Nokia donating devices to a pair of San Fransisco High Schools

Nokia isn’t waiting for a city-wide Wi-Fi network in San Francisco to get going before it gets involved in the city’s broadband efforts. The company is donating a number of Wi-Fi enabled cell phones and Internet tablets to two San Francisco high schools to get students hooked on the mobile Internet.

The largest cell phone manufacturer in the world is donating N90 and N93 multimedia phones to about 20 students at Balboa and John O’Connell high schools. The students, all members of school multimedia programs, are also being equipped with 770 Internet Tablets. The partnership between the city and Nokia is being formally announced today at a ceremony at O’Connell.

The new devices will take advantage of Wi-Fi hotspots that have been set up at the two schools in recent months by the city for this pilot roject. The hope is that the students will use the phones to snap pictures and video, creating content they can share with others. The tablets can also be used to help students learn how to use technologies like voice over Internet protocol.

The city is still waiting for a Wi-Fi network, as part of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Tech Connect initiative. But city officials hopes that they can help create some opportunities now for needy residents by partnering with private groups and companies like Nokia.

Janet Schulze, principal at O’Connell said the combination of Wi-Fi at the schools and the new Nokia devices will help bring her students, mostly low-income, closer to the latest in technology, making the Internet even more personal to them.

Nokia’s Girard Weiner, Nokia’s vice president for strategy and M&A, said he believes students can help spread the gospel of the mobile Internet, which can thrive with the implementation of city-wide Wi-Fi networks.

"In the future we think more people will access the Internet from a mobile PC," said Weiner."We want people to understand what they can do with the mobile Internet.

Source: SF Gate

I am all for helping children learn, but honestly … what are cell phones and internet tablets going to do to encourage their development? Creatively they can explore whatever their little hearts desire, but what about education?

I hate to say it, but all American High School kids are going to do with such high end devices are surf myspace in class and share naked pictures of themselves via MMS with their sweethearts.

At least that was what I experienced in high school all of 4 years ago. Ah memories.

Nokia has planted a seed however in the back of their minds. They are educating these kids about unlocked phones. You try finding a carrier who offers such a freaking awesome and powerful device in the states. Not to mention whenever one of these lucky kids whips out a Nokia N93 at a party, heads will turn.