When used inappropriately, gadgets have the potential to be used for nefarious purposes. For example, graphing calculators, with their ability to store textual information, could be used to cheat on tests. Likewise, a PDA, digital camera, digital voice recorder or any number of other gadgets could provide an unfair advantage for students who use them dishonestly. However, technology did not create the urge to engage in academic misconduct, and there are plenty of means of cheating without the involvement of gadgets. As such, instructors should take care not to throw the baby out with the bathwater through the banning of all gadgetry in the classroom. Instead, they may consider punishing all forms of cheating harshly, but equally. In addition, students should police themselves and their classmates for cheating activity, so that useful gadgets are not banned from the classroom.

Unfortunately, the devices mentioned here are not going to be universally available to all students. Gadgets, particularly those on the cutting edge, can easily exceed $100. For some students, this is not a major obstacle, but for others, perhaps even the majority of students, it is a problem. Until institutions of higher education in the United States believe that gadgets are necessary and provide subsidies for their purchase by students, they will be used primarily by a privileged few. If these devices are, as I suggest, beneficial in the learning process, the disproportionate availability of technology could contribute to the digital divide, where those that have access to technology have greater opportunities and economic advantages as compared to those who lack access.