I am so excited to hear this!

Yup!

Yay, I am so happy to hear this stuff!

Oh and just as an aside - people (writers) have been getting out of writing via technology for years and years and years ... When I started practicing as a lawyer obviously we wrote our briefs ect on the computer. The old guys were dictating into dictation machines... no one was *writing* LOL. IN fact they weren't even writing their notes or calendar just about all of them dictated everything including notes and calendar entries that their secretary then took care of "writing" (typing obviously). When I worked for a writer on his book he dictated his entire book that was typed by a secretary. All this 'fear' surrounding technology is silly... but my husband (computer engineer) says people have been afraid of technology forever so get used to it.

As a mother of a very bright boy with physical and neurological limitations to his ability to physically write it saddens me and downright frightens me, to hear a teacher say she absolutely refuses to consider ipads for the classroom

I can't tell you how sad statements like this coming from an educator makes me. As a mother of a child who has problems with writing but who LOVES to write stories and poetry, I can tell you first hand this is bull-[SPAM]. He gives up and checks out (and becomes sad and despondent) when he has to physically write with his hands but he is actively engaged and learning like crazy when he can use a computer. If he had teachers/parents with this sort of mindset his creativity and drive would have been lost completely.

Exactly. I recently heard a piece on the telephone on NPR... And how it was a technology that was considered evil by many in the beginning and many refused to use it... Now is it even a thought? Does anyone walk around saying "I just refuse to have a telephone! It's ruining our kids/society/etc" ?

So are you suggesting we all go back to longhand? I don't get it. I'd be curious to see the studies on this.

To be contrary, I refuse to have a smartphone.

I agree that it is about monetization, but I believe it goes well beyond that, to control. There is much observation and tracking possible when putting technology into student's hands... as compared to good old fashioned book learning.

For example, schools can use technology to monitor students:
- software can track the number of minutes spent on each page and assignment, as well as the number of times each page/assignment was visited.
- IP address and keystrokes/clicks can be recorded.
- Websites visited can be tracked.
- Government schools have the ability to remotely activate video cam and microphone... schools may turn on the device camera, microphone, etc, then watch/listen in your home.

Parents may wish to inquire as to a school's written policies and privacy statements, or data collection tracking usage of the ipad, computer, or specific educational software. Parents may also wish to disable microphone, and/or use a cam patch to avoid unauthorized video/recording of their child and/or conversations within the presence of the ipad/computer.

That's not contrary, because you didn't grow up with one. You're proving MON's point.