Media (is) the Message?
Technology can be a great tool for learning.
I have always been a classroom teacher at a Title 1 school and we have never had BYOD, Bring Your Own Device. My youngest son is in 7th grade and his math teacher will send out a Remind 101 when they can bring their phone or iPad to class for a special project. My middle son, is a freshman at a private school for students with emotional problems. Most of his classes are on-line. This can be positive because he has trouble with handwritten work and he can work at his own pace. The negative is that he can feel that he is not as connected to his peers and some teachers.
I found a great article about BYOD titled, "9 Strategies for Managing BYOD in Classroom." Just as I was taking some notes, I realized that they mentioned my school district Cypress Fairbanks ISD, saying that high school students can bring three devices to school. Here are the 9 strategies:
1. Provide teacher training. Popular teacher items are Google classroom and PollEverywhere (whole class responses).
2. Provide buying guide for parents.
3. Provide school devices for students who don't have one.
4. Have a code of conduct.
5. Require use of school network.
6. Allow text and social media between classes.
7. Use classroom management software
8. Provide expert technical support.
9. Remember that devices are tools.
Librarians can help support using technology by providing resources to teachers. Teachers are very busy and appreciate librarians who can suggest apps, websites, or e-books that match their curriculum needs.
Budget constraints are always a factor with technology. It is very expensive, and it quickly becomes outdated. Sometimes, the quality of the technology is not high enough and teachers and students become frustrated. Also, there needs to be expert, technical support so teachers feel that the technology is reliable.
In Meyer's Mobile Computing article, she makes this important statement, "Regardless of what happens with BYOD in
the classroom, it’s important to keep the
focus on education rather than technology. "
Meyer, L. (2016). 9 Strategies for Managing BYOD in the Classroom. T H E Journal, 43(6), 24.
Shannon,
ReplyDeleteI like that your comments on strategies for BYOD includes a buyer's guide for parents. There are definitely differences in devices and some are much more suitable for classroom use than others. This is a great idea for schools that are not providing devices but allowing students to bring their own.
Shannon,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the strategies and including what is seen at your children's schools. I am at a Title 1 school also, so we do want our kids to work with technology, but I don't think we would move to a BYOD just yet. I am glad to see how other campuses are working with technology and it gives great insight as to how else we can help work with our kids.- Karina Arroyos.
I never thought about providing a buyer's guide to the students and guardians. This will definitely help with the decision making and trying to have some common ground on what devices students bring to school. Great blog!
ReplyDelete--Debra Menchaca
I love what your district is doing & that they actually have rules attached to bring your own device. I do believe that slowly but surely, the majority of school districts will become a BYOD school. Technology isn't going away and so making sure students understand when and how to use in a respectful manner is vital.
ReplyDeleteI also came from a BYOD district. One of the rules that we had that surprised me was the "Allow texting and social media between classes," rule like you mentioned. The truth is our students will probably be doing this whether we allow them to or not. By giving them the opportunity to do it between classes, it may decrease inappropriate use during class. Our district also gave an example, that students can send a quick text to a friend instead of trying to meet up with that friend and then being late for class.
ReplyDeleteI believe teacher training is critical! To just hand a device to a teacher and watch her navigate the tool like a newborn puppy with her eyes closed is detrimental. I see the difference training makes. It gives teachers knowledge and confidence. And if principals don't support that training, teachers will not implement.
ReplyDelete