Modern information technologies (presentation software, wireless laptop computers, cell phones, etc.) are purported to enhance student learning. Research to date provides an ambivalent and often conflicting set of outcomes about the effectiveness of such technologies in the context of the college classroom. Anecdotal evidence further complicates this matter by presenting viewpoints which often conflict with existing studies and prevailing best practices. Do modern technologies belong in the classroom and to what extent? The answers to these questions are neither direct nor simple. This paper integrates the results of published studies, anecdotal evidence, and theory, and considers the potential drawbacks of an over reliance on modern technologies to the learning process in higher education.