by G. Kirchmyer
For good or for bad, cell-phones, netbooks, and laptops replace pens, paper, and notebooks of times-past. As parents, educators, and community leaders, we fight for the best our world can offer our young people, but maybe it's time we stop fighting - at least on this issue. Kids love technology; they embrace it; they enjoy it, and, frankly, many of them don't know nearly as much about it as they think they do! I say it's time we put our money where our mouth is.... Oh, wait, I mean, put their money where our mouth is! BYOD is an initiative that is beginning to move through our country. Essentially, it entails allowing students to bring their own technology devices to school as "learning tools." This can solve a lot of problems for education. For one, this can help to lessen the effects of our never-ending battle with low funding. Some critics think that BYOD will cause districts to take on the mentality that schools are fine without their help, but that won't happen: BYOD isn't the be-all-end-all. It's just a tool; it's ONE strategy in our bag of tricks. Since no school will have 100% of the students bringing technology 100% of the time, we can't count on this. So, you might wonder, "Why bother with it?" Because, the technology that students own can still help them to move forward and make significant academic gains. It won't solve all of our problems, but it can solve a lot of problems for a lot of kids. And what about those left out? Well, there are solutions. See the Positives, Negatives, & Solutions in the right column for more details on that! For now, here are some things other people are saying about the BYOD initiative: “This kind of unconventional approach to schooling, in a public school system that’s tangled with strict rules and regulations, was one of the tactics being hailed this week when President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan spoke about the importance of bringing schools to the 21st century by finding smart ways to integrate technology into the learning process at the inaugural Digital Learning Day.” (Barseghlan, 2012) "Many of the issues being associated with BYOD policies are already existing issues, and tying them to the technology isn’t accurate or fair. For example, cheating is already an issue; new policies don’t really need to be written for this problem. Also, texting is similar to passing notes, a classroom disruption, so keeping phone use restricted isn’t going to eliminate this issue. Technology leaders at BYOD schools say, a fear of problems such as access to inappropriate online content, digitally enhanced cheating, and rampant classroom distractions can lead districts to overthink, and worse, overwrite corresponding policy adjustments to stifle creative implementation of the devices.” (Quillen, 2011) "Bring Your Own Device is a logical response to the cost of technology implementation. But perhaps more critically, BYOD allows learners to use the technology they’re most comfortable with, and in the spirit of compromise, organizations are increasingly willing to help foot the bill. And while equity is a concern, ... 85% of students and adults own a smartphone capable of fulfilling learning requirements." (Walsh, 2012) In Hamilton County, Tennessee, our district states that it wants to prepare our students to compete in a global economy. In today's global economy, technological literacy is a must, especially if one plans to advance. Technology is used in nearly every field: airlines, telecommunications, healthcare, steel work, electricity, and countless others. According to a report from the Alliance for Excellent Education, students need to be receiving "learner-centered" instruction, but this approach "will not succeed without a cultural shift throughout the education system that includes maximizing the potential of digital learning to meet students' needs." This is an important to consider in meeting the district's literacy plan: "literacy" includes technology. In a global perspective, our students need to be ready and able to use technology for uses other than game-playing and social media; BYOD can help ease that transition. BYOD is making drastic differences with struggling, special education, and young students, but it works well for the “average kid” and the advanced student at the secondary level as well. At SMMHS we are already on track for a smooth segue into this practice: our administrators are using iPads, there is talk of all of our teachers using them as well, and many of our staff bring and use their own devices; the next step is logical. Primarily, our kids have technology and bring it often (if not daily) already. Making this an acceptable practice can enable students to have more opportunities to take advantage of the classroom outside of the classroom. So, how do we make this happen?
| This is what BYOD often looks like in my classroom. This is an example of students "taking notes." Positives
Negatives:
Solutions:
Warning: *Don’t expect to implement the policy with no training for teachers. “‘Without proper planning, implementation and professional development,’ explained Andrea Prejean, associate director of the National Education Association’s education policy and practice department, ‘BYOD may not work as people had hoped. And guess what? The teacher will probably get blamed. It’s not fair that schools invite students to bring these devices and expect student achievement to improve just because these technologies are in the classroom.’” (Chadband, 2012) It's important for us to remember that without appropriate implementation of this program, it will not make a difference in instruction or student achievement; it will just be another hassle. Teachers MUST use the technology in their instruction, and they must use it appropriately (i.e.: they shouldn't assign things in which students need to be able to write a paper, but they're working on their cell-phone). This is why teacher training is so integral to the success of this endeavor. Bibliography
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