How to Launch a Successful BYOD Program

Erin Scott By Katrina Schwartz As more schools start to integrate their own mobile learning strategies and Bring Your Own Device policies, one school district in a suburb of Houston has managed to come up with what appears to be a successful BYOD program. Katy Independent School District (ISD) has a student population of 63,000 students and 56 schools – elementary, middle and high schools. There are 83 languages spoken by students in the district and 31 percent of the student population is on free or reduced lunch programs. In 2009, Katy began a three-year plan to change instruction in the school district by promoting a standardized toolbox of web-based tools dubbed “Web 2.0.” “Part of this education we’ve going through for the past three years is helping our teachers to understand when it’s appropriate to use this and when it’s not.” But first, the school district needed to understand the ins and outs of mobile learning. “Mobile learning is all about changing instruction.

Privacy, Equity, and other BYOD Concerns Big Ideas Digital Tools Erin Scott As the Bring Your Own Device movement continues to gain momentum, allowing students to use their own devices (mobile phones, laptops, tablets) in school, administrators and educators are figuring out how to iron out concerns and issues that crop up. One of the biggest issues educators continually bring up is equity. “Especially at the middle school level, not having a device and needing to find a classmate to share with results in further issues (selfishness, resentment, etc.),” writes Kevin, a commenter to a recent post about Katy School District’s BYOD program. But proponents of BYOD contend that students who have devices should not be prohibited from using them as a solution to the equity issue. “The BYOD environment is fluid and policies should be as well.” Another set of concerns, according to a CoSN report, are around potential safety and security risks. “The challenge is giving [kids] a sense of a digital footprint,” Cannon says. Related

BYOT: An idea whose time has come Technology becomes more embedded in all aspects of society. As a father, I see this firsthand with my first-grader son. The gift he wanted the most this past Christmas was an iPod Touch, which Santa was kind enough to bring him. Then there is his younger sister, who will regularly ask to use my iPad so she can care for her virtual horse or dress Barbies in creative ways. As I download all of the apps, the majority of their time is spent engaged in games that can require thought, creativity and collaboration. As society continues to advance in innovation, technology and global connectivity, schools have been stymied by relentless budget cuts. The world of education is often defined by the “haves” and “have nots.” There are many well-respected educators whom I admire who feel that BYOT has no place in schools. We launched our BYOT program at New Milford High School in September after piloting it with the senior class in the previous spring. What are your thoughts on BYOT in schools?

#BYOD - Criteria for Implementation Success #byodchat #edchat #BYOD - Criteria for Implementation SuccessCreative Commons Copyright ShareAlike-Attribution-NonCommercial This past week in a conversation, I found myself saying, “Wouldn’t it be neat if there was a rubric or list of criteria for implementing a BYOD program? That way, you could just share that with campus/district leaders so they could be aware of what was needed from 3 different perspectives: Teaching & Learning, Policy and Procedures, and Infrastructure & Administration.” Everyone looked at me with expectation in their faces. Internally, I gave a long sigh. That sigh isn’t unlike the sigh educators give in response to their increasing awareness that crafting a strategy to implement BYOD is important given the following statistics: In light of the facts above, it’s obvious that BYOD is an initiative whose time has come...and, in spite of fears--such as inappropriate social media usage by teachers and students--that may derail it: So, how do schools “get ready” to implement BYOD? I. II.