^ I'm sorry; I don't pass up a good discussion for reasons of staying "on-topic." That is what moderators are for; should they see it fit (and I think it is here), threads can be spliced and new discussions created. In fact, I think it would be great if mere mortals could splice topics themselves-- especially the topic creator. This would keep everyone happy.
I'm sorry you seem to take my opinions so personally-- however I stand by my points, and I feel that it is unfortunate that you choose to mock me. This kind of immaturity tells me this discussion was over before it started.
Just one thing-- don't talk about me "messing up my kid". That's some shit, really; you have some nerve; there is more than one way to raise a child, good sir. What an insult.
"On topic"--
I feel that touch screen controls have their place; however, the feeling of "being the controller" is more than slightly compromised. This being said, I don't think touch-screen controls will ever replace tactile-response controls. I could be wrong, however.
I am mostly waiting for believable BCI's (brain-computer interfaces)-- not only so I can be immersed in a truly believable virtual world, but so that I can play SNES -inside- the virtual world
EDIT: this was composed before the edit. I'll edit it as necessary when I've finished reading.
EDIT 2: Obviously cell phone use should be restricted
when appropriate. They would need to step out to use them, and obviously should be supervised-- but that doesn't mean they shouldn't
have them. Your problems can be solved by teachers being a bit watchful whilst proctoring a test, and children being chaperoned in locker rooms like they should be (it's where most bullying takes place). I could get into the fact that separate changing and shower stalls are dirt cheap and should be considered a
necessity, but that is getting into something else entirely.
Have you ever heard of the vibrate function on a phone? That takes care of your "20 phones ringing" problem.
Also, your solutions require me to place
trust in a school district. I answer with-- why should I? Ninety percent of my teachers were completely undeserving of such trust. I will never trust a teacher with my child. They are (figuratively) the antichrist.