This video (1) gives you an idea of a few advantages and limitations of BYOD.
BYOD allows for there to be a one-to-one ratio of students with many different types of technological devices. There are several advantages for students to bring their own devices to class such as:
- Increasing student engagement and motivation
- Increasing the ability for collaboration and cooperative work
- Fostering problem-solving, creativity, and other 21st Century skills
- Access to information anytime and anywhere
- Creating life-long learners
- Cost savings for schools
- Allowing for a variety of ways for students to produce and present their work
Drawbacks of BYOD
Although there are many advantages for a school to implement BYOD, there are also a variety of reasons why many districts or schools are hesitant to do so. They may include the following:
- Parents may not be able to afford mobile devices or unwilling for their child to bring devices to school
- Students may forget their device at home or their charger
- Teachers now have to provide tech support and troubleshoot technical problems instead of teaching
- Teachers may need professional development to incorporate BYOD in their classes – this increases costs for a school and time for teachers
- Increased possibility of damage or theft of a device
- Equipment inequity – the brand or configuration of each device will vary and this leads to varying degree of functionality and speeds of output and performance
- The device could to lead to students being distracted and not being on task
- Harder for IT department to ensure appropriate protection and filtering of Internet content
- A school’s or district’s bandwidth may not be able to support all the devices.
- A possibility of increased cyberbullying
Activity 2: Have you had any conversations around BYOD at your school or district? If yes, what were some of the concerns that were brought up about implementing a BYOD program? Leave an answer on our Polleverywhere (link is found below).
NOTE: We used Polleverywhere to show an example of how students could use texting to answer questions you pose in class.
Digital Citizenship
As recent events such as the tragic death of BC teen Amanda Todd highlight, with the potential incorporation of more technology into schools with a BYOD program, teachers and administrators should seize every opportunity to provide a curriculum that teaches students digital citizenship.
Writer, teacher and cyber researcher Jason Ohler believes that rather than assuming students should unplug from their ‘digital lives’ when they get to school each day, as educators, we should instead be asking “students to bring their digital lives into our schools so that we can pursue these objectives in ways that are meaningful to them… helping our digital kids balance the individual empowerment of digital technology with a sense of personal, community, and global responsibility” (Ohler, 2012, p.26).
To learn more about issues related fostering digital citizenship, take a few minutes to listen to this podcast from National Public Radio:
As you likely know, YouTube can be a tremendous educational resource in the classroom, but it can also be a platform for cyberbullying. To educate yourself on issues related to responsible digital citizenship online, you may wish to check out this interactive curriculum on the subject prepared by Google.
Another website that provides some good resources for teaching digital citizenship is http://cybersmartcurriculum.org/digitalcitizenship/
Discussion (please write your answer in the “Leave a Reply” box found below):
1) Do you agree with what was being presented in video (1)? Why or why not?
2) Do you think the advantages outweigh the drawbacks for K-12 schools and districts to implement a BYOD program? Why or why not?
3) If you teach digital citizenship activities already in your classes or school, please share a lesson idea.
References
Converge. (n.d.). One-to-One 2.0. Building on the “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) Revolution. Retrieved from: http://www.samsung.com/us/it_solutions/innovation-center/downloads/education/white_papers/One-to-One_2.0_-_Handbook.pdf
Kartson, M. (2012, August 28). The Benefits and Risks of BYOD in Schools. Fathom Blog. Retrieved from http://www.fathomdelivers.com/the-benefits-and-risks-of-byod-in-schools/
Ohler, J. (2012). Digital citizenship means character education for the digital age. Kappa Delta Pi record, 47(sup1), 25-27. Retrieved from http://www.kdp.org/publications/pdf/record/Centennial/Ohler.pdf
Walsh, K (2012, July 1). 5 Reasons Why BYOD is a Bad Idea. EmergingEdTech. Retrieved from http://www.emergingedtech.com/2012/07/5-reasons-why-byod-is-a-bad-idea/
In response to the 2nd discussion question, I do believe the advantages of BYOD strongly outweigh the drawbacks. Though there are many reasons I feel that way, the most paramount is that many classes already regularly use technology and various devices in the classroom, so implementing a policy that provides more access, support and improvement to student learning via those devices, would only make an existing situation better. In addition, though it is argued some students may not own a device or have permission to bring it to school, often there are alternative devices available in the school that can be lent to that student so as to participate too. Similarly, there of course can be concerns about on-task behavior but the truth is that most if not all classrooms deal with those issues anyways so as long as the devices are only being used for particular activities and not just whenever the student wants, the teacher can still monitor the students in the same way they already do.
You have made some excellent points here.
Our school is struggling with the issue you noted, about how to accommodate users who, for whatever reason don’t have a device. My feeling is that if the school used some of the money budgeted for classroom technology and diverted it instead, into a loaner or subsidized pool of devices, we could mitigate this challenge.
Your comment about students being on task is also important. It’s a challenge in any classroom, with or without technology and it’s really about effective classroom management skills, more than anything. Technology itself can help solve this challenge as well, with apps that allow monitoring of all computer activity (this of course raises other privacy issues however).
In theory the concepts presented in the video are great. Students who can afford technology aren’t using up resources for the students who need to use them more. This reminds me of when I was enrolled in Math 12. Students were requested to purchase a graphing calculator which was just over $100 or use the ones provided by the school. The students who did not own the calculator stayed after school to finish their homework, which now that I think about it could be a hassle for the teachers. The school provided calculators were also useful for when students forgot their calculators at home. However, with bringing your own computer or laptop I think many other factors which have been discussed on this blog will come into play. For example, the variety of the devices available and their functionalities could be difficult to accomodate, plus the price of some devices can be quite steep.
Avinder,
A loaner program like the one you had for Math 12 could be one way to solve the problem of the students who are not able to afford technology having access to technology at school. There would have to be some guidelines for the loaners (ie. loan out of library, each department has so many laptops, etc). I wonder how many students will start to forget their devices (I have students who forget pencils and pens)? Will there be enough loaners to accommodate students that forget or can’t afford their own technology?
As for the variety of devices, I wonder if schools or districts can give only several choices of technology that students would need to purchase to bring into school as their BYOD. In a way, this is defeats the idea around BYOD (bring your OWN device), but it may be a stepping stone.
Thoughts?
Lisa
Hi Lisa,
Suggesting which devices parents should buy is a good idea; however, I can’t help thinking back to when my kids were at school and how annoyed I always got when we were ‘imposed’ things. These devices are expensive and I would imagine if you’re going to buy your kids something, you’d like to be able to make the choice of what. For example, I adore my MAC, and I would hate someone to come along and impose a PC.
Just a thought as an ‘ex’ mom 🙂
Hi Adel,
I agree with your reply. It may be a solution, but I’m not sure how viable. Maybe several different brands could be suggested. Or it could just be open to any device.
Lisa
The most interesting thing that stuck out me from the south park video was the idea that change is inevitable and the question is not as much an if as it is a when. I agree with this assumption, and in many ways it the change has already begun. BYOD does seem like it will eventually make it’s way to K-12 schools as it has already become common place in work places and post secondary education.
I also feel the video has a valid point that finding information is very different than it used to be. Hanging on to traditional methods of research is not only is unfair to students, but it will bore them as they KNOW it is old school and their mind will wander to things that are more interesting, perhaps something like posting a tweet saying “why are we still learning like neanderthals?”
Mike,
You made some good points. Change is inevitable and teachers need to start transforming how they teach their students to meet the needs of their students. Many teachers are starting to incorporate PBL and promote 21st century skills into their teaching and, in my opinion, BYOD could help facilitate this even further. Finding information is different than we “neanderthals” used to find it and so we need to start accommodating for this process.
Lisa
In response to question 1: I agree with most of what is in Video 1. Some issues that I do have though are these: Is it right to teach kids that everything has to be immediately relevant, stimulating and interesting? I already feel like this attitude is overwhelmingly present in schools. What’s in it for me? What’s the point? These and other questions like them are constant. My other issue is about the financial burden that byod puts on families, regardless of whether technology is a requirement or not.
With respect to boredom: What ever happened to hard-won knowledge, or sucking it up, because realistically we all have to do things we don’t want to do to become successful. That’s why at the end, after all the hard work and difficult situations, we can feel a sense of accomplishment. I agree that sometimes there are easier ways to do things, but I also feel that we go overboard in our culture. Should we accept that students will not pay attention to boring things, or should we encourage them to find purpose and value in the process of learning. What message are we ultimately sending? Feel free also to rip me apart on this one.
Additionally, the idea of funding technology to a level that would be comparable to what some students could afford in a classroom, is difficult. Speaking from the perspective of an underfunded school system where we are constantly having to juggle and compromise and be innovative to ensure that students are supervised and being supported, it would be impossible to “keep up with the Jones,'” especially as technology changes so quickly. In my situation it would be a case of: do I recommend students get a new smart phone, or that their parents put food on the table? Obviously this is a question whose answer is clear…but if I say that “technology in my classroom will make your student more successful,” ulitmately this is the question I am forcing parents to think about.
How would you go about making technology use in the school equitable? Could you have a “maximum” technology limit so that students could not bring in technology that is superior to that provided by the teacher? I see the benefits of byod and would love to able to implement it, but I am struggling with some of these issues.
Hi Rebecca,
You have brought up many good points that are major issues with BYOD. You stated “Is it right to teach kids that everything has to be immediately relevant, stimulating and interesting?” – students need information to be relevant and interesting for meaningful learning to occur. Even though BYOD may be implemented in a school, teachers still have to use best practices and create good lessons to incorporate the use of them. They don’t need to use the devices every minute of every class. In my school, we have eight laptop carts. I want to incorporate more PBL or authentic problems into my science classes, but sometimes the amount of research the students can do is limited since I can’t always get computers to allow for this to occur.
Your statement on “How would you go about making technology use in the school equitable?” is one in which lots of discussion could be and has to be debated with your other teachers and administration. Each school or district should come up with their own policy to implement BYOD . You could even have these discussions with parents and students noting their concerns. I’m not sure there is any right answer for this question because every district or school is unique in their own way.
Lisa
I am an administrator at a post-secondary institute and like most of you in K-12, we struggle with many issues around technology: how much to use, when to use it, what to limit, standardization of technology ….. We do have the opportunity to charge students for technology as part of or in addition to the tuition. So most of our business programs are laptop programs where each student “rents” a standardized laptop for two years. Each cohort gets the same model of computer and the standard software installed. They progress through the program and at the end; if the laptop is still relatively functioning, the students get a deposit back. Students do complain about their ‘boat anchors” as the laptops need to be fairly rugged to withstand two years of student use and abuse.
Our IT guys are always busy over the summer getting the next batch of computers ready for distribution in the fall. Then maintaining them is fairly easy through a help desk and it becomes as routine as maintaining faculty and staff computers. The IT guys also dread it whenever BYOD conversations come up to replace the laptops because they have no idea how they could deal with the huge variety of devices they would need to support through the help desk.
One comment about digital citizenship. The more you can educate students in K-12 about digital citizenship, the easier it will be for post-secondary instructors.
Hi Doug,
Thank you for your comments. Your institution has come up with a solution for computer use (ie. your business programs) that are unique for your school.
I agree with your comment about the more we can educate students in K-12 about digital citizenship, the better it will be in the long run. And I don’t even think it needs to be just for post-secondary instructors as many students will enter the workforce and need to be aware of their digital use and how they use it.
Lisa
I definitely see lot of merits with BYOD and I agree that the benefits far outweigh the limitations. Learners should have the independence of selecting a device they would like to use for learning as opposed to the school choosing one for them. However, the reality is that this is partly true at this time. The challenge I see is that we are still few years away before the device manufacturers will agree ‘in practice’ to conform to content standards so that the course content can be rendered consistently irrespective of the device a student might have (of course we may need to set a least common denominator). Once that happens, we will no longer have to worry if an animation will render properly on a particular device or not; or will the device support a particular software script.
In relation to video (1) there is surprisingly no reference at all to the learning aspects of ‘taking care of the meaningful’. I would like to see some research done on the cut off between the secondary learning that a student would absorb by repetitive actions using a computer and what they would always be dependent on.
What I mean is that students can learn elements from doing them on a machine, they will be able to know the answer after a while. But where is the cut off of this learning.
What elements should we actually learn as a posed to just be able to find out?
Futurists will probably say we need to learn nothing just create new connections or ‘the meaningful’ as the video describes.
Traditionalists will argue that we need to learn everything.
Where do you lie?
There are tremendous gains to be had with BYOD as video (1) illustrates, and the advantages of BYOD exceed the drawbacks, if the risks associated with the latter are appropriately addressed.
Perhaps there won’t be only 1-way for every school or ministry of education to achieve these goals, but many.
For example, on the technology front, cloud computing may soon allow students with only an account and a simple and affordable reader to access the internet and other applications/software quite readily.
Such an option could help mitigate concerns with expensive equipment getting lost or stolen, equipment inequity or costly in-house IT support.
Security will certainly be a challenge and I think the digital citizenship piece offers some interesting insights.
In particular, I like the idea of educating individuals to develop an internal compass with respect to citizenship, as opposed to having to abide by external rules and regulations (which can easily proliferate to uncontrollable and incomprehensible heights, as anyone who’s ever worked in the public service or read an iTunes legal agreement can tell you).
In this way, teachers and social support worker etc., can be there to help students further develop their faculties as ethical citizens of the virtual world, and if we get it right, perhaps the real one as well.
I think there are a lot of advantages to BYOD but like all new ideas it will take time before it is fully accepted. There needs to be time for both educators and students to become accustomed to these devices being used for educational purposes. There needs to be time for designers to design apps and devices that cater to educational purposes. There needs to be time for School Districts to provide the infrastructure to support this method of learning especially with reliable wireless capabilities. I think as a school by accepting a BYOD policy we are starting this process and in the future we can’t imagine teaching without this.
Colin,
Time is important when implementing a new program. Teachers not only have to become accustomed to the devices for educational purposes, but also need time to develop lessons, get training, and collaborate with others. I also don’t think school districts should rush into incorporating BYOD until they have a clear idea of how this will effect their IT department and have a solid infrastructure in place.
Good observations,
Lisa
When I reflect on discussion question number 2, I can’t help but agree that schools and districts need to work towards implementing a BYOD agenda for students. And this is simply because of the technological/educational benefits and cost savings that are afforded by such measures. However, before this can be manifested in an appropriate manner we need to generate a means to provide guidance for students on maintaining focus and minimizing the distractions that the devices can open. Working at a large inner-city high school also opened my eyes to the digital divide that exists amongst youth. Schools should also put some budget aside to invest in a means for a rental program for students who cannot afford purchasing the technology so that they are not marginalized by the BYOD movement.
PC
Hi PC,
A rental system or loaner system may work for some schools or districts. I wonder what happens in some districts where a majority of students need schools to provide laptops or devices as rentals or loaners?
Lisa
I have mixed feelings about a BYOD program. If a school expects students to do their work digitally, the school needs to ensure that every student has access to a device. To suddenly have an expectation that everyone has a machine and then not contribute puts a heavy financial burden on families. We also need to prepare for the fact that that there will be a lot of peer pressure for students to have the newest, best devices (this echoes many of the arguments in favour of school uniforms.) For those families that can’t afford the newest iDevices or Alienware gaming laptops, those kids may end up with machines that are unable to do what teachers need them to do. This certainly limits teachers’ abilities to be ambitious. If we are only interested in using machines as communication tools and for light Internet use, this works great. If we want students doing 3D modelling or editing video, the $119 netbook from Walmart may not be up to the task. As a technology coordinator, I encourage teachers to work together to develop cross-curricular, project-based units that often center around tech that requires machines that can do some heavy lifting. So, while a BYOD program may encourage more integration in terms of tech being used more often in classes, I would agree. But much of that will likely be quite superficial. It would be naive to think that BYOD will allow us to maximize the potential for technology in our programs. It may ultimately hamper it.
On the other hand, if the school provides machines where consistency is needed or where more powerful machines are required, but they allow for a BYOD program to supplement existing programs, I think it’s a great idea. People do put a lot of time into personalizing their own devices and if we want students to have a strong sense of ownership over their work, then using their own machines will no doubt help encourage that. Students will be more likely to collaborate, trying to choose the best tool for the job, they will have plenty of opportunities to compare different technologies and will hopefully learn to evaluate tech based on something deeper than brand loyalty. But for a school not to supply any machines and asking students to bring in their own, I think they are being cheap and will ultimately get more hassle than they bargained for. For every kid that interrupts his teacher when he gets a pop-up window asking if he wants to install the latest Flash update, there will be a teacher that chooses to stick with pen and paper.
Teacherben,
Good observations on both advantages and disadvantages of a BYOD program. I had to laugh at your “newest iDevices or Alienware ” comment. Very clever.
Lisa
I agree with ‘teacherben’ I feel Lalande minimizes some of the problems with BOYD; for example, the status symbol factor and peer pressure. There are already lots of reasons for kids to feel left out at school, adding to these is not right.
I also feel it’s not just about BOYD; it is not the tools that make the class, it’s how we use them. There’s no guarantee that learning will improve, especially if exactly how the tools will be used is not carefully planned. BYOD to simply use as word processor, or the typical argument of ‘for making learning more enjoyable’ is wrong. Surely they mean making learning meaningful, and in turn ‘yes’ no doubt enjoyable.
I hate to think the problems teachers will have trying to play technician to kids with different devices, software etc. and the amount of time that will be lost. Schools should supply and lend the devices. Regarding the problem of not having enough ITC people to help out, I’m sure parents and kids would be happy to find solutions if guided.
Hello,
You have hit upon a major point of BYOD. Even though students may bring their own devices, teachers still need to teach using best practices and can use the devices in such ways that students are able to research, collaborate, or give in a final product. In this respect, the students may find a project or problem more enjoyable, but it is within the realm of learning more meaningfully.
You had some good observations,
Lisa
I feel as though K-12 schools can have a tendency to lack actual teaching of digital citizenship. Frequently digital citizenship with be briefly skimmed in the form of a reminder before a piece of technology is to be used in a class (ie. what not to do on a school device), or in the form of a waiver from the school with rules of usage that the student and parent must sign off on. However, the part that seems to be lacking is how to ‘act’ and ‘treat people’ on the Internet. There is a certain etiquette that students should use, but with the rapid expansion of technology, it seems like it is almost assumed that students will know how to act without being told. This is similar to our assumption that students know the basic rules of our classrooms when they enter as they get older (ie. do not talk while the teacher is talking, etc.). Outside of an optional computer class, the actual concept of digital citizenship could possibly be seen as not in the curriculum and not of worry to the teacher.
I feel as though I am somewhere in the middle on the implementation of a BYOD program. Since I feel fairly confident in my abilities to use the devices, and I have the interest in creating uses for the devices in my classroom, a teacher like me would be open to the idea. However, as I watch teachers struggle with their laptops and projectors, I also feel like a broad BYOD program could cause a lot of stress and anxiety for several teachers. I would be open to the idea of a BYOD program that came with training, appropriate supportive technologies, and assistance to provide teachers and students without devices appropriate devices to be included in the classes.
I do not use a lot of Internet based technologies or social networking technologies in my classroom so I do not have a high need to teach digital citizenship. When I do incorporate something, I always try to include one lesson on digital citizenship before we start.
Jhodi,
Good observations about digital citizenship. I think that any teacher can talk about digital citizenship since so many students and adults have some sort of device in which we communicate with others.
I think you are very correct when you stated that a BYOD program needs to come with teacher training and appropriate supportive technologies. Teachers need PD opportunities to learn how to incorporate technology into their classes. I’ve seen so many SMARTboards being installed in my school, but some teachers use them like whiteboards. They need training to change their teaching styles and this has to also occur when students bring in their own devices.
Lisa
1) I do agree with the argument being made in the video about a change in education and the statement that “it is not about if it will change but rather when it will change.” When we think of how education will look in the next 100 years, I am hopeful that it will look a lot more progressive than how it is today. I say this with reservation because of the Neil Postman quote that was presented at the beginning of this course. The analogy between educators and doctors and how not much has changed with technology in education over the past hundred years. The resistance to change is still quite strong and who can say that this trend will not continue over the next century. With that being said, a shift in mindset is occurring and it is only a matter of time until we see these changes adopted holistically.
2)Comparing the advantages to the drawbacks of BYOD is a tough question to answer at this point as it is still in its experimental phase. Although I do believe this initiative makes sense economically and in theory, there are may barriers in practice that make it difficult to integrate successfully. Before one can even attempt to experiment with this phenomenon, the appropriate hardware structures need to be in place such as high speed broadband WiFi capable of supporting a number of devices. Secondly, the logistics between the plethora of mobile devices on the market and downloading of apps to use in a lesson can be a nightmare in itself. I currently have 30 iPads for use in my classroom and keeping the apps and software upto date is a lengthy task in and of itself. I couldn’t imagine the trouble shooting issues that would arise in a classroom in which a lesson was conducted with students using different brands of devices.
3)Teaching digital citizenship is an ongoing process that goes on throughout the school year. As issues such as cyber-bullying arise, they provide great opportunities to stop and take a deeper look at appropriate online behavior. I usually have a group come in and present on this topic as it provides a good foundation to build further discussion on. The group is called Safe Online Outreach Society (SOLOS) and they provide presentations in the lower mainland area of B.C. More information can be found by clicking the link provided below.
http://www.safeonlineoutreach.com/
Thanks,
Manny
Hi Manny,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Indeed, I think we all hope that the pace of evolutionary change in education increases, to close the gaps that Neil Postman and Don Tapscott highlight.
The challenges to BYOD you identify are entirely legitimate and hopefully technology will mature to minimize these hurdles. We have already seen Apple address some of these concerns by giving IT staff the ability to “image” multiple iOS devices based on a standard configuration and enterprise purchase options that making downloading apps easier. Cloud computing is also helping to provide easier access to applications and user data, across multiple platforms.
Thank you for sharing your valuable digital citizenship resource as well. Students so often seem to respond well to visitors to our classrooms, so the idea of having a presentation from SOLOS, sounds great. You may also want to check out a documentary which just aired last night on CBC’s Doc Zone, called Facebook Follies: http://www.cbc.ca/doczone/episode/facebook-follies.html
Cheers,
Scott.
As many of you have already stated, this video has a lot of truth to it. I especially agree with the part where the narrator pointed out that BYOD adoption is something that is inevitable in schools. As time passes, technology is becoming more and more a part of every aspect of our lives. It is already attached to many other components of our lives and has been adopted in some way shape or form in almost all other aspects of lives. Hence, it is only natural that technology is going to become even more ingrained in learning. Students are drawn to technology and it has the ability to help students. Many students already have all types of technical gadgets on them and are always looking for opportunities to pull them out. On many occasions, teachers have to try to stop students from using devices at school. Hence, why fight something that is happening already? Why not just let students use the devices they already own and want to use in a productive manner? I know this is easier said than done and there are a lot of cons associated with allowing students to use their own devices but the way I see it is that it happening already and it is going to become harder and harder to police students and to stop them from using their own devices. I have seen so many students get frustrated with the technology that is available in school because it does not work, is limited, is outdated and thus needs admin privileges, etc. BOYD is a solution to these problems and is conducive to today’s learners who are digital natives and who thrive off of technology.
Nureen
I think the advantages of BYOD adoption outweigh the disadvantages. This would definitely require a shift in the way schools function and also would require teachers to learn some new skills. Teachers would also have to change the manner in which they monitor students (i.e. from making students put their devices away to making sure students are using their devices appropriately). The systems at school also have to be revamped so that students can access the internet, etc, while at school which will also require money and resource. However, these costs do not outweigh the cost schools incur to keep their own technology up to date and functional. Society as a whole has already adapted to the changes having abundant technology has brought about and schools need to follow suit. The educational realm is far behind when it comes to technology and there is no way we can catch up by just relying on the technology that we can make available with the funds allocated to this area. There is no choice but to allow students personal technology into schools. Higher leaning institutions made this shift a long time ago. It is now time for all other leaning institutions to do the same.
Nureen
1) Do you agree with what was being presented in video (1)? Why or why not?
One of the questions asked in the video was “How do you picture school 100 from now?” This is a very good question because it helps us as educators to investigate BYOD from a different perspective. I agree with the video on adopting a BYOD policy now rather than later because we are in the process of change – a change in the method that students make use of technology. If the way that students do activities in school cannot meet the ever-changing ways that students do activities outside school there will be a certain ‘disconnect’ between the two experiences. Rather than limiting the role of technology in the classroom, educators need to embrace technology so that what the students learn at school enables them to do even more outside of school.
– James
Video # 1 – BYOD in the 21st Century presents reasonable advantages to BYOD in the K-12 learning environment. Students are using these devices even when they are not permitted to so finding a common ground or balance only makes sense. It is through technology that the society communicates and these devices make learning tasks more engaging and enjoyable. In addition technology provides the opportunity to access information anytime and anywhere. The advantages of using technology are supported by student centered learning and constructivism increasing collaboration and cooperative work. Schools districts could assess the number of students that will BYOD and determine the cost and resources needed for those students that can not BYOD. IT demands could be reduced as BYOD support would occur with the user and could create increased access to more advanced and diverse applications that could be shared amongst the learners. For BYOD to be implemented successfully each school could do an individual assessment to ensure they are providing an equitable learning opportunity for all students. Digital citizenship and cyber-bullying should be addressed in the curriculum on a continuous basis to meet the needs of the societal demands of social media and communication. Network support such as sufficient high speed broadband and Wi Fi capacity would have to be addressed to implement such an initiative. Education is evolving and change is taking place at all levels, BYOD is evitable! Schools could pilot this type of project to determine success rate.
2) Do you think the advantages outweigh the drawbacks for K-12 schools and districts to implement a BYOD program? Why or why not?
First of all I have to mention what my background is before I say that I think the drawbacks of BYOD will outweigh the advantages.
I come from a public school in a developing country where a classroom ratio is 40 students per one teacher. Probably half of the students would be able to bring their laptops or mobile devices to the class and half probably can’t because they don’t own one. (They may have one laptop to share with the whole family). Since half of the schools population is have-nots, I don’t think it will be safe for those who bring their expensive devices to school. One time when one of my 7th grade students bought his Mac to school for a group presentation, his mother had to wait outside so she could take the laptop home after the presentation. BYOD will make affluent students who can afford high tech devices have an unfair advantage over their classmates, who may be left with less functional equipment or worse, nothing at all.
I think the only way to make sure we create a fair learning experience for all is every student uses the materials provided by school as a primary material. Then they can use their own devices as a supplement.
Even so, I still have no clear idea of how to prevent the lost and stolen problem. With a big class like this, it will be difficult for a teacher to supervise if students really use the devices for learning or for personal uses.
Thoughts?
2. Do you think the advantages outweigh the drawbacks for K-12 schools and districts to implement a BYOD program? Why or why not?
My answer to this question is from 2 perspectives: 1. my experience teaching in a developing country; and 2. my experience as an educator in a first world country.
I think the benefits/disadvantages issue depends on the context. This context includes the issue of poverty that developing country grapple with. High pupil/teacher ratios, very limited resources, etc are they reality. BYOD may fall within the ‘nice to have’ category.
However, I think that while there is poverty, resources constraints within first world countries, it is more possible for BYOD to move to the ‘need to allow’ category because many students already have these devices at home.
Sophia
I agree with the points made in the first video. I think it is almost reaching absurdity when we tell students we want them to be 21st C. learners, to develop digital citizenship, and participate in collectivist and connectivist learning but we won’t/can’t provide them the tools they need, nor will we let them use the ones that they already have in their hands.
I understand that this might sound like a strong statement. I am becoming a little frustrated with the demands to incorporate these types of learning opportunities but am not able to make use of the tools that will accommodate this. I might be preaching to the choir here..or maybe not. Are others experiencing these same feelings?
…I think my statements show my answer for the second discussion question. I think if handled respectfully and with proper planning with everyone understanding the terms of BYOD-whether the instructor/student decides to participate or not that a BYOD policy outweighs the drawbacks.
Ken
2) Do you think the advantages outweigh the drawbacks for K-12 schools and districts to implement a BYOD program? Why or why not?
I, like many of my colleagues, feel that the answer to this question depends on the situation. There are obviously pros and cons, as mentioned and as per my comment on the discussion wall.
I will answer question #2, from my own perspective as a faculty member and coordinator of a program in post-secondary, as I have no experience in K-12. However, I think my post-secondary pov is relevant for some of the high school comm tech programs as well.
In a post-secondary program, which teaches media technology, there is almost an “unstated” expectation that the student will own a MacBook Pro. Our program does not state this overtly, however, most of our students end up owning this product by the end of their three years. Some students do not have the funds to buy this laptop, and use the school’s computers on campus (as we do not loan out computers). This limits the student somewhat in terms of the hours of when they can work on their assignments. The college does have labs and work stations, where the student has 24 hour access if they need it. However, the convenience of being able to edit your picture or sound, at home, at 3am, is attractive for our students. Furthermore, the students are often expected to own this kind of equipment when entering the film industry, so there is further push to have this piece of gear.
Beyond computers, the students are expected to have cell phones these days. They collaborate on group projects, and we expect them to be reachable by each other. As well, they use several social networking programs to coordinate their collaborations.
So, in many ways, we have an ‘unstated’ BYOD program.
There are sometimes drawbacks to the students having programs on their own computers, as the version of the software is very important when transferring a file. We have had technical issues arise from this process.
3) If you teach digital citizenship activities already in your classes or school, please share a lesson idea.
I do not teach digital citizenship, however, we do focus on the importance of professional conduct in social media arenas. This is very difficult to teach, since the students sometimes forget that their facebook comments are far too casual/personal to be appropriate as a form of professional social networking. We introduce the students to linkedin, twitter (for professional purposes) and even facebook pages for their film productions, and stress the importance of professional conduct with these tools. This is an on-going aspect of the curriculum and it would be VERY useful to have a guide that is engaging for the students.