We Love Our Apps - Or Do We?

Okay, I have issues.  Hello, my name is Harry and I'm an appaholic.  Glad I got that off my chest.  I currently have 112 apps on my IPhone.  I have a feeling I'm not alone.  We love our apps, or do we?  I came across this piece in USA Today about App use.  It quotes a Pew Center report which found 68% of smart phone users open five apps or less a week.  80% to 90% of apps are eventually deleted.  I'm wondering if these fleeting love affairs with apps apply to kid's app use as well.  Are there certain apps that have staying power in educational settings, or does the novelty of individual apps wear off over time?  This might make for some interesting research....   You can read the piece below: 

http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/story/2012-01-30/smartphone-app-usage/52891556/1?loc=interstitialskip

What Do You Mean, Not Everyone Loves BYOD?

I came across this article about students in Temecula, California being allowed to use cell phones in their classrooms, with teacher permission of course.  I continue to be encouraged to read about innovative school systems who are taking a leap of faith to take advantage of the technology many of our students are carrying around in their pockets.  I think, given the current economic times, BYOD makes a lot sense.  Apparently not everyone agrees.  You have to check out the reader's comments at the bottom of this article.  It's kind of shocking, but also enlightening to realize BYOD might be an uphill battle, one worth fighting, though.

http://www.pe.com/local-news/riverside-county/temecula/temecula-headlines-index/20120117-temecula-students-can-now-use-cellphones-in-classes.ece

BYOD with a Bullitt (As in Kentucky that is)

Bullitt Kentucky Schools- another school system jumps on the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) train.  Recognizing the need for students to have cutting edge technology while trying to work within increasingly tight budgets for schools, Superintendent Keith Davis is encouraging parents to send their kids to school with their own computing devices.  You can check out the story in the Courier Journal below:

http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120111/ZONE10/301110011/bullitt-schools-device-computer?odyssey=mod|newswell|text||s

BYOD in Texas - Yee-Ha!

BYOD (Bring your own device) or BYOT (Bring your own technology) is catching on across the country.  Maybe it should be BYOMAD (Bring your own more advanced device).  Chances are, the devices kids are being allowed to use in school are superior to the technologies that currently exist in their classrooms.  Is this BYOT movement a result of the current economic conditions impacting school budgets or the result of forward thinking district administrators?  Who cares?  It makes sense and I'm hoping more school systems in the coming school year see the benefits.  Here is a link about a school system in Texas that is saving $150,000 by allowing kids to bring their own technology into their schools. 

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/08/3643863/weatherford-school-districts-bring.html