Antoine Brown, 19, knows he doesn't really need a cell phone, digital camera, laptop, CD burner and all the other high-tech paraphernalia that increasingly is pitched at kids heading back to school.
But like most students, he craves it all.
"A lot of it's just to show off, to make yourself look good," said the Norfolk State University sophomore who lives in Philadelphia.
Computers, two-way pagers, super calculators, handheld organizers, encyclopedia software -- an ever-increasing array of electronic gadgets has become as much a part of student life today as paper and pencils were a generation or two ago.
But parents shelling out hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to equip their kids for school may wonder: What are these things, and how many do my children truly need?
Do all these devices really make students better, smarter, more successful, or are they a teen version of the new kiddy lunchbox that your youngster must have because everyone else does?
"Access to technology is critical for students," said Karen Smith, director of Tech Corp, a national network of professionals who volunteer to work with schools. "But the magic is not in the gadget. The magic is in helping students to use the gadget to have a positive impact on learning experiences."
They may yearn for an MP3 player so they can download favorite tunes and listen to them on the bus. But they'd be better off with something that enabled them to do research on the Internet.
"Gadgets that connect to the Internet, are portable so they can take them in all kinds of environments, and are low cost are going to benefit them the most educationally," Smith said.
Experts say that by high school, most students depend on some form of technology for schoolwork. Laptops and electronic organizers, staples in college, are becoming top picks for middle and high schoolers, too.
Mark Collins, principal of Neshaminy High School in the Philadelphia area, said within five years he expects every student to be equipped with a laptop at school. "Some of our more savvy kids are carrying Palm Pilots," he said.
While students need to be technologically competent, Collins said, "there are some things that can be educational tools and some things that can detract from education."
Which is why Game Boys, cell phones, beepers and headphones are off-limits at most high schools.
So what and how much do kids need to be good students without breaking the bank?
