Data gathered from 10,000 Texas public school students in Grades 3-12 over the years 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2005

This article introduces the concept of Personal Educational Tools (PETs) and places these tools within the context of existing rationales for using technology for teaching, learning, and instruction. An identification of the distinguishing characteristics of these devices is followed by the conjecture that these types of classifying characteristics could form the basis of a taxonomy. An association is made between the Type II uses of PETs and higher level cognitive processes. A rubric is included to guide the educator toward Type II learning applications. Examples of ways PETs could facilitate Type II learning in a wide variety of educational environments are provided. "The popular image of what technology is about is far too much about information and not nearly as much . . . about using it as an instrument, as a tool to do something" (Papert, 1998, p. 1).As small devices with microprocessors embedded within them become commonplace in our society, the issue of how they might best be . RHONDA CHRISTENSEN is Research Scientist, Technology and Cognition, University of North Texas, Denton, TX 76203 (