A sneak peek at the NYT Mag's 'Education and Technology' issue

There's an old adage in journalism that goes something like this: "It's news when it happens next door to the editor."

Well, the kid next door to some New York Times editor must be attending a virtual school because most of the Sept. 19 the New York Times Magazine is dedicated to the impact technology is having on education.

It's about time.

The Times is catching up with the debate, the politics, the policies, and the trends that have been at the cutting edge of the education community for more than a decade.
In great Grey Lady Fashion, the magazine coverage tries to be positive, comprehensive and folksy, in an Upper West Side of Manhattan fashion.
Here are some highlights:

• Secretary of Education Arne Duncan gives a nod of support to online education in a Question and Answer session.


• A very cool interactive timeline shows the history of classroom technology. (Anyone else remember the Bomar Brain, one of the first handheld calculators?)


• The article, "Anytime, Anywhere," makes the determination that "online courses have become a standard part of normal public education."


• Cellphones are declared to be friends, not foes, of education.


• Video games--appropriate video games--can be used as learning tools.

Lots of good reads, no matter what platform--digital or print--you use to read it.