Can smartphones make students smarter?

A wireless industry trade group in the U.S. is pushing for smartphones to be used as an education tool in classrooms. According to CTIA, research conducted in four high schools in low-income North Carolina neighbourhoods shows that the performance on algebra finals of students who were given phones trumped that of their phoneless counterparts by 25 per cent. Though critics are sounding the alarm bells about what they say is a blatant marketing ploy, the company argues that its pitch is no different from the one computer industry have been making to educators for decades.

The New York Times