Family-purchased netbooks, notebooks, laptops and tablets are all part of the new program.

Forest Hills Local Schools in Ohio is one of the latest districts to launch a "bring your own" (or BYO) initiative, although, unlike some of the BYOD initiatives that emphasize smaller devices, this would more accurately be called a BYOL (laptop) or BYON (notebook or netbook) program.

In the spring of 2011, when the program — officially known as "Partnership for Powerful Learning" — was piloted at Nagel Middle School, 353 of the school's 559 seventh graders brought in their own computers. With the 2011-2012 school year, the program has expanded to involve all students in grades 7 and 8, with grades 9-12 to be added in the fall of 2012.

The student-owned devices are meant to supplement the 3,400 computers owned by the district. The district web site offers minimum and recommended specs for the mobile computers along with a chart comparing different Windows and Mac OS notebooks, tablets and netbooks.

Sources: The Partnership for Powerful Learning and the Forest Hills Local Schools web pages.