Summarization #6

In the article " Al Gore: Should Schools Be Wired to the Internet?", Al Gore Talks about how technology has changed the way we work, but most importantly how it has changed the way kids perform in schools. Students in classes that use computers outperform their peers on standardized tests of basic skills by 30% based on a decade-long study by the Education Department. He also states the a 1996 study showed that students with access to the internet not only presented their final projects in more creative ways but also turned in work that was more complete and had a better syntheses of different points of view. They also showed more enthusiasm, had higher attendance rates, developed better writing skills and displayed a greater capacity to communicate effectively about complex problems in technology-rich lerning environments. He then goes on to talk about the E-Rate program which gives crucial discounts to schools and libraries, with the steepest discounts going to the neediest communities ensuring that all childrencan have an equal chance to learn and succeed.

The article "New iPod rules touch off heated debate" talks about the pros and cons of the new policy by the University of Missouri School of Journalism requiring incoming students to have an iPhone, iPod Touch. Although these devices help students escape the pressures of the classroom, a growing number of institutions also use them for acedemic purposes. The oldest journalism schoolis asking students to buy these devices so they can download classroom lectures or confirm facts on the web while reporting from the scene of a plane crash or town council meeting. Some professors are voting against the policy saying that it will add additional expenses to the students and question whether or not these devices will be used to embrace the journalism school's intended uses. Students are even saying that they use these devices to get away from the professors and the stresses of school life.