, and ability to run multiple programmes at the same time. The use of computer technology further extends to a growing number of software specifically designed for students with reading and writing difficulties.