São Paulo allows smartphone use in classrooms
Students from schools across the Brazilian state of São Paulo are now able to use their smartphones during class.
New state regulation passed on Monday (6) states that using mobiles for web browsing is allowed in classrooms as long as it is for educational purposes.
Additionally, São Paulo state governor Geraldo Alckmin pledged to roll-out Wi-Fi access across all the 5,000 schools across the state.
According to the State Department of Education, "students in elementary and secondary schools will be able to use the [mobile] devices in the classroom, during pedagogic activities and guided by educators, involving them in the language of their time, following technological innovations and awakening creativity in development of new projects ".
It is unclear how teachers will be able to ensure that students are using their smartphones exclusively for educational purposes. The São Paulo State Department of Education did not respond to ZDNet's request for comment.