Laptops in Classrooms

This topic is alternately depressing and infuriating. It's easy for me to get really worked up and fuming and I have to consciously take deep breaths to settle myself.

Repeat after me: EVERYTHING IS NOT, NOT, NOT ON THE INTERNET!!!

I agree that technology has done some good things and has some great possibilities, especially for long-distance learning. But the Internet should be only a complement to, not a substitute for, textbooks.

Here's the most depressing excerpt from the latest mistake:

“Next August, Tucson's Vail Unified School District will open a new high school without textbooks. Each of the 250 to 300 freshmen and sophomores will be handed a laptop computer instead.

"If we can rely on almost limitless information available on the Internet, why do we need a textbook?" Vail Superintendent Calvin Baker said.”

Fortunately, the NYT has published a cautionary tale about laptops in the classroom. As always, the answer lies in dedicated, creative teachers...