Whether or not they're effective educational tools the fact is that they are used as such in most school districts (in the US) these days so far as I'm aware.

Whether or not they're effective educational tools the fact is that they are used as such in most school districts (in the US) these days so far as I'm aware. Personally I agree for the most part, in general classroom instruction doesn't need them. That being said they're certainly indispensable for things like research in school libraries, running simulations for science classes, creating digital, and obviously teaching any kind of programming, so they definitely have their place. Having a dedicated computer per student is a huge benefit for less well off communities too. More than a few students won't have one of their own or even a family computer at home and having the school provide that for assignments is absolutely a boon so far as I'm concerned.