Welcome, Freshmen. Have an iPod

Jonathan D. Glater writes in The New York Times about plans to distribute iPhones and iPods to students, all in an effort stimulate their learning. The article quotes the requisite number of professors who ban such devices (even adding a snarky note about one needing to have them "explained" to him). The piece also cites a Harvard professor using these sorts of devices to study augmented reality. The article is balanced but generally more sympathetic to those who remain wary. Here's a snip (with a quote from a Reed College prof):

The rush to distribute the devices worries some professors, who say that students are less likely to participate in class if they are multitasking. 'I’m not someone who’s anti-technology, but I’m always worried that technology becomes an end in and of itself, and it replaces teaching or it replaces analysis,' said Ellen G. Millender, associate professor of classics at Reed College in Portland, Ore.

Read the entire article [registration required]: Welcome, freshmen. Have an iPod