The day has come when all students in grades five to twelve in Munster School District in Indiana are now told to open their laptops instead of their textbooks by their teachers. The school district completed a $1.1 million overhaul to ensure that all of its 2,600 students were able to use laptops for their math and science lessons.Read more

In 2009, 20 percent of drivers involved in fatal accidents were using a cell phone at the time of the crash. In a constantly connected society, we can’t take away cell phones, but there can be preventive safety measures enforced to ensure mobile devices are not a distraction behind the wheel. The Senate is attempting to do just that.Read more

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is urging pediatricians to incorporate questions about Facebook into routine doctor’s office check-ups for youth patients. By asking questions about the social networking site, the AAP is hoping to detect and ward off a newer subset of depression known as "Facebook depression".Read more

An application for mobile devices could replace traditional paper scheduling methods for autistic children thanks to a newly developed software program from the emerging health IT company AutismSphere.Read more

The Hill reports that Common Sense Media, a group that helps families meet the challenges imposed by technology, is unveiling a campaign to help protect kids’ information online.

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Broadband for America is in Los Angeles this week for this year’s Cable Show. We’re spreading our message of bringing high-speed Internet access to every American home and business. Throughout the week, we’ll be bringing you updates from the show.

One of BfA’s signature issues is promoting broadband use through our nation’s educational system while simultaneously providing parents and kids with the tools to keep our children safe. Yesterday, the Cable Show hosted a discussion on that very subject, “Playing it Safe: Policy Approaches for Protecting Kids Online.” Some highlights from the discussion:

Jeff Weitzman, Common Sense Media: “Digital literacy really encompasses a set of skills and behaviors that both children and parents need to understand. When parents get involved, the statistics change. It’s not that hard to get these concepts across to kids.”

Doug Gansler, Maryland Attorney General: “I think there should be age verification rules. We need to respect that this is how kids communicate and that we understand that. At some point, as the younger kids get older, it will demystify that.”

Rob McKenna, Attorney General, Washington State: “I don’t think there’s much appetite to address privacy nationally. Whatever you do with privacy, there has to be a demand for the product. The solutions have to come from the users.”

Christine Kurth, FCC: “The FCC has a limited statutory authority in this area. The FCC can be used as a bully pulpit of sorts. A common sense approach that can be through the market as much as possible.”