As the district Technology Committee drafted our recently BOE-approved 2012-15 District Technology Plan, one of the recurring concepts we saw during our research and planning was creating a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) learning environment. As mobile computing devices from smartphones to tablets to laptops have gotten more portable and powerful, there’s no denying their potential as everyday learning tools, especially with the corresponding explosion of cloud-based applications and services such as GoogleDrive and Windows’ Skydrive. It’s reached a point where I don’t know of many districts that aren’t at least considering some type of BYOD program, as early adopters like Monroe, CT report success in meeting Common Core and National Educational Technology Standards through the use of mobile devices at the middle and high school levels. That’s not to say that there weren’t some bumps in the road for our friends to the west. On a recent visit to Monroe members of their district’s Technology Department stressed the importance of pilot programs, teacher preparation, and professional development in the rollout of a BYOD initiative. Learn more about Monroe’s experience with the BYOD pilot they conducted this year and how they plan to expand it next year here.
And here’s an article from theJournal making the case for BYOD and describing seven strategies to ensure connected students will tune in when learning with mobile technologies. I have to say, I’m not really comfortable with #5, but the author makes a pretty compelling case for mobile devices as vital learning tools.
Wanna dig deeper? Here’s a white paper I recently wrote for one of my online courses about mobile devices in the classroom. Let me know what you think. Share your comments, questions, and concerns below.
I believe we are on the edge of a huge change in education. Our students are growing up in the “digital age” and they are using technology every day. Our schools need to keep up with the development and move forward with what our students can do. I think it is important to look at it from several perspectives: the student, the parent and the teacher. The students need to know how to use the technology appropriately and when. I agree with the point in the article that classroom protocols should be set in conjunction with the students while district policies need to be established first. Just as our students will come in with different levels of understanding and skill, our teachers will also. Some are ready for wireless to be available tomorrow while others hope they retire before the change comes! With appropriate professional development, we can move all teachers forward, but I believe that specific PD is probably one of the most important criteria in making this a successful initiative. One article mentioned parents’ fears about the cost to their families. If they have multiple children, will they be required to purchase multiple ipads? What if they break? What resources are available through the district? As you can see, this topic raises a lot of questions, but it is an exciting time for all of us.
I agree…PD is the key.
As for cost to families, no one would be required to bring devices from home, but most will choose to do so. Our research is showing us that districts with demographics similar to Madison’s end up with about 75-80% participation rates, then the districts fill the gap with loaners. For these, some districts have offered insurance plans to parents (like, $30 per year) so they don’t have to pay for a replacement in the event their child accidentally breaks a device.
Can you please reference data that supports an improvement in student learning by allowing students to bring their own device into the classroom. The decision to implement the policy should be data driven.
Hey Paul, I agree that data definitely has its place in certain contexts in education. But not all. Since teaching diverse populations of students with countless learning profiles is not a hard science, I’m not so sure data would even be helpful in judging the efficacy of all learning processes, especially those that involve skills higher on Bloom’s taxonomy. Our students routinely score high on standardized tests. Does that necessarily prove that they are mastering the kind of learning that will serve them well when they graduate? I say no…many are engaged in meaningful learning despite our focus on CMT’s and CAPT. Our students excel because they have some amazing teachers who foster critical thinking and creative problem solving and engage them in learning tasks that are not designed in service to the test. By giving students more access to digital learning tools and resources, and control of their learning, we will be able to build upon our current successes and engage more students in more authentic, inquiry-based learning experiences.
I think the idea is very innovative. I love technology in the classroom and think it really can bring out students and staff together in ways never seen before. However, I do h ave some hesitations with how the use of the device is monitored without it being a privacy issue, and also, for those 20 or so percent that can’t afford their own device, how will this make them feel. I know they can get loaners, but it may be one more thing to divide some kids from the “crowd”.
I think it is wonderful that educators may, at long last, have the means and desire to step out of the 19th century teaching concept of learning through lecture and direct instruction. The opportunity to move away from memorizing unneeded facts and begin to focus, instead, on synthesizing and applying information in a meaningful way, opens up so many wonderful and exciting applications. The problems these students will face in the future will require them to be able to process information and find creative solutions quickly and effectively. I know that we, as educators, are up to the task and our students will rise to whatever challenges we give them. The idea that having one’s head in the clouds has taken on a whole new meaning. Let’s keep our minds open, learn what we need to, support each other, and move forward together.
If this were on Facebook, I would totally ‘like’ this comment. Right on, Fred!
Kathryn, with regard to cost, I agree it would be expensive for families with multiple children to purchase them all iPads. But one of the perks to BYOD is using the technology that many students already have. Many of the students already have smartphones and/or an iPod touch. These devices surf the Internet, enabling the students to do research, and work in google docs. While its not the answer to everything, it certainly enables them to do more than without the devices. Plus many students (not all) have laptops, a variety of tablets, or Kindles. I agree with the need for good professional development.
I enjoy reading all of your comments. However, I still do not see any data that points to increased student learning (depth of understanding). I am reading assumptions and speculation as to how students may change how they learn, but not whether or not the depth of what they learn will improve. We can agree to disagree on the value of data, but it is a baseline from which our decisions should be made. Otherwise, we are simply shooting at a moving target. I use “depth” since there is a shift from Bloom’s taxonomy to Depth of Knowledge. There are fundamental skills that can be learned the “old school way”, which help develop a firm foundation for future learning. That doesn’t make us archaic 19th century teachers. Why fix it if it’s not broken? BYOD is something I would expect to see in advanced high school courses or at the college/graduate level. I don’t disagree with the plethora of information accessible through the internet and affiliate platforms, but much of that information lacks depth. At this rate I should expect to offer high school classes as online classes. Why? perhaps it’s because they’re more stimulating? Mike, I challenge you to ask the veteran teachers if today’s students demonstrate the same mastery, proficiency, and critical thinking of students from 10 years ago. So, for me the struggle with technology at this age level is always going to be owning the knowledge or being able to acquire knowledge when I need it, and to be able to do that quicker than the other guy. My gut tells me that owning knowledge is far more reliable and personally rewarding – two characteristics that I feel the younger generation lacks immensely.
Paul, you express some really valid concerns here. Quite recently I’ve witnessed deep learning and critical thinking by 8th grade US History students engaged in projects that involved research and web-based multimedia applications. And because these projects were more student-centered than traditional assessments, the students owned the knowledge and their engagement told me they found this learning experience personally rewarding. I hope others weigh in here to answer your question about student mastery and critical thinking compared to 10 years ago. I’m sure we’ll get a variety of answers, but something to consider is whether those students who show less deep learning than those who came before them are less engaged because they are routinely processing information in ways that are removed from the world they live in outside of school…we live in a digital age. I’m not suggesting that all “old school” methods are archaic or not useful. Marzano’s big 9 instructional strategies feature some tried and true old school activities like note-taking, and we need such strategies to lay down that foundational knowledge, absolutely. And we still need to give students traditional formative assessments. What I am suggesting is that we may need a broader conception of student achievement that doesn’t rely so heavily on traditional means of collecting data. Instead, I think we need to offer more performance or project-based assessments that measure student achievement differently.
Regarding online classes, to me that’s not what digital learning is all about. There’s just too much learning that happens in face to face interactions in our classrooms. Online courses are great for learners that are really independent and highly motivated, which is why many colleges offer courses that are conducted entirely online, but for our younger learners, they need their teachers to guide them in classroom settings as they explore new learning concepts and applications of these concepts in both digital and traditional environments. It’s becoming a cliche, but it rings true: Instead of routinely acting as the ‘sage on the stage’, 21st century teachers are acting more and more as the ‘guide on the side.’
Here’s a useful link on the kind of 21st century learning environments that are fostered by BYOD. In it the authors address student achievement, just not with hard data. http://www.p21.org/storage/documents/le_white_paper-1.pdf
Such a rich topic! I see the shift happening in some classrooms. Check out this link http://www.schooltube.com/video/e87e1a9c71c543569502/Learning%20to%20Change,%20Changing%20to%20Learn
A poignant quote at the end of the video clip: “The death of education, but the dawn of learning.”