Technology in the classroom, Hamas' misdeeds
A student leaves his cellphone in a basket before the start of class. With the state cellphone ban, schools will grapple with the ramifications of inhibiting and expanding student technology access, a reader writes. Credit: Randee Daddona
Pros and cons of school technology
Students and teachers will confront both technology opportunities and challenges this school year [“Worries over safety, cellphones,” News, Aug. 28].
With the state cellphone ban, schools will grapple with the ramifications of inhibiting and expanding student technology access. I fully support limiting classroom distractions, inappropriate behavior, and cyberbullying. Cellphones can enable, enhance, and impede academic focus and peer socialization.
I support expanding AI as a teaching tool. It is not a fad. It is the most significant and potentially impactful innovation since the advent of the internet. But I urge caution on both fronts.
I envision possible unintended consequences related to enforcement, socialization, self-regulation, and safety communications. New York should be open to future revisions based on real-world experiences and feedback.
And to integrate AI meaningfully into the curriculum without plagiarism, the technology support systems around it need to be in place, including funding for hardware, education-specific apps, curriculum development, and ongoing professional development for teachers. A lot rides on both endeavors — the enhancement of academic learning and healthy social-emotional development. Thoughtful reflection is needed to get this right.
— Marc Epstein, Jericho
The writer is a former school district technology director.
Let’s see more on Hamas’ misdeeds
The article “U.S. hosts Israel for talks about postwar plan” [Nation & World, Aug. 28] and others on Israel’s war in Gaza have no problem talking about the toll of Israeli strikes in Gaza. It seems that all the pressure is on Israel to resolve the war.
Emphasize that the crisis in Gaza was caused by the events of Oct. 7 and that Hamas deliberately uses civilians and civilian structures as shields for its own protection and for public sympathy. Why not focus on the hostages, or that the Red Cross has been denied access to them?
— Leslie Solomon, East Meadow
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