iPods through the University

Check out this article from the NYTimes explaining how some universities are deciding to give their students iPhones or iPod Touches. They say that the wireless capabilities could be endless, but it has some professors worried.

I'm personally not really worried about it. I mean, students have always found ways to ignore teachers if they want to; the students who want to listen and learn will probably still do the same.

The one law professor at Cornell says that he will ban these devices because he wants to promote independent, critical thinking. This is interesting, and I was just wondering what everyone thought about it. Do these devices (and others) limit the amount of free-thinking we do? Does it have the potential (through its ease) to stunt our desire for earnest intellectual inquiry?

I have just been thinking a lot about all the the technology we have lately. From one perspective, it is great and makes our lives easier, faster, more efficient, etc. But, from another, it also seems to make us lazy and weak. I think I realized this when it took me five minutes to find a phone number in a phone book one time. I mean, when I didn't have google, I was lost--if not helpless, lazy and lost. Other examples abound, I'm sure. But, I would like to here what others have to say about the article and my comments.