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Incoming freshman at Texas’ Abilene Christian University this fall will each receive either an iPhone or iPod touch to help speed along their education. The school hopes students will use the devices in any number of academic pursuits, such as getting on-the-go homework updates, checking meal plan activity and answer in-class quizzes. That’s what the school hopes; the reality is that the kids will use them for their own pursuits as soon as they’re out of earshot of the dean or their professor.
But, I will not hate on the project, which sounds like something Bill O’Reilly would do (“Students and iPhones? In my day we had pens and paper and were thankful for that!). Anytime a school embraces new technology students benefit. My school didn’t even have Wi-Fi in the library when I was a freshman (it did, but only on like two floors out of 12). You’re paying X amount to attend, the least you should expect is for your school to “get” technology.
ACU first university in nation to provide iPhone or iPod touch to all incoming freshmen [Abilene Christian University via MacDailyNews]