In a recent blog post, John Connell asks, “Why should the iPhone & iPod touch be significant for education?” Connell suggests that he comes into contact with educators in many regions and countries around the world who are looking to empower their learners by offering them a connected device of some kind. As things stand, this objective tends to focus on the possibilities offered by laptops, or by PDAs and handhelds of various kinds.

However, he asserts that when speaking to educators about this 1-to-1 vision, he has always looked forward to a development in the mobile phone market as the eventual solution to the problem. He writes, “I have been telling anyone who will listen that the advent of a powerful, handheld device, with access to the Web, and with productivity tools of various kinds built in, will be the solution.”

With the release of the iPhone and iPod touch, Connell is confident that this vision is closer to reality than even he had hoped. He suggests that it can only be a short step from this initial implementation of the Touch, and of the iPhone, to an even more powerful device, with greater levels of storage, additional tools and functions, perhaps a virtual, laser-generated keyboard, and, of course, a price that makes it affordable as a possible 1-to-1 instrument for learners worldwide.