“Bring Your Own Device” Initiatives on the Rise

Katherine Haber from SmartBlog on Education recently asked readers and educators to express what the major trends will be in education for 2013; according to Education News, a majority reported that they felt that increasing technology use in classrooms will be a major focus. While a large portion of the teachers that responded said that they use technology fairly regularly during instruction, only a small percentage have “strong” connections between classroom learning and technology engagement.

With games, social media and computer testing gaining popularity in the classroom, schools are struggling to keep up with the demand for technology. As a result, many schools are adopting “Bring Your Own Device” policies so that students can use their personal smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices to enhance learning.

Technology Abounds

The Huffington Post reports that increasing technology purchasing in schools has become impossible with the budget cuts happening in districts across the nation. However, many students already own their own mobile devices, like smartphones, that are Internet enabled. Mobile devices allow students to conduct research, create presentations and reports, communicate with classmates and teachers outside of school hours, and even store textbooks virtually. A number of districts in Northeast Mississippi are busy drafting “bring your own technology” policies in order to address the needs of 21st-century learners.

According to Jackie Ford, the New Albany Superintendent, “If school districts are not looking at things like that, they are going to fall behind.” Currently, many districts have policies that prohibit cell phone usage during school hours, so some policies need to be updated to allow devices for academic purposes. However, in order to prevent students from abusing these privileges, policies must be carefully written with measures put into place to prevent devices from being used inappropriately.

Setting Boundaries

In an Education Week article, Robin Flanagan explains how some schools are working to prevent the misuse of technology in schools. Forsyth County, Georgia schools have adopted “bring your own device (BYOD)” policies and have found the results to be predominantly positive. The director of instructional technology, Jill Hobson, reports that the BYOD policies have increased student achievement and have encouraged teachers to use more innovative teaching methods. The ability to use mobile devices for learning also greatly benefits students with disabilities.

With these benefits come new issues and concerns, according to the Consortium for Social Networking, like cyberbullying, hacking and potential for damage to student property. To combat potential problems, districts in Fairfax, Virginia, have students and parents sign technology responsibility and usage agreements. The district also employs a color-coding scheme so that students know when and where they can use their mobile devices. The cafeteria is a green zone that allows open use of devices while hallways are yellow zones where devices must be out of sight. Principal Jay Pierce has found the system to be effective, stating, “It's just created a clearer playing field for kids. Are we perfect? No. But this has freed us from a whole lot of energy that was going into suppressing devices, taking them away and applying consequences. In the end, that was very contradictory to the ultimate goal of taking advantage of what these devices can offer.”

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