Purpose
The issue of students bringing their cell phones to class has been a divided topic in our school for awhile. There have been lots of conversations colleague to colleague, but never a formal school wide discussion about the possible benefits of allowing students to bring their own personal devices. My intention on this page of the blog is to add information articles about the pros and cons of a possible BYOD policy at our school. It will be important to the process that we be able to thoroughly answer the question of “why” allow cell phones into the classroom. My hope is that with this research we will be able to answer this question to a level that is acceptable by staff members.
A Starting Point
The following is a list of articles on the topic of BYOD. These are meant to be shared as conversation starters with the technology team and staff members. What do they think of each article? Do they agree with the arguments for or against the use of personal devices?
- Harris, C. (2012, January). Going mobile: key issues to consider for schools weighing BYOD. School Library Journal, 58(1), 14. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA276437138&v=2.1&u=ubcolumbia&it=r&p=CPI&sw=w
- Gordon, D. (2006, 05). Mobile misgivings. Today’s Parent, 23, 47-48,50. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/docview/232887536?accountid=14656
- Pegrum, M.; Oakley, G.; and Faulkner, R. (2013) Schools going mobile: A study of the adoption of mobile handheld technologies in Western Australian independent schools Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 29(1).
Anticipating Pros and Cons
Bring Your Own Device: A Guide for Schools is produced by the Alberta Ministry of Education and can be found at: http://cuebc.ca/cue/conference_documents/dell/AlbertaEducationBYODGuide.pdf
This guide is a very detailed overview of the pros, cons, concerns, and reasons for implementing a BYOD policy in schools. It also lists considerations for developing BYOD policy and gives recommendations for school and districts considering a BYOD policy. This is the most comprehensive document that I have been able to find regarding BYOD.
Examples of Technology Policies
School District of Coquitlam:
http://www.sd43.bc.ca/Resources/DigitalCitizenship/Pages/default.aspx
This district has developed a framework for digital citizenship outlining roles and responsibilities of both students and teachers.
Student Survey
I think that it would be wise to begin the BYOD conversation with some empirical evidence about the availability and use of mobile devices by students in our school. What kinds of devices (laptops, tablets, smartphones… do the students have? Are they wifi connectable? What kind of platform is it? Are they connected to a data network? Do they bring their phone to school? Are they allowed to connect to the internet with their phone? What are the main uses of their devices? Can you type well on your device?
I think that some of the information collected in this article could be mirrored in a student survey at school. I also think that the data in this article supports the a BYOD policy well.
http://www.educause.edu/library/resources/student-preferences-mobile-app-usage