To BYOD or not to BYOD....

28/2/2018

It is fairly difficult to ignore the importance of technology in education these days. As well as enhancing the learning experience, the development of technology related skills and knowledge is now essential for learners. In Australia, the importance placed on developing these skills resulted in the Digital Technologies subject being added to our national curriculum.

But how do schools deliver technology enriched learning to students? Trolleys of shared devices can only get the quality of the experience so far and are a nightmare to manage. A fully immersive experience ideally requires students to work with their own device. 1:1 student to device ratios are the dream but hard to achieve for many schools.

Enter the BYOD solution....Bring Your Own Device! Seems ideal....right? And it does have the potential to be - but there is a reason I jokingly refer to it as Bring Your Own Disaster.....

Change doesn't happen overnight.....and change with technology takes more time than most things. While I look back at how far the school has come, it has taken a number of years to get there.

A bit of history...

2018 is my fourth year in a technology leadership role at my school. In that time I have overseen the expansion of the BYOD program from Year 6 down to Year 3. Up until this year, iPads were the required device in our BYOD classrooms. In 2018, as the program expanded down into Year 3, the decision was made to switch to a full Windows device with the aim of eventually phasing out our student iPads. There were several reasons behind the switch and this is certainly not a blog comparing the pros and cons of different devices. Despite the migration to Windows devices for student use, iPads will continue to have a presence on the Primary Campus and in our Maker Space.

Weighing it up

So, having just this year launched BYOD in Year 3 and after my experiences with it over the last few years, what are my thoughts?

THE PROS

It is offers a genuine solution for schools that cannot afford to provide students with sufficient devices to have any real impact
Students learn to look after and manage their own technology - let's face it, this is a life skill these days.
Students are working on a familiar device which can also be customised to their needs, including the needs of learners with disabilities.
It allows IT budgets to be spent on developing better infrastructure in schools to support classrooms of devices and other technology equipment.
The quality of the learner experience on 1:1 devices cannot be beaten.
It provides greater opportunities for collaboration with peers and faster feedback from teachers.
It enables anywhere, anytime learning - including the potential for flipped learning.

THE CONS

Without explicit specifications, you can end up with a really mixed bag of devices, using different operating systems and with different capabilities.
Classroom teachers are faced with the added stresses of charging, storage and troubleshooting student problems. It often represents a big learning curve for educators in terms of application and pedagogy.
The sudden influx of students devices has a real impact on school Wi-Fi and internet capabilities. Planning ahead to improve this capability is essential.
More devices often means the need for more support personnel.
Accidents happen and things get broken. Policy documents and need to be created and shared to ensure clarity in these situations.
Technology provides another potential avenue for misconduct, bullying and online safety risks. User agreements, expectations and suitable eSafety curriculum have to be included in the vision.
A lack of parent knowledge and skill with technology can mean that you will end up having to assist a lot more than you think.

My advice

The BYOD solution to school 1:1 technology implementation is a totally viable option, but it comes with a cost to all involved. Families have to shoulder the cost. This can be a very big ask, especially for families with more than 1 student at a school. Schools need to amp up their training and tech support to keep it afloat. It takes a lot of time and manpower (or in my case, womanpower) to get everything running smoothly. Teachers also have the added pressures of troubleshooting technology and integrating it effectively into their practice.

Can it be done? Yes, it can. I don't think I have it perfect by a long shot, but compared to a couple years ago, I am actually pretty proud of our progress. For those thinking of taking steps towards BYOD:

Plan ahead. I cannot stress this enough. Get stakeholders involved. Consult with the parent community. Give LOTS of notice. Develop user agreements and policy documents. Really think about the specifications you want.
Work on infrastructure now. It's no good getting devices into schools and not having the network capable of supporting them.
Build your champion network of teachers. Provide opportunities for professional development and support them as much as you can. They will determine if the program sinks or swims at the end of the day.
Understand that this is going to take some time to work...be patient and persistent.
Share the success and promote what BYOD and 1:1 programs can help students to achieve. Build a positive culture around technology.

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