Ed-Tech Policy Report Roundup

Mobile Digital Devices

By Andrew Trotter — April 15, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Nearly two-thirds of students say their school could make it easier for them to work electronically by letting them use their own laptop computers, cellphones, or other mobile devices at school, according to the Speak Up 2007 survey, released last week.

But among teachers, the largest share who responded, or 65 percent, say their top concern about the use of mobile devices for learning is “digital equity,” or ensuring that all students have access.

More than 300,000 students and 25,000 teachers across the country completed this year’s online Speak Up survey, which also had questions about 21st Century skills, future jobs, educational gaming, and online learning. Started in 2003, the annual survey is an initiative of Project Tomorrow, formerly known as NetDay, a nonprofit group based in Irvine, Calif.

A version of this article appeared in the April 16, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Webinar
Smarter Tools, Stronger Outcomes: Empowering CTE Educators With Future-Ready Solutions
Open doors to meaningful, hands-on careers with research-backed insights, ideas, and examples of successful CTE programs.
Content provided by Pearson
Webinar Supporting Older Struggling Readers: Tips From Research and Practice
Reading problems are widespread among adolescent learners. Find out how to help students with gaps in foundational reading skills.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Webinar
Improve Reading Comprehension: Three Tools for Working Memory Challenges
Discover three working memory workarounds to help your students improve reading comprehension and empower them on their reading journey.
Content provided by Solution Tree

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Ed-Tech Policy Chile Becomes Latest Country to Ban Smartphones During Class
The new law will take effect next year.
1 min read
A professor passes out cell phone signal jammers to students to place their cell phones into, as part of a pilot program to reduce mobile use during school hours, at Bicentenario School in Santiago, Chile, on Sept. 8, 2025.
A professor passes out cellphone signal jammers to students to place their cellphones into as part of a pilot program to reduce mobile phone use during school hours at Bicentenario School in Santiago, Chile, on Sept. 8, 2025. The country has become the latest to pass a law restricting students' cellphone use during class.
Esteban Felix/AP
Ed-Tech Policy How Schools Can Balance AI’s Promise and Its Pitfalls
Three educators share tips on how schools can navigate this fast-evolving technology.
3 min read
Robotic hand holding a notebook with flying from it books, letters and messages. Generated text, artificial intelligence tools concept.
DigitalVision Vectors/Getty
Ed-Tech Policy Q&A Why a Good Cellphone Policy Is About More Than Just Restrictions
At least 32 states and the District of Columbia require districts to restrict students' cellphone use.
5 min read
A student in Saxon Brown's 9th grade honors English class works on a timeline for an assignment on To Kill A Mockingbird, including drawing some of the characters from the book, at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024.
A student in a 9th grade honors English class uses a cellphone to work on a timeline for an assignment on <i>To Kill A Mockingbird</i>, including drawing some of the characters from the book, at Bel Air High School in Bel Air, Md., on Jan. 25, 2024. Most states have started requiring restrictions to students' access to their phones during the school day, but Maryland does not have statewide restrictions.
Jaclyn Borowski/Education Week
Ed-Tech Policy After FCC Cuts, This Nonprofit Keeps Schools’ Wi-Fi Connections Alive
Mission Telecom said it hopes other service providers follow its lead.
5 min read
Spencer Hollers works to equip Southside Independent School District buses with wifi on Aug. 13, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. Southside will begin the year with remote teaching and will place the wifi-equipped buses around the school district to help students without access to the internet.
Spencer Hollers works to equip Southside Independent School District buses with Wi-Fi on Aug. 13, 2020, in San Antonio, Texas. Wi-Fi on school buses became E-rate-eligible in 2023 under the Biden administration, but in 2025 the Trump administration's FCC removed the service from the E-rate eligible services list.
Eric Gay/AP