BYOD... Will it work!!

Walk down the halls of any high school, middle school and some elementary schools and tell me what the first thing you see is...cell phones, tablets, IPads.  Technology is around every corner in a school and in the hands of many of our students.  In the elementary school where I work, children in kindergarten have even been seen with a cell phone. With all this technology around, we question why more schools are not implementing a Bring Your Own Device policy.  The International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) has even developed standards for measuring technology proficiency for students, teachers, administrators and coaches. Today's students are "native" to technology.  Many of our preschoolers can use an iphone or IPad better than we can as adults, so why not harness this use of technology and allow students to bring and use these devices in the classroom.

Patricia Bruder lists a variety of advantages of letting students use their own devices:

            * Conduct research
            * Participate in audience response systems
            * Interactive lessons implementing photo and video sharing

* Incorporating games like Angry Birds and Minecraft can teach physics, creative
               thinking, math and more.

*Students can listen to background music while working independently to avoid      

  distractions.

While these devices can be beneficial to enhancing a student’s education, they can also have a negative impact on student learning.

            *Students can become easily distracted while using their device.
            *Networks and servers can become slow due to all the students who are trying to access
            *Students have more opportunities to cheat

And what about our low income students… If they can’t afford to have their own device, what impact will this have on their social status?  It is possible that these students will become isolated from others based on their lack of the current technology.  Do schools want to hold the responsibility for creating a negative social status for a student?  These students already struggle based on their ability to own certain items, so now we are adding one more thing.

Regardless of the positives and negatives, there are other questions to consider prior to beginning a BYOD program.  As an administrator it is important to hear the views of the parents.  While some parents might welcome the idea, others will be hesitant to allow their child to bring a mobile device to school.  Who will be accountable if a device gets stolen or damaged?  How do we regulate cyberbulling, cheating and other inappropriate use?  The Cyberbulling Research Center has developed a list of possible rules for students and their devices. 

As a school begins to develop their BYOD policy, they must do their research first and do what is in the best interest of their school and community.  BYOD can be beneficial to ALL students when implemented appropriately and cautiously.