and be withheld as punishment that really works.

Piaget would probably advise parents that for a young child, everything — whether it has batteries or not — is a discovery waiting to happen. But toys work best when they are matched to a child’s level of development.

A new e-mail message, for instance, may announce its arrival as we’re glancing over the latest headlines at a newspaper’s site. The result is to scatter our attention and diffuse our concentration.

Most of the proprietors of the commercial Internet have a financial stake in collecting the crumbs of data we leave behind as we flit from link to link—the more crumbs, the better. The last thing these companies want is to encourage leisurely reading or slow, concentrated thought. It’s in their economic interest to drive us to distraction.

He couldn’t foresee the many ways that writing and reading would serve to spread information, spur fresh ideas, and expand human knowledge (if not wisdom).

workplace

NY State Basic Education Data System (BEDS) requires information on computer literacy for federal reporting.

At the high school level, there are a variety of technology application courses and some career and technology applications courses that can fulfill the requirement for one credit in technology applications required for graduation.

reveled

Nearly two-thirds of middle and high school students said “let me use my own laptop, cell phone, or other mobile device at school.”

While 53 percent of middle and high school students are excited about using mobile devices to help them learn, only 15 percent of school leaders support this idea. Also, fewer than half as many parents as students see a place for online learning in the 21st century school.

"I've had teachers tell me,” says Eklund, “that after they introduced the game to their students, the classroom went completely silent because all of the kids were just reading." "You just don't get that kind of engagement and involvement with the story" with a textbook, he says.

A report written by researchers about The River City Project for a 2006 conference concluded "that students learned biology content, that students and teachers were highly engaged, that student attendance improved, that disruptive behavior dropped, that students were building 21st-century skills in virtual communication and expression, and importantly, that using this type of technology in the classroom can facilitate good inquiry learning."

Perhaps there are many more distractions facing children today, but great teachers continue to create environments where their students want to be and to learn.

Rather than take the steps necessary to make school more social, teachers more engaging, and curriculum more relevant, we either shift blame to parents, TV and hip hop, or seek salvation in the lessons of Grand Theft Auto.

Those people that have lived off twitter at the expense of their aggregator, have in my opinion, traded in full meals for snack food.

“God kills a kitten each time you count your Twitter followers. Please, think of the kittens.”

Friedman ducked, and was left with only minor streams of the sugary green goo on his black pants and turtleneck.