Original post by: Brian Haas on March 23, 2019
Authentic learning in the 21st century requires a digital component. The problem is, with the constant changes in the world of technology it is financially impossible for schools to keep equipment up to date. One potential solution to this problem is the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) movement. This is no silver bullet as it comes with a whole host of potential problems schools will have to grapple with. For my A3 I envision an application that works across all platforms to help schools use BYOD to its full potential. This solution, I call, School Time. Though many of the individual parts of this app exist today, my idea is to integrate them into one piece of software that can really help students use their own devices in their journey to becoming successful digital citizens in the 21st century.
If the embedded video does not work here is the link to the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB3OIdWHObsAverage: 3.7/5 Stars
Many schools are having conversations around BYOD. As pointed out, there are several benefits to a BYOD program such as schools not needing to fund constant purchasing of new devices or upgrades, increased student responsibility over the devices used in classrooms, and increased access to technology in the classrooms (not just one cart for the school). But as with many things, there are also challenges, as Brian highlights, such as network issues, monitoring, and equity.
One thing mentioned in a reply post by Christopher is the issues surrounding privacy. Giving teachers and administration access to control a personal device that does not belong to them could lead to some challenges. In addition to this, are teachers and administration than expected to spend their time monitoring the students’ use of devices rather than engage with the students in their learning? Overall, it has a “big brother” feeling to it.
Another challenge that faces BYOD is the ability for students to film or take pictures of others (teachers and students) without consent and posting on social media. Teaching digital literacy is key to preventing and help solve these issues. However, what happens if these types of invasions of privacy occur despite digital literacy lessons? How does this affect BYOD policies? To those that work in schools that implement a BYOD policy, have you experienced this and if so, how was this issue addressed?
Original reply by: christopher wong (Mar. 25)
Hi Brian, this was an interesting concept that I think all teachers wished they had at some point. Great presentation and very professional rendering of what your app could do and look like (logo and all!). I do wonder about whether any of the hardware developers (Apple, Google, Samsung) would allow such deep access into their operating system in order to make such an app feasible. The application is requiring a high degree of control over personal private devices and I’m not sure either the manufacturer, student or parent would fully consent to such control.
Original reply by: stephanie kwok (Mar 30)
Hi Brian, Great video and app idea! Even as a basic app allowing students to connect to the school’s network and research online it would be very useful, although I definitely love the additional added functions you mentioned such as livestreaming, resource sharing, work submission and grade feedback. I think it’s an excellent idea to be able to regulate student usage with BYOD policies. An issue faced at my elementary school is that we are constantly buying new devices, updating and fixing them. As the devices belong to the school and not the students, they are constantly being mistreated and broken. Students using their own devices would mean that they would be responsible for their own belongings and it would save the school and district a lot of money and effort with repairs. The only downside to this would be that not all students would necessarily have their own devices, increasingly so with younger grades in elementary schools at least. However, this would not be a big problem as more schools employing BYOD policies would free up more funding to ensure all students having access to devices. Great work! – Stephanie
Original reply by: Scott Lillis (Mar. 31)
Brian, great work on this assignment! Personally my school is currently about 95% BYOD, but we don’t have an official BYOD policy as our former Head of Secondary wouldn’t pull the trigger on the idea. Instead, we have a handful of laptops available through our library that students can borrow for one class period at a time so that they have a device if they didn’t bring theirs. Your fictitious app, School Time, sounds like a solid solution for schools that can’t afford to constantly update technology, especially computers. Your video presentation was well done. You presented the challenges of BYOD and clearly addressed how your app would handle them, while simultaneously integrating with school networks and online learning platforms. ‘Distraction Control’ is certainly a nice idea, but one that will not sit well with students (and possibly some of their parents/guardians). Creating this ‘tool for educational learning’ is great in theory, but controlling app usage and monitoring devices that are not the physical property of the school or school district puts teachers and administrators in a grey area of what they may be able to do and not do, and as Christopher points out – would probably not sit well with mobile manufacturers either! Again, the idea is great in theory, but may be a little more difficult to implement than we might like.