[Phillips, BYOD - Maine Experience]

It was very interesting reading the article and then reading the different opinions associated with the article.  In regard to the "laggers", I think that it's not soley about providing support with one certain learning management system or one certain program.  While that is absolutely necessary, the problem I see is the lack of confidence and the lack of perseverance in trying new and different technology.  I often hear teachers say, "I don't want to break something" or "I don't want to mess it up".  They also get frustrated with the fact that we are always changing with the way we do business.  One of the new Common Core Standards in Mathematics deals with teaching our students perseverance.  It's ironic that I feel like this is one of this skills that a lot of us adults are lacking as well.  In the world that we know and that we are used to, we figure something out by reading the manual.  With today's technology, there is so much you can do with it that there really is no manual per se.  It's working with it, spending time with it, and not being afraid to "mess" something up.

Another point that I want to bring up is what Kara touched on.  In the article they discuss students using their laptops in the Language Arts classes 1 - 3 hrs per week.  While I agree that 1 or 2 hours seems kind of low, I think 3 hours is getting closer to hitting it just about perfect.  In some of the discussions I've had and in some of the readings I've done, it's been suggested that the computer be used no more than half a class period maximum.  The reason for this is a tendency to drift.  If you have a well defined and structured lesson and you use the clock as a tool, you give the students a short amount of time to do the required assignment or task that you have given them and then you stop and reflect.  It's natural that kids and adults if given too much time online,  will drift.  I'm sure some of us experienced that while working on this assignment, or when you are entering grades into progress book, or whatever else you are tasked with that involves using a computer.

I want to go back to what I said in the first paragraph about being afraid to "mess" something up.  As teachers, we often have some anxiety with not already knowing all the answers and not knowing exactly how class will play out.  In the case of technology, we will never have all the answers.  We need to let the students own the technology usage in our classes.  They will tell us what they can use to discover the information we are seeking.  We need to let students disseminate, own, and lead the technology usage in our classroom.  Don't be afraid that they are going to "mess" something up.  That is a fault of ours, not theirs.