We all know that people learn in different ways, at different paces, and with different strengths. Classroom teachers work hard to incorporate all of these differences into their plans and create successful personalized learning experiences for each student. Now, more and more students carry with them a tool that can help teachers with this challenge. Students are not the only ones who are more likely to be using mobile devices to accomplish tasks – parents, teachers, and administrators are too.

Technology in the classroom is quickly becoming the norm in educating students, and there is little question that its role in education will only continue to grow. But what about all of the great technology students have at home?  What role can home technology play in encouraging students to become active learners?

Digital natives will be exposed to technology throughout their lives. Just as we might have been encouraged to watch Sesame Street at a young age to stimulate a desire to learn, today’s children have to be engaged with the new digital medium.

I was lucky enough to attend the “Julie and Julie” session at BbWorld 2012! Julie Evans, CEO of Project Tomorrow, and Julie Young, President & CEO of Florida Virtual School shared their thoughts on Personalized Learning. Both agree that students are looking for ways to use technology in order to make learning more relevant and successful according to their own individual needs, goals, and preferences. And, both mention that children are using mobile phones, social networks, and the internet with such increasing frequency that it is becoming a must for schools to incorporate these tools into a student’s learning, instead of shutting them down.

Can you guess what student profile this describes?

I just returned from ISTE in San Diego where topics including personalized learning, embracing social media in the classroom, and BYOT made its way into almost every session presentation or conversation. Now it’s time to consider applying these key learning’s in the classroom come fall. The folks over at the Education Recoded blog also recommend using the summer reprieve for planning and new inspiration. The blog was launched back in October by Scott McLeod, John Nash, Justin Bathon and Jayson Richardson, the four directors of the UCEA Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education (CASTLE), an academic center dedicated to the technology needs of school administrators.

This won’t come as a surprise to anyone who has been in a classroom recently – but a recent survey of college students found that 40% cannot go more than 10 minutes without using some sort of digital technology and 67% cannot go more than an hour.  In a world where the gear and gadgets you have matter so much that you can’t go without – we’ve got to make sure we are moving towards classroom policies and lessons that embrace and leverage the bring your own device (BYOT) culture. Of course, as with any cultural shift, we should consider all the pros and cons of this level of tech adoption. One example in particular is setting the groundwork for safe and productive use.  Last month the New York City Public School system laid out their digital rules for teachers.