Starting this fall, students at Calgary public schools will be able to surf their iPhones, cellphones and laptops in the classroom.

The Calgary Board of Education is installing a Wi-Fi network for students in all its elementary, junior and senior high schools.

Currently, only teachers at the board's 216 schools have wireless access to the internet.

Curtis Slater, the board's technology researcher, said the idea is to give kids better access to the most current information.

"The potential is there and the rationale for doing it is to allow students greater access to information that's out there and greater ability to get a hold of some of these applications and online resources that are out there and use them in the classroom," Slater said.

School board officials say teachers will have to take a course that will help them teach students how to be safe and respectful online before the network is activated.

Students will also be limited as to which websites they can look up. For example, they will not have access to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

However, some Calgary educators have reservations about students use their mobile devices in the classroom.

Kathy Wajda is a technology learning leader at Hawkwood Elementary.

She works with staff, teachers and students to help them integrate new technology at school.

She said it's good students will soon be allowed to use wireless mobile devices in class, but wonders how the access will be monitored.

"How are we going to use them in an educational way?" she asked.

"Because … we don't want people talking on their cellphones or texting their friends when they are in the classroom. These devices they bring in have to be used to support the school work — the classroom work — somehow, so it's big."

The board is running a pilot project on the student wireless network in five different schools, and hopes to have every school in the area connected by the end of August.