How BYOD Has Changed Education
With technology advancing seemingly everyday in 2018, educators have been forced to take note and by bringing more and more technology into their classrooms. The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) initiative has been pouring into school rapidly over the past decade, and I wanted to look at the changes in education that have occurred since students have been able to bring their own mobile device to school.
Ashley Wainwright and Corey Murray both wrote posts containing pros and cons of implementing BYOD in schools. In order to fully comprehend BYOD's positive and negative impacts, you must look at both sides of the argument to see what side of the fence you believe in more. Let's look at the 5 biggest pros and 5 biggest cons that both writers mention:
Pros
- Students are already familiar and comfortable using their own technology so they can focus on actually learning with them than learning how to use the device.
- It’s a cost-effective way to save schools money on technology.
- With BYOD students are more likely to continue learning outside of schools hours.
- Students love technology so BYOD promotes teacher creativity and engages students by creating enthusiasm and excitement about learning.
- BYOD allows more opportunities for more personalized learning where students can excel at their own pace.
Cons
- Students may be more easily distracted while working on their own mobile devices.
- All these mobile devices can overload your wireless network.
- It possibly opens up the opportunity for cheating and virus being brought onto the school's network.
- Students forget to bring their mobile devices OR forget to charge their devices.
- Some teacher may resist teaching with technology.
There is no doubt in my mind that the Pros definitely outweigh the Cons for the BYOD initiative. In order for educators to eliminate the negative impacts of BYOD, teachers must be open to changing for the better education of their students and also display good classroom management skills when it comes to technology. Those are easy fixes that just take an educator who is willing to self reflect on their own teaching and be willing to do whatever it takes to enhance learning for all students!
Do you agree with me that the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to BYOD changing the landscape of education?
The positives definitely outweigh the negatives. Many schools have built up their networks to keep up with the demand. As far as distractions go, as long as the lessons are engaging the students will work to stay focused. No student really wants to fail, if they are allowed to use their personal device, which they are familiar with, to participate in an engaging task that sparks their interest, the distractions should decline. Furthermore, with the use of IPADs more and more in classrooms, more teachers are now accepting this new wave of technology.
ReplyDeleteNick, I agree! Students tend to stay more focused if they are familiar with the device they are using as compared to using a school issued device. Granted, with how in tune kids are with technology these days, it would probably take them very little time to become acquainted with the school technology. Like you said, no student wants to fail. With a BYOD policy in place, along with a good understanding of classroom expectations, students will arise to the opportunity to gain the trust you placed in them when they use their personal devices.
DeleteI think a wonderful thing that happens in my classroom is when the students know shortcuts or ways to navigate through apps quicker than I do! I love it when the student becomes the teacher!
DeleteThe more clear expectations and follow through a teacher has, the less likely those cons are able to pop up in their classroom.
I totally agree that teachers need to be students sometimes - and use the computer know-how that students have to keep up with the current tech trends. Teens and pre-teens live on the internet. They're better at it than even I am.... and I'm in my 20s. Stepping back and being the student is also beneficial to our kids. Being able to teach something uses so many critical thinking and communication skills!
DeleteThe pros of using BYOD definitely outweigh the cons! Use your classroom management plan and be a proximity teacher. Students do stay on task if the teacher is constantly circulating the classroom. This also eliminates giving them the opportunity to cheat. Hopefully, teachers can keep up with the changing technology. If not, chances are they may become as outdated as typewriters or VHS's.
ReplyDeleteRick,
DeleteI agree about being in proximity to all students. Don't give them a chance to think that your aren't paying attention to them. Circulating the room is a must.
Rick,
DeleteI agree that teachers need to keep up to date with changing technology! I've learned very quickly in my 3 years of teaching that education evolves so quickly and what we do now, might not be the best way to approach things in 5 years! In order to be the most effective teacher possible, one must be willing to change with the times and nothing is more prevalent that the evolution of technology in education!
Rick,
DeleteWe can't always blame the student for being off task, sometimes we have to ask whether we helped the situation or not. If I am up moving around the classroom and someone is trying to be sneaky, at least you were putting in effort to stop it. If a kid is doing what they aren't supposed to be doing and I am at my desk not caring then I invoked the situation. Also, it is important for the teacher to use technology in the classroom on a regular basis and give the students the opportunity to explore.
I totally agree that off-task behavior is on the teacher. If using tech, teachers need to set up an environment that supports activities that are engaging enough and classroom management that prevents off-task behavior.
DeleteThe pros of using BYOD outweigh the negatives in the classroom. The shift from the way the classroom used to run into how it runs today is a complete 180. Technology has completely reshaped the classroom the past 10 years and almost every school is shifting to giving the students technology. The learning that can be done with a kid using technology in the classroom is limitless. If the teacher just teaches out of the book, you are limiting the students learning capabilities to only what is in the book. There are negatives to BYOD, but the positives unlocks immense potential for what the student and the teacher can do in the classroom.
ReplyDeleteRyan,
DeleteNot to mention many states are no longer funding text books. This may lead to what needs to be the most important professional development in the careers of all of those mid to late career teachers. The youth have an advantage because they grew up with it, but if you are like me and just old enough to have not developed your skills with technology growing up, then you need to be coached up on how to use it effectively in the classroom.
Ryan,
DeleteI liked your point about unlocking immense potential in students. That is one of the major contributions that technology has changed in education. Students are now able to write blogs, create webpages, and collaborate much easier than before. The possibilities seem endless when it comes to showcasing students' knowledge and understanding of material.
I agree with everyone here - BYOD is mostly positive! But educators need to keep their classroom management and their activities tight in order to support this new type of learning. I have seen amazing student work come from students using their own devices. Their phones are constantly in their hands. I directly teach my students that the device they hold is such a powerful tool for learning and exploring. I model how to inquire and search on the internet as well as how to present information in new and exciting ways. I've heard students mimicking my language, saying things like, "Your phone isn't just for crushing candy, find something to learn on it!" Haha, sometimes you think they're not listening until they start teaching each other.
ReplyDeleteLynn,
ReplyDeleteSo true! Technology and devices have the capability to extend learning for all students beyond what we could have ever dreamed! However, it can be a scary situation sometimes knowing that students have access to trillions of things on the internet right at their finger tips. But as you said, providing a inviting culture and displaying great classroom management will take that education and blast our student into being great 21st century learners!