[Linenkugel] Tablet Trials

One key idea that stuck out in my mind that several others mentioned was the idea of keeping the students academically engaged - with a ‘structured’ use option.  This will deter the students from having the ability and extra time to be easily distracted and instead to be on task.
I love the idea of “on the spot” research … this has become an easy way to incorporate the BYOD for my class.  I like the idea of introducing a concept/artist/technique/etc. and giving them a predetermined amount of time to research and discover new sites/apps or references for us to learn from.  The students really like this approach, it seems to give them a sense of ownership and definitely plays a part in allowing even the shyest of them motivated to share and become more actively involved in the lesson.  As it is with many things, the frequent exposure to using BYOD will allow for both myself and students to appreciate and familiarize themselves with this convenient alternative.  A lot of my students like to have a reference on hand when drawing and this BYOD allows for that to happen very quickly and without the trouble of getting the mini laptops out and logged on; another benefit is the lack of worry that it will let them sign on to the network.
I totally agree that if you use technology infrequently, the students will see it as having ‘low useful value’ as stated in the article and referenced by others.  I chose to start the second semester by implementing the use of technology early and also promoting the idea of BYOD in all of my classes as well.  I feel like this has already given them a different perspective than my previous classes when it was introduced later and only for specific projects.  I am interested in learning and expanding the classroom management aspect of this concept though just to be sure that I keep the off task exploring to a minimum.  I hope to gather ideas from the research articles and collaborating with other colleagues in this class to find best practice.  I agree with Claus about the roadblocks of incorporating it into daily class... for me specifically I think that it will vary depending on projects but I should keep it frequent enough that the students don’t lose the interest and don’t misinterpret the value of it.  I completely agree with Berger about being ‘brave’ and allowing for some control to be placed into the students to be the expert of their own device and also both students and teachers to be willing to learn while doing!  The eKIDS have an important role in all of this as well... I am starting a new project with my class now that touches on the idea of creating multi-media presentations for classroom activities which allows them to choose a subject to discover a useful tool for a specific teacher/topic and then share it with them.