SARA LUCAS
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Week 9 Blog

7/14/2016

8 Comments

 

Essential question: Does every school need a “BYOD” policy?

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http://gettingsmart.com/2012/08/are-you-going-byod/
I do believe every school needs a policy about BYOD. Whether that means a school allows students to bring their devices to classes or not, should be a school decision. There are so many factors that I don't think I could comfortably say everyone needs to allow BYOD. The main draw for BYOD is that technology is expensive and "It is not sustainable to keep buying technology and giving it to the students" (Morrison, 2014). "The San Diego Unified School District in California has spent over $15,000,000 in purchasing over 26,000 iPads. That’s fifteen million dollars."(Heick, 2015). This is so much money and most schools just don't have a budget for tech or to update existing tech. This is a huge driving force in the move toward BYOD policies in schools according to Holeywell, 2016). I think every school should consider BYOD, and thoroughly lay out the pros and cons before making any decisions. Here is a simplified version of the pro/con list posted by Wainwright (n.d):
PROS
  • Already familiar with their own devices
  • Personal devices tend to be up-to-date
  • More likely to remember to bring their device over notes or books
  • More cost-effective for schools
  • More likely to take learning outside of schools
  • Training of device takes care of itself
  • Students more organized when all info is in the same place
  • Limitless access to resources and information
  • Allows for teachers & students to swap places
  • Teachers can use apps that allow students and parents to stay more connected
  • Creates enthusiasm and excitement
  • Frees up budget to get funding to students who need it
  • Personalized learning so students excel at their pace
  • Students take responsibility to make sure their device is working
  • Opportunity for ebooks
  • Many educational apps 
  • The majority already own devices
  • Students get to choose the device they use
  • BYOD can be used as a priviledge encourging on task behavior
CONS
  • Overloading wireless networks
  • Opportunity for cheating
  • Could become status symbol causing a divide
  • Parents may not be happy about the idea
  • May be more easily distracted on their phone
  • Forgetting to charge a device
  • Not being able to afford a device
  • Bringing viruses from home onto the school network
  • Challenging for IT to manage bandwidth
  • Students can forget their device
  • Some apps aren't universal across all platforms
  • You might have to address wireless infrastructure before implementation
  • Students might not like mixing school work on personal devices
  • Some teachers may resist teaching with technology
According to this list it is easy to be in favor of BYOD because there are more pros than cons. However some cons really need extra consideration. A big issue is the digital divide. "The digital divide may be a bigger issue for some schools, and there are also risks with students bringing expensive devices into school" (Morrison, 2014). This is a huge concern in bush Alaska. Many students have devices but due to poverty they don't take care of them. I frequently hear of students breaking their phones or someone else in their family taking it to use. In bush Alaska another concern is the network. "Forsyth County had to triple its network capacity to handle the surge in demand and make sure each school’s network operated with the most up-to-date protocols to ensure the newest tablets and smartphones could connect properly" (Holeywell, 2013). I'm not sure if this is even an option for our district. We just got 3G so I'm not sure how much more bandwidth we can get. 

Considering these cons brings of back to why go with BYOD. Some interesting things have happened when schools have adopted these policies. One school "found that students would – unprompted – pool devices to use the one that was most suitable for a particular task. So if they were videoing an experiment, they would use the one with the best film quality; if they were drawing up data tables, then graphics won out" (Morrison, 2014). Another cool benefit is not needing to teach tech skills. You still need to teach safety but you don't need to help in the operation of the device.  According to Heick (2015), “As the teachers began to introduce BYOD* into their classrooms, some fundamental changes began to occur. They no longer had to teach their students about technology in order to integrate technology effectively in their classrooms because the students were already the experts with their own devices" Overall it improves "transparency and authenticity, while encouraging learners to work with apps, programs, and hardware they’re familiar with and have experience trouble-shooting through. It empowers learners to solve problems, access resources, and even create their own workflow patterns if given the flexibility at the unit or lesson-level. And maybe most usefully, it provides a window into the homes and habits and access and digital literacy of students” (Heick, 2015).

My conclusion is that BYOD should be up to teacher discretion. I think every school needs a policy about student devices, because it is inevitable that students will bring devices to school. I think if teachers get to choose then it uses tech as a privilege and not something that is guaranteed. Students have to ask to use it and creates a clear divide about use. 
Sources
Heick, T. (2015, February 06). The Brutal Authenticity Of BYOD. Retrieved July 15, 2016, 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 15, 2016, from http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/gov-byod-policies-create-school-challenges.html 

Morrison, N. (2014, January 19). The Next Revolution In School Tech: Bring Your Own Device. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorrison/2014/01/19/the-next-revolution-in-school-tech-bring-your-own-device/#3a4ca52a5b12 

Wainwright, A. (n.d.). 20 Pros and Cons of implementing BYOD in schools. Retrieved July 15, 2016, from http://www.securedgenetworks.com/blog/20-Pros-and-Cons-of-implementing-BYOD-in-schools 
8 Comments
Tricia Turley
7/16/2016 09:40:55 pm

I appreciate your conclusion leaving BYOD to teacher discretion, while advocating that every school has a policy about student technology devices. This gives teachers the autonomy that they want and allows technology to continue to be a privilege, rather than a given.

Reply
Sara Lucas
7/17/2016 05:13:51 pm

Thanks. I do believe that teachers should get the final say. After all it is their classroom and it is their responsibility to help students learn. If this is true then why should others care? If the students are learning then the teacher is doing their job and others should not interfere.

Reply
josie leach
7/17/2016 10:20:48 am

Sarah L,
Great BYOD post. I liked that you listed the pros and cons for each side of the argument. I agree with the side that if your school can’t afford to fund devices, there has to be policies in place. I learned in another business management class, that you can’t manage what you can’t measure. There must be policies in places with requirements and there has to be some resources, even if limited to support for the devices. I don’t think that the teacher should be the sole point of support.
Josie

Reply
Sara Lucas
7/17/2016 05:14:37 pm

The pro/con list is the easiest way to visualize a decision. This is a huge decision and you have to consider both side.

Reply
Daysha
7/18/2016 07:25:30 am

I like how you broke up your stance on BYOD into a Pro vs Con. However, I don't believe one side can win over the other just because it has more statements. Some pros or cons are worth more than others. I think the biggest pro is that technology is very expensive and BYOD helps districts save money! This is only a pro if all kids have their own device to use. Otherwise it shifts all of the finical hardship on to parents. Its very important for a district and school to look at their demographics when writing their policy.

Reply
Sara Lucas
7/20/2016 10:46:14 am

I totally agree that one side can't win over the other based just on the amount of arguments. Some statements carry more weight than others. It just goes to show how tough this topic is. You are so right on the demographics part. This can determine whether the pro or con weighs more for your school.

Reply
Kayla Pietila link
7/18/2016 06:43:51 pm

I also appreciate your opinion that Teachers should be able to decide whether students can bring devices into the classroom, but the school still needs an overarching policy. When making a decision like this, I always try to think about what the critics would say. So if we say that it's up to the teachers, would it create more of a behavior problem with kids saying, "Well, Mr. Smith lets us. . . " I was talking this over with some friends and we decided our management solution would be to have pockets on the door for all devices, and students would be able to use them when directed by the teacher. That way the device isn't on them, so it's clear about when it's acceptable to use them and when it's not

Reply
Sara Lucas
7/20/2016 10:47:21 am

I am in total agreement on a school or district policy. Right now we don't have much of one and it has created room for many arguments. Especially parents arguing that their child is being punished and others aren't.

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  • Portfolio
  • EDET 673: Ethics
  • ED 691: Internship
  • EDET 679: Gamification
  • EDET 678: Emerging Tech
  • EDET 677: Robotics
  • EDET 674: Virtual Learning
  • EDET 668: Ed Leadership
  • EDET 637: Differentiation
  • EDET 636: Impact of Tech