Texting and Facebooking in the Classroom Lead to Lower GPA 

According to a 2012 study from Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, students who used social medial like Facebook or Twitter and texted in class reported lower GPAs than their peers who did not. The problem is widespread. The Lock Haven researchers polled more than 1,800 students for their study, and nearly 70% of them reported using their smartphones in class to text or communicate with a friend.

Listen, I'm all about researching the effects of traditional and non-traditional methods. But this one seems like a no-brainer. It doesn't sound like they were studying the effects of texting on classroom interaction and engagement. Seemingly, they were studying off-task behavior. And off-task behavior will lead to lower GPA's. Are we under the impression that merely having technology in the classroom will lead to smarter students?

I have an old Atari 2600 in the garage. I'll move it to my classroom cabinet and watch the learning begin!