The implementation and development of educational technologies has come a long way. What started as a few-and-far-between privilege for students has grown into a necessity for preparing children for the modern world. The EdTech movement has gained so much steam, in fact, that now many schools and districts are doing everything they can to ensure that each student has access to their own personal devices to maximize learning potential. Enter the BYOD movement.

The Pros and Cons of BYOD

If implemented right, the Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Movement can actually be transformed into a legitimate 21st century education system. If you ask many of today’s teachers, a lot will instantly agree that mobile technology and modern-day instruction are like two peas in a pod. Having technology available as an aid to supplement key concepts and help students explore learning on much deeper levels is key to shaping 21st century learners. The advantages of BYOD initiatives extend for teachers, students and even administrators, who all have the same goal of excelling in a 21st century learning environment. Technology in the classroom opens up a host of options from strengthening distance  learning to enhancing student collaboration and, with the mobility that today’s tools have, the possibilities are only increasing.

BYOD initiatives offer a fresh approach to learning in the 21st century, but, since it is a relatively new concept, there are still some kinks to be worked out. First, though, let’s focus on the positives. BYOD policies are easy for schools to create and enable both teachers and students to use their own personal devices in the classroom, allowing for a max level of comfort and a substantially reduced learning curve. These devices permit increased classroom capabilities, foster efficient parent-to-teacher communication and create equality by ensuring that underprivileged students have access to the same resources. Aside from that, when students bring their own technology to class, schools do not face the added expense of equipping students with the tools they need for learning, the children get acquainted with tech at an early age with numerous long-term benefits and learning becomes much more personalized.

It’s not all fine and dandy, however, and, as we said earlier, many BYOD programs face some initial hiccups before flourishing in the classroom. The most common fear is that having access to their devices at school will become a huge distraction for students. Then, there’s also the concern over security hacks and the sobering reality that many K-12 schools do not have the bandwidth to support a room full of connected devices. Teachers can counteract these problems in many different ways. They first need to establish a firm strategy for integrating and supporting the BYOD program. This could include working with parents to make sure that students do not come to school with distracting apps on their devices and setting parameters for appropriate usage times in the classroom. It may sound challenging, but, when executed properly, BYOD is a force to be reckoned with in 21st century teaching and learning.

Why BYOD Makes Sense

Education is undergoing a large-scale shift when it comes to technology in the classroom. Many of the educators who steadfastly opposed teaching with technology, especially students’ personal devices, are now firm believers in its effectiveness. BYOD has proven to be a credible movement and is, therefore, picking up steam in mainstream education systems. Its widespread adoption is fueling a much more modern approach to learning despite some of the minor drawbacks associated with the process. You might say, that in the modern world, the good outweighs the bad.

So, why should EdTech-minded schools consider this shift in their teaching methods? For starters, in most school systems, where funds are often low, students bringing their own technology tools to school is a huge economic benefit for the schools. Presumably, student devices are durable enough that they will never require any maintenance either. Plus, most students probably already have a smartphone or tablet at their house and you can bet they’re probably up to date with the latest software and most recent versions of applications. Most importantly, though, is the fact that the students will have used their devices for a while before bringing them into the classroom, so they should be totally familiar with them, essentially eliminating the pesky learning curve often associated with technology.

Then, there’s the fact that students have grown up using technology and most will admit a love for their smart devices. Teachers can use this as an advantage to get kids truly excited about learning. Being awarded the privilege of getting to use their phone for a lesson definitely provides a new motivation for them to be engaged. Also, learning with technology and mobile apps in the classroom encourages additional learning outside the classroom. Since kids would continue to have access to the same content once they return home, they’ll more than likely continue playing, programming or tinkering with the fun tools they used in class. And, finally, browser options on devices give students access to a wealth of online resources all from their seat. The Internet has a lot to offer and technology enables students to access these tools, becoming true 21st century students in the process.

What to Consider When Going ‘BYOD’

Two of the most important things to remember when embarking on a BYOD initiative are that it will probably not go perfectly and that other teachers have probably faced similar struggles. Mobile devices in the classroom can be good for education as apps and connectivity can do a lot in increasing retention and engagement among students. It’s when teachers have a predetermined plan in place, though, and they stick to it flawlessly, that BYOD is most effective. If you remain optimistic and heed some (or all) of these suggestions, it should be a much smoother transition into the BYOD world of 21st century learning!

The first thing to address is suitability. The teachers are the facilitators during BYOD initiatives although there is a much greater focus on student participation and interactivity. To that end, teachers need to do some research to find apps and sites that are compatible with more than one device since, chances are, there will be a wide representation of devices coming into the classroom. And, that large number of connected devices? It could slow the school’s network down to a crawl. Prior planning procedure dictates that some sort of test be done—involve people from the IT department if need be—to determine whether or not the network will be able to support some 20 or 30 devices being connected at one time.

Also, remember that the point of BYOD is not to save money by avoiding having to provide students with computers. You don’t want to create an unequal learning environment, so BYOD should supplement 1:1 programs, rather than replacing them. Since the essence of educational technology lies in its ability to transform learning through unlimited sharing powers, student devices should create simple opportunities for sharing and printing. Setting up a class Dropbox folder might be the best way to allow everyone to share and receive feedback—plus it will be way easier on paperless grading! And, finally, the issue that everyone wants to tackle: inappropriate use of the devices. Well, the solution to that is quite simple. Make sure that the content is compelling enough that students will not want to be using their devices for distractions. Easy-peasy.

IT Solutions to BYOD Problems

At this point, you might be leaning toward sparking your own BYOD initiative in your school or district and we hope you are! The challenges are only problematic if you don’t learn from them, but with the proper guidance and wisdom from those who have gone before you, you should be confident that it will go smoothly. It is almost guaranteed, however, that there will be one or two minor hiccups through no fault of your own. That’s right, nobody has forgotten the days of IT issues when loading a YouTube video or launching a Power Point presentation stored on a flash drive. Here’s what you do when the technology fails and BYOD gets off to a slightly bumpy start.

As we have said, a lot of the times, BYOD success lies in the strength of the school’s network. District networks as well as guest networks have each been proven to work effectively—all students need is a user ID and to agree to terms and conditions, making for a quick sign-on process. For the times when device make and model are a concern (like in group work), the best thing to do to ensure compatibility and maximize collaboration is to run browser-based software. This allows students to access all the same Web-based files as long as they are on a browser. As for sharing, which can pose challenges during in-class presentations, the best way to work around them is to have students upload their work to a shared Google Drive folder.

There are also smaller considerations teachers should think about in order to create a flawless BYOD experience. For instance, they might overlook this, but recharging stations are important to have in the classroom. You don’t want someone to be unable to participate or creating chaos trying to work with someone else for the duration of an activity. Then, of course, you might need to supply a few extra chargers since, you know, that’s something that students will probably forget at home on a regular basis. Either ensure that devices are charging in the morning for afternoon use or encourage active learning as kids get up and leave their desks so that they can access their plugged-in devices. The more you know…

So, What Do We Think?

Instead of just reporting on the facts and trends like we usually do, we thought that this week, we’d offer an opinion on BYOD. Sure, there are plenty of cases being made by educators and parents alike as to why BYOD is good, bad or, in some cases, a mixed bag. Being the technology advocates that we are, however, we’re going to have to lean toward siding with the BYOD proponents. The way the tech-centered world is shaping and influencing our daily lives has become far too important and prevalent to ignore and maximizing learning with technology is a huge opportunity for today’s students.

We believe that technology is the literacy of the 21st century and in-class exposure and exploration using tech as a learning enhancer gives students the greatest chance to succeed. When students bring their own devices to class, it seems that everyone benefits—especially more so than they suffer. Kids become more excited about new ways of learning and, consequentially, become more engaged throughout the school day. This, of course, makes teachers happy as they are better able to relate to their students and solidify their grasp of the material. Even administrators reap the benefits of BYOD. When kids supply their own technology, that’s far less money the school has to spend to adequately equip them for 21st century success!

We could go back and forth and argue the benefits and drawbacks all day long, but we know it’s essentially impossible to get everyone to agree. What it mainly boils down to for us is the preparatory aspect that learning with technology gives students. It prepares them for a world designed to support and function through technology and rewards those people who can apply their hands-on knowledge to solving scientific problems. BYOD gives young students a basic but important tech foundation—one that could ultimately wind up being extremely important to their success. We’re all in.

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