BYOD Pilot Readying for Takeoff | Fusion Finds We are preparing to pilot a BYOD Program here at our High School. It is our goal to facilitate the implementation of 1:1 access for our students. This should allow teachers and students to use technology on a full time basis, more ubiquitously, since they won’t have to rely on access to class sets netbooks or laptops, or access to a lab. It will make the use of technology more transparent and authentic. Research has shown that one-to-one programs that bring technology into the classroom: increase student engagementcomplement project-based activitieshelp increase the quality and quantity of students’ writingpromote the interpersonal and teamwork skills required for collaborative workallow teachers to more easily monitor students’ mastery and application of skills and conceptslead to higher overall interaction with classroom material from students A committee has been researching, discussing and planning the project for several months now. This is just a pilot program this school year.
Bloom’s Taxonomy – A Parent’s Guide “Bloom’s Taxonomy” is one of those terms that a parent may not necessarily be familiar with, however, it is very important. It is a central concept to know how to use it at home in conjunction with learning activities to help your child expand their critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills allow a child to thinking independently, find and fix mistakes, solve problems, evaluate alternatives, and reflect on their own beliefs. It’s not something that can be learned from reading a book or completing a worksheet, however the skills are built through hands-on lessons that build beyond basic rote memorization of facts. Bloom’s Taxonomy provides learning levels to increase higher order thinking skills for children of all ages. Remember & Understand The Remember and Understand levels are where most teachers and parents typically ask questions of their children. Apply & Analyze Evaluate & Create Articles to Learn More about Using Bloom’s Taxonomy at Home Picture By 4nitsirk
Building an Effective School BYOD Plan Cybersafety Information for parents Each of the sites below is organised for various users, and parents will find information of use under sections for young people and for teachers. Cybersafety & Cyberbullying - A guide for parents and caregivers 1.2M: This guide published by the department provides important information for parents about cybersafety and cyberbullying. It suggests what parents and caregivers could do if their child is the target of, or is responsible for, inappropriate online behaviour. How Cybersmart are you? video is designed to help parents navigate through the online world of their teenagers and provides strategies on how to protect their children from potential online risks. ABC Technology Explained website - provides extensive information about all types of communication technology. Australian Mobile Telecommunications Authority Tips for parents: Bullying with Mobile Phones - is your child a victim? ThinkUKnow Who's chatting to your kids? Surf Safely online safety tips. Stay Smart Online Cybersafety brochure
Our BYOD Policy and Process Our school is in the midst of piloting BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) with students. I like the way we've done the pilot- we basically opened it up for students before creating an official policy. By doing this, we were able to see problems or issues come up naturally. So our process has looked like this: Start school, give students the password to the wireless and allow them to access the network with their devices. So here is what we came up with- hopefully the process we went through and the policy itself can help steer you in your own directions with BYOD- feel free to use any ideas herein (and definitely check out the policies and ideas above): JN Fries Bring-Your-Own-Device (BYOD) Policy Technology plays a large role in our students’ lives. General Info Access to the JN Fries wireless network, whether with school-provided or personal devices, is filtered in compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Guidelines for use Consequences for Misuse/Disruption
Parenting Tips for the Digital Age Parents had enough to worry about before their children could bully each other online, meet dangerous strangers without leaving the house, and switch between tasks at a rapid-fire pace. Some parents have even questioned whether their children will ever be able to concentrate. In a world where, according to one survey, 81% of toddlers have an online presence by the time they are two, most parents are still confused about how to best manage their children's relationship with technology. Author Scott Steinberg attempts to answer their questions in a new series of high-tech parenting books called The Modern Parent's Guide. The first volume, Kids and Video Games, went online as a free download this week. Internet, Web and Online Safety; Facebook and Social Networks; Smartphones and Apps; and Digital Music, Movies and Entertainment will follow within the next year. How has technology changed parenting? A wide range of products monitor children on their mobile phones and the Internet.
They’re Coming from the Cloud and They’re There to Help: The New Digital Hall Davidson, Distinguished Lecturer and an amazing tech guru began his presentation by defining terms because they define us. Early “stuff” existed in itself, like floppy disks, CD Roms, flashdrives, a wired network but then progress. Now we can deliver that same information because we have more devices that move around, wirelessly. Wi-Fi and mobile networks changed how we work, so we had to rethink our definition because we have THE CLOUD. Everything goes there now. Think about how Hollywood delivered content just 1 year ago, or how Walmart is advertising their ability to put your digital content in the cloud. Think about carrying your content in a backpack. As we move into the cloud, differentiation and individualization happens. Ever notice people watching their devices. DE's Digital Techbook Discovery Education Techbooks are not just another ebook. Image Cite: Your devices are backpacks, cloud carrying content.
Parenting By iPad: What Are The Rules Time was when there were different rules for the many different bits of equipment that might educate or distract a child. Way back then, the telephone was kept in a central location, so Mom and Dad could know how much time you spent gabbing with your friends. If you were lucky, it had a really long cord so you could pull it around a corner or behind a closed door. The television was also a communal thing. A typewriter, though, was allowed anytime. Today, a single seductive machine serves all these purposes. If you haven't needed to answer that question already, you will any minute now. And what are these not-yet-12-year-olds using their tablets for? So in the not-quite-two-years since the iPad was introduced, then, we have gone from zero (percentage of parents I'd bet let their preteens play with the gadgets at first) to 70 (percentage that do now).
One-to-One or BYOD? Districts Explain Thinking Behind Student Computing Initiatives Edina Public Schools had concerns about the economic feasibility of one-to-one computing over the long term, so the nine-school Minnesota district is pursuing what it considers to be the next best alternative: allowing students to bring their own mobile devices to school. Two years ago, Edina considered providing middle and high school students with notebook computers as part of a strategy to increase engagement, personalize learning, teach 21st century skills and take education beyond the classroom. After running a one-to-one pilot, the district shelved the idea when it became apparent that students preferred using their personal mobile devices and that the cost of buying and refreshing notebooks every three to four years would be prohibitive. (For more on the district's early one-to-one efforts, visit edtechmag.com/k12/Edina1to1.) "Right now, what's driving the BYOD movement is a clear move toward digital content as opposed to print content," Rust explains. Steps to Implementation
Kid Safe Browsers for iPad and iPhone by Natalie Parents know that it’s not safe to allow children unrestricted access to the internet. You wouldn’t let little Jimmy run around all willy-nilly in a strange city and you surely wouldn’t allow anything of the sort in cyberspace, right? The issues with internet access and children come in many forms. With the growing popularity of internet access to mobile devices like the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, monitoring internet activity isn’t so easy as plopping the computer in the living room and keeping a watchful constant eye over young shoulders. Fortunately, the tech world has heard the rally cries of concerned parents and a number of kid-safe browsers are available to allow your child internet access in a safe manner. Quintura KidsPrice: $1.99 Available for a very affordable $1.99, Quintura Kids aims to make searching the web an educational process for children. Websites available through the browser are determined through a number of factors.
Are You Ready for BYOD? Infrastructure | In Print Are You Ready for BYOD? The do's and don'ts of beefing up your wireless network to handle the bring-your-own-device movement. When students and staff returned to school in the Jordan School District (UT) after the 2011 Christmas break, Ron Bird could see that the number of devices on the wireless network had jumped by several hundred compared to pre-vacation levels. "I figured that was just whatever Mom and Dad bought kids for Christmas," says Bird, the district's network and technical services manager. Nevertheless, Bird and his colleagues felt like they were prepared. Bird's experience in Jordan comes as no surprise to Philip Wegner, president of SecurEdge Networks in Charlotte, NC, which specializes in developing wireless networks for the K-12 sector. Many districts around the country face the same issues Jordan did as they launch their own BYOD initiatives. T.H.E. Little by Little Hanover Public School District, Hanover, PADavid Fry, technology coordinator
What Every Parent Should Know About Computers and the Internet How do parents protect kids from the internet Technology, the internet, computers, are words that confuse–even frighten–many parents. In my blog, Ask a Tech Teacher, I post lots of tips, tricks,, a list of hundreds of kid-friendly websites, self-help articles on how to address this in your homeschooled child’s education. Every week, I get lots of questions from parents about the right way to address access to technology. Most want suggestions on how to make computer use a positive experience for their little ones. After fifteen years of teaching technology in a classroom and online, I can tell you without a doubt that educating your child can be done more efficiently and with better results in the world of computers. Research–whether your child’s in second grade or seventh– from a computer is more productive. So how do you make sure your child‘s internet experience is positive? When they‘re young (say, kindergarten through second grade), have them go on the internet only around you.