Conflict of Interest

When I opened today's Sunday paper, Verizon Wireless had taken out a full page advertisement with their back to school campaign that reads "Show and tell this. Conquer the classroom with these smart deals." Honestly I'm a bit flummoxed. Do people really believe that grades would improve simply by purchasing a blackberry? Do schools really allow kids to use their own netbooks and Android phones IN CLASS?

At our school, phones have been banned and have been confiscated. Netbooks are slowly showing up but are not allowed to access the network so they are really useless. I really think advertisers are just trying to create a perceived need to sell more product. One thing is for sure, if students show up with new tools, guess who will have to teach them how to use those tools. I doubt Verizon will.