You’ve heard about BYOB, something that often makes parties more fun (and certainly livelier!). But have you heard about BYOD? It’s a new program that 5th grade students are participating in at Ely Elementary School in Elyria, Ohio, called “Bring Your Own Device.” Rather than banning cell phones, smartphones, laptops, and e-readers from the classroom, kids are encouraged to bring their devices to school and use them in the specially-designed classroom activities. For children who don’t have their own devices, the school provides them, and there are 15 wi-fi hotspots in the school. The students use their devices for math class geometry, social studies research, and reading practice. It’s encouraging productive interaction, which is helping the students learn how to work collaboratively on tasks. Teachers enjoy the fact that even if students are still texting to each other during class time, at least now it’s messages and questions about the project they’re working on together.

Ely Elementary is one of the latest schools to implement this pilot program, also known as BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology). Schools from Arizona to Florida are rolling out their own versions of the program, though there is no one national trend yet. However, most school districts have websites – using technology to promote technology – to share tips and experiences to help their colleagues across the country. Schools in the UK and Australia are also considering joining the movement.

Because kids in the 21st century are growing up surrounded by technology, it only makes sense to incorporate it into their lives and studies in a way that makes it productive. If you know a student who doesn’t enjoy reading books, see if using an e-reader changes their attitude. Spelling games can turn quizzes into entertainment, and even simply using computer game time as a reward for a good study session can motivate students to learn. With all of the e-books available with one click of the mouse, you might find that kids are eager to choose from the wide variety of e-books they can find through online stores like Amazon or through your local library. If you can see that your kids are having fun using technology, then it makes sense to use technology to help them have fun reading and learning.

Cross-posted on the Product Name blog.