Through taking education technology classes, I have learned about students using their own devices in the classroom. Other teachers at my school have done Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) days as a reward for their students. Only scratching the service of the idea, I had never thought about the policies behind BYOD. Honestly, I thought primarily that it wouldn’t work because of the questions behind students bringing their own devices: do all students have their own devices? Will they be required to download certain apps? Do parents allow students to know passwords and ID’s to download on the devices?
Because of the many questions around BYOD, I believe that every school needs a BYOD policy. Some other considerations around BYOD include consistent access to devices for students and teachers, bandwidth available in the school, protection against viruses, and blocking access to restricted apps (Martini, n.d.). Many of these factors are brand new to schools and the conversation is quite young among educators. Not long ago, personal devices were banned from many schools because they were a distraction (Holeywell, 2013). With changing times, however, students have access to devices that schools often cannot afford to provide for each child in the district. BYOD (2017) reports that ⅔ of students prefer using their own devices for learning over school provided devices. When students use their own devices, it creates greater access to school devices for students who do not own their own devices. Terry Heick, (2016), states, “By allowing students to bring in their own devices for learning–rather than insisting that they learn both content and device in school–there is an important opportunity to connect with not just their personal lives, but their natural way of doing things.” BYOD can create incredible opportunities for students to learn authentically in the digital age that they live in. Because they are used to their own devices, it eliminates the learning curve of using a new device and students can learn efficiently and effectively. Policies need to be in place for this to be safe and practical within the educational system. References: BYOD. (2017). Retrieved July 13, 2017, from https://www.k12blueprint.com/toolkits/byod Heick, T. (2016). The Brutal Authenticity Of BYOD. Retrieved July 13, 2017, from http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/byod-is-shortest-path-to-student-centered-learning/ Holeywell, R. (2013, September 3). BYOD Policies, Growing More Popular, Create Challenges for Schools. Retrieved July 13, 2017, from http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/gov-byod-policies-create-school-challenges.html Martini, P. (n.d.). 4 Challenges That Can Cripple Your School's BYOD Program. Retrieved July 13, 2017, from http://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/technology/4-challenges-can-cripple-schools-byod-program/
6 Comments
Erica Browitt
7/13/2017 01:28:56 pm
I really liked that you brought up how BYOD would mean that we do not have to teach the technology and the content. Which, can be a lot to teach!
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I have had trouble with students needing an app and them not knowing the password. When this happens, I often email the parents directly. It usually isn't that the parents don't want them to have the educational app. It's usually an attempt to monitor what the student is doing in their off time. Parents have been very supportive with this.
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Mariah Smith
7/16/2017 09:21:54 pm
I am not necessarily a fan of BYOD mainly because I find it unnecessary for our one-to-one school. But the authenticity of using one's own devices makes it more appealing to me.
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Carolyn Stice
7/17/2017 08:57:52 pm
I do not support BYOD. I think it does more harm than good. There are more children than you'd might expect whose families cannot afford devices. Furthermore, students will always have to learn new programs anyway if the teacher plans to do anything more complex than simple researching.
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Andrea, I agree it is so crazy that we are here in a day we need policy about cell phones but the topic is super valid. I have a small private school and so the budget is tight, I have my kiddos turn in devices in the am then allow them to retrieve when I have something specific for them such as defining vocabulary and research...if they misuse their device to pop onto social media they lose the tool for the day....also bandwidth...when everyone is on them my assistant can barely do her work because the computer is so slow:) Lots to think about!
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Dr. F
7/20/2017 05:43:54 pm
Good things to think about. There are so many factors that come into play. The 1 - 1 programs were supposed to take care of much of this, but they are not cheap and technology is so dated so quickly. This issue may always be with us.
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