Introducing a "Bring Your Own Device" policy to the Classroom

The concept of Bring Your Own Device has been gradually gaining ground in the business sector. A number of school districts are considering BYOD due to the benefits it can offer to classroom learning.

Bring Your Own Device is a trend has been a controversial topic in both the business and educator sectors within the last year. On one hand, BYOD brings many benefits to the table for effective classroom learning. On the flip side, there are many concerns associated with implementation that leave many educational institutions wondering whether or not BYOD is a viable option.

BYOD has already been implemented in a number of educational institutions across the globe but, not without in-depth consideration beforehand with regard to the method of implementation. A solid BYOD policy begins with identification of the issues that surround BYOD use in the classroom and by staff when outside the classroom. BYOD can work well in the education sector, provided you identify the benefits, challenges, drawbacks, and future implications of establishing a BYOD policy.

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So, what are some of the benefits of implementing a BYOD policy?

A Bring Your Own Device policy means that students and staff are allowed to bring their own tablet PCs, laptops, and smartphones for use with classroom learning and facilitating classroom lessons. The concept originally began with students in higher education and spread to the business world. Only recently have primary and secondary educational institutions been considering the policy as a result of the potential benefits it offers, some of which include:

Blended Learning: Being able to use technology in the classroom instead of just the computer lab provides a fully integrated learning experience for students. Digital devices combined with digital learning tools provides for a blended learning experience where students have access to educational apps, interactive textbooks, videos, online research sources, and the capability to collaborate in the classroom environment with peers and the teacher.

Improved Teacher Preparation: BYOD allows teachers to prepare lessons and keep all data and assignments in one location. Like the students, most teachers carry their device wherever they go, including the staff room. For this reason, it makes perfect sense to use the device to prepare classroom lessons, meet student needs, prepare reports, track student progress, send notes to students that were absent from class, and much more.

Student Association with Technology: Today’s students have grown up with technology and use it for both leisure activities, research, and learning. Since they know no world without digital devices, they can better relate to a classroom environment that accommodates the way they prefer to learn.

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Preparation for the Workforce: It is evident that technology is not going to disappear any time soon. Regardless of whether students enter the workforce, start their own business, or go to college, technology is all around them. By using technology in the classroom, it better prepares students for the outside world.

From the school administration standpoint, the benefits include:

Reduced Costs: The current educational sector is two-fold. On one side of the spectrum is budget cuts, reduced aid and support from the governmental standpoint, and cutbacks in funding for technology and learning resources. On the other side of the spectrum is the pressure to meet core learning standards coupled with the lack of resources to make this happen. For this reason, many school districts consider BYOD as a strategy to meet the deficits while still moving forward with modern classroom learning methods.

Bridging the Digital Gap: BYOD can help to close the gap between low income students that cannot afford their own device and upper income students that bring their device to school every day. Schools can provide vouchers or purchase enough digital devices to meet the needs of low income students while the remainder of the students can use their own device.

Promotion of a Healthy Environment for Digital Device Use: As it stands now, many school districts have a digital device policy in place that bans the use of personal devices during school hours. As a result, many students sneak their own device into the classroom. By creating a BYOD policy that encourages the use of digital devices for learning, it creates an open atmosphere and promotes appropriate use of digital devices.

Useful reference - BYOD wikipedia page – click here

What are some of the challenges associated with a BYOD policy?

Along with the many benefits of a Bring Your Own Device policy come the challenges associated with implementation. Although it is evident that BYOD helps to reduce costs and promotes student engagement in learning, there are a few challenges that must be overcome for a BYOD policy to be successful.

Network Security

Student access to school wireless networks can pose a security risk. As a result, a detailed and comprehensive acceptable use policy must be put in place so there is an understanding across the board of how the network should be accessed.

Additionally, some schools work around this issue by maintaining a wireless network for students and another one for administrators and teachers. This ensures the protection of sensitive data as well as data security and compliance standards that must be met according to governmental requirements.

Security Controls and Filters

Most educational institutions are required to implement site blockers to block student access to inappropriate content. Although this type of technology can be effective, there is other technology and software that counteracts it. Students that are tech savvy know how to circumvent the school security controls which can cause issues with classroom distractions and student security during school hours.

In some areas of the world, schools are responsible for the student’s safety in both the online and offline environment. If they happen to meet up with a stranger online when accessing an inappropriate site, this potentially causes liability issues for the school district.

Support for a Diverse Number of Devices

BYOD means that there are different types of devices and operating systems connecting to the network. This is cause for concern for IT staff within an educational institution since the infrastructure must be configured to support the use of a broad range of devices. For example, one student may bring their tablet, smartphone, and laptop PC to school and each device may be a different brand and different operating system.

Different devices and operating systems that potentially operate at different speeds can make it difficult for IT personnel to setup and maintain the infrastructure required to support different types of devices. Additionally, if a large number of students and staff bring more than one device, the infrastructure may not be able to support the load in terms of bandwidth and other factors which results in additional IT costs. For this reason, a solid BYOD policy must be well-defined to maintain control over this type of situation. Speak to your internal IT department, or a third party expert like Our ICT department for best advice.

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Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying has been on the rise and has become a global problem. Mobile devices and Internet access make it easier to engage in cyber bullying due to the anonymous nature of it. This means a strict BYOD policy must be put in place that spells out the consequences of cyber bullying during school hours and beyond. Many school districts already have a policy in place as the result of recent legal implications. However, this must be taken one step further when it comes to a Bring Your Own Device policy.

Broken, Lost, or Stolen Devices

If a device gets broken, lost, or stolen, it may be a challenge for parents to replace the device depending upon financial conditions. Additionally, if it happens on school grounds, a BYOD policy should define who is responsible and how the situation will be handled to ensure the student has access to a device for learning.

Also, some parents may refuse to purchase another device even if financial conditions are good. In this case, the school must have a “Plan B” in place to enable the student to continue to keep up with classroom work and assignments.

Are there any disadvantages of a BYOD policy?

The main concern behind BYOD that could be a distinct disadvantage is that learning apps and other digital tools may not be compatible with some of the devices. Not all learning apps and tools are universal which can cause problems with different types of devices and operating systems.

Also, it is highly possible that a teacher could end up spending time on troubleshooting technical problems with devices instead of running the classroom. Usually, this is not a skillset that most teachers have which is understandable. At the same token, technical problems can prove to be a disruption unless the school district has some type of technical support readily available.

Even in our current technology-infused society, there are still teachers that are intimidated by technology. Some teachers that are not tech savvy may refuse to implement interactive learning in the classroom because they fear not being able to use digital devices properly. Although most school districts provide training in this area, it still could prove to be a disadvantage.

What are the future implications of BYOD?

There is no doubt that personal computing has changed daily activities in human life forever. The inception of the tablet PC and smartphone makes the information revolution even more evident and ever-present in the lives of students and adults alike. In fact, the introduction of the tablet PC and smartphone has given everyone a glimpse into the future and what life will be like by the middle to late 21st century.

The impact of mobile devices on the lives of students and adults in our current environment is astounding and it is important to remember it is only the beginning. The field of education is currently experiencing the introduction of a wave of digital devices that have a bright future ahead for classroom learning. When you factor in the hints of next generation technology such as Google Glass and other types of devices, it will be an interesting ride to see how it influences the education sector.

Regardless, in this decade, it is of no lesser importance to teach children how to effectively implement current technologies as it is to teach them to use their own brains. To ignore the importance of current technology would be irresponsible on the part of educational institutions and learning. By acknowledging that mobile devices and other digital technology are a vital component of student’s lives and, by embracing the use of these tools, the education sector is opening doors for many students that ultimately lead to the core of the 21st century.

References:

Rolling out a BYOD policy – click here

Bring your own device for small businesses – click here

About the author:

As a former teacher, Nicola has extensive knowledge of the education sector and the growing role technology plays in educating our children.

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