Skip to main content

BYOD Brings Opportunity, Challenges

     Most public schools are faced with a variety of instructional and curricular challenges in this digital age. In addition to pedagogy, these challenges are more and more centered around access, mobility, flexibility and equity.

     BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) is a movement that has been gaining traction for several years now as a means for schools of increasing access to technology without the cost of purchasing a device for each student.
     All of the students at Design Science High School in Fresno, California are part of a school wide BYOD Program. According to Principal Roy Exum, his school asks all students to bring a device to use in class.

     "The teachers agreed to use them for instruction extensively so that they had value and that they became as important as books. We are a Google Apps for Education school and BYOD aligns well with doing all work in Google,” said Exum. 

     Exum added that parents are encouraged to purchase inexpensive devices such as Chromebooks and that students who cannot afford one are loaned one at school.
BYOD is something that schools of all grade levels have utilized. According to Jodi Moskowitz, an Innovation and Technology Coach at Crabapple Middle School in Roswell, Georgia, her district used this model effectively starting several years ago at New Prospect Elementary School. 

     “Although we had iPad carts in classrooms, we did not have enough to be 1:1 for all students,” said Moskowitz. “By going BYOD, and inviting students to bring their own devices, it helped fill in holes because classes and teachers were sharing. Many students participated and it helped out teachers and classrooms make tech integration available to many more students.”

According to schools that have used BYOD, or taken a closer look at it, here are some common advantage and challenges: 

Advantages
* Opportunities for personalized learning
* Immediate tech integration
* Concentrate funding on students with need
* Allows student choice
* School does not have to manage all maintenance and care of devices
* Students often take better care of devices that they own 

Challenges
* Taxes School Infrastructure and Bandwidth
* Curriculum and/or tools may not be available across all platforms
* Some devices may not be adequate for school needs
* Have to be aware of equity and plan accordingly
* Need to have effective and appropriate policies, procedures and practices that will support BYOD 

     BYOD is just one way to integrate technology into a school’s instructional program. For those that want to discover more, see additional resources:

Intel's K-12 BYOD Blueprint
Six BYOD Discussions Every School Should Have
20 Pros and Cons of BYOD In Schools
Sample of Napa Valley Unified's BYOD Policy

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Evolutionary Education - 5 Things That Could Be Extinct Soon

     It has often been uttered, that “only the fittest survive.” But when it comes to education, it seems things that might not even be that fit have continued to survive. However, just like in living species through time - dinosaurs, saber tooth tigers and the wooly mammoth just to name a few - even things that have lived on for a long time eventually go extinct. So, with that in mind, it seems educational evolution is occurring too and extinction might be inevitable for a variety of standard educational pedagogy, tools and practices. HERE ARE MY FIVE THINGS THAT COULD BE EXTINCT SOON:  Textbooks/Single Source Curriculum: (this includes ebook textbooks too). Regardless of whether they are digital or not, depending on and surviving on one text as the foundational source of information and context - regardless of course, age group and purpose - seems almost prehistoric at this point. Information changes daily and resources are born every minute on line. Anyone d...

21st Century High School Student Bill of Rights

     Since I began teaching in 1990, I have repeatedly heard the term “reform” with regards to our educational system. And as someone who has always believed in and practiced teaching that worked to be real world, relevant and student-oriented, I can still get excited about the “possibilities” of real change. However, even with all of the classrooms, schools and some systems that have embraced new standards, new technology, project-based approaches, democratization/student voice and more, it’s almost appalling how little has changed in many of our nation’s high school classrooms. They are still dominated by outdated pedagogies, resources, activities and learning environments. Many still live and die by the lecture, low level note taking, and low level quizzes and assessments, as well as teacher/administrator mindsets not in line with anything related to 21st century workplaces or careers.       This lack of overall progress has lead me to be more anxi...

Lead Like A Punk Rocker

(Inspired by and dedicated to #LeadWild, David Theriault, David Culberhouse, Jon Corippo, Dr. Brad Gustafson, Tom Whitford, Ken Durham, The Ramones, Bad Religion, The Clash, X and many others.) "PUNK IS: the personal expression of uniqueness that comes from the experiences of growing up in touch with our human ability to reason and ask questions.” - Greg Graffin, Bad Religion “The thread of culture that runs through the entire history of punk is also a dedication to challenging the authoritarian.” - Greg Graffin, Bad Religion      You can’t peruse social media, even for a minute, without coming across another book, blog post or quote about LEADERSHIP. But, here I go anyway. Leadership, and leadership theory, are applicable to all industries, endeavors and human interactions. And no doubt that leadership, and our leaders, are going through major transformations as our entire global society questions traditional approaches and yearns for more meaningful and empowerin...