My WAMS student tells me that about 50% of kids are BYOT-ing and that, for the most part, it's not being abused. My child feels bad for the kids who can't afford iPads and such -- even though there are those who can, but who don't. Also, for those who use Smart phones, there's apparently more abuse as they are constantly texting and surfing the web more covertly.

To broach the hot topic from the point of view of a parent with both a college and a high school student, the technology that we present to our children in the classroom is more likely the same technology base they will use in the real world—and isn’t that what the educational system is all about? As with any transition, we need to allow the school, the faculty and students to ease in to the understanding of WHY we allow the technology in school. Clearly, it will be abused by some, and appreciated by many. I don’t see the logic in assuming we should not allow certain tools since not all students can afford to purchase such items (and in larger families, certainly not all children could have an iPad); however, I recall the days when we shared calculators and supplies with our “desk” neighbor and worked together in a team effort. In an ongoing attempt to balance the privileges we allow the students, I feel that any abuse of the technology should result in a consequence and perhaps the students can sign a “iPromise” that would enable them to feel responsible for using these items for school purposes only—and at times when permitted. Bernards Township has always set the bar for the learning environment, and I cannot see why we would halt at a time when technology is leading our children into their future—let’s teach them to embrace the technology for all its worth, and remind them along the way how it can as well be a hindrance if abused.

I don't think we should confuse progress in technology with a request that children bring the technology from home or otherwise provide it and share it at school. We fundraise and donate and pay taxes to ensure that our schools offer the best and stay on the cutting edge when it comes to technology. Issues here are not the desire to stay ahead, but the issue of cost, equal opportunity, parental discretion, safety, theft, damage, appropriateness at middle school level, parameters for and access to internet, need within the curriculum, teacher awareness and training, discipline, peer pressure, etc. They aren't asking kids to bring cell phones to school to enhance their experience at school, but rather smart phones, laptops, ipads or tablets with internet access. How many of our kids have those expensive items, and of those, how many parents would be willing to have them bring it to WAMS? To paraphrase the original question and answer: BYOT does not work for my family in middle school.
I don't have children at the HS level.

What do we think of this -- perhaps the "college" type setting that Colleen would seem to see working better at the high school really is a bit premature for younger WAMS students. Thoughts?

And I like the idea of the iPromises! It puts the responsibility on the student and school rather than a parent who ISN'T there in school to enforce the parameters of technology use.

Kids are exposed to small screen media at earlier and earlier ages. The APA recommends no t.v. under the age of 2 and no more than 7-10 hours per day of small screen media for anyone over the age of 2. That is just over an hour a day which isn't much.

If parents would exercise more control over how much screen time their kids get at home (and restaurants, and car rides, and in the park, on play dates, etc), it would be one thing to add it into curricula, but many parents do not understand the deleterious impact on their children's brains and they do not set limits.

It's easier to have kids plugged in, but it is wreaking havoc in classrooms where kids are distracted and cannot focus. Their social skills are poor, their creativity is in decline, they are having trouble problem-solving and with higher order thinking. Why think when the computer can do it for you? Why learn to spell or learn map coordinates?

Images on t.v. and in games flicker at such a rate that they become addictive and dendrites eventually die off and, at some point, cannot be regenerated. There is a lot of information available on this topic, but you have to look for it because social media sites are not going to be advertising. There is too much money to be made at the expense of our kids!

Oh my gosh, schools and teachers have enough responsibility without adding parameters for technology use and I don't think it's good for the children, particularly in the early grades.