BYOD: Bring You Own Distraction?

I do not believe that a BYOD policy is the panacea we are looking for in education’s attempt to bring learning into the 21st century.  This does not mean, however, I think we should ban the devices entirely from the classroom.  I believe teachers should play a role in teaching students how to use technology responsibly, and in order to achieve this, students should not need to leave their devices at home.  There can be many teachable moments when students use their own devices in class, like teaching students how to use smartphone apps to make flash cards or showing them the latest app for language learning.  

My fear, however, which was illustrated in the Bloggers Beat article entitled, “Is BYOD the Answer to Our Problems or the Worst Idea Ever”, is that an official BYOD policy would make it acceptable to decrease funding to our schools in the area of technology.   As Gary S. Stager states in his response to, “Should students use their own devices in the classroom?”, “BYOD contributes to the growing narrative that education is not worthy of investment…If we placate those who slash budgets by making unreasonable compromises at the expense of children, we will find even fewer resources down the road.  We must not view education as some ‘every man for himself’ enterprise that relies on children to find loose change behind the sofa cushions.”  Other similar views on the subject point to the fact that if students were allowed to bring their own devices, the learning would be relegated to the least powerful device in the class.  How could a teacher ask students to use Powerpoint if half of the class chooses to bring in smartphones?  Or how could a teacher possibly troubleshoot 25 different devices?

BYOD is great for quick clicker activities and looking up information, but definitely not for activities that delve into the deeper levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.  To echo my opening statement, classrooms should be open to BYOD, but it should not be the mandate.  In order for this to work, the school must first have a dedicated student wireless that is separate from what teachers or the public may have access to. I also believe that this should begin, at the earliest, in middle school when students are really getting into their devices and is a critical time to teach responsible use.  This does not mean that students should have devices on their desks at all times.  The expectation would be that students ask permission to use their device, or the teacher has given the class to use devices for a certain project.  Perhaps students are working on a poster and they want to use their cell phone to look up facts and bring up pictures to model their drawings on.  Maybe other students are using a class computer to put together a presentation, but they want to take pictures with their phone to include in the project. The teacher should model this type of use, and show how technology can be used to further learning.  Likewise, the teacher should have their phone out of sight when not being used for such purposes, as should the students.  

A lot of opponents to this policy believe that BYOD could lead to distractions, but I do not believe that needs to be the case.  Any teacher with solid classroom management skills can put procedures in place to ensure students are using their devices appropriately.  For example, the teacher could create a , “Dock your device!”, protocol, and all students would put their devices face down in the upper corner of their desk while the teacher demonstrates something or needs their attention. Any student that touches their device during this time would lose the privilege of using it in class.  Guidelines need to be strict, and follow through is absolutely necessary.  To turn a blind eye to under the desk texting can be detrimental to a functional BYOD classroom.

In summary, schools should be responsible for providing technology that enables students to fulfill the ISTE standards.  Student devices can be used to supplement this curriculum, but their use needs to be modeled and not mandated.  With this type of classroom, teachers can encourage students to use their personal devices for things other than social media and texting.  It allows students to show critical thinking skills and problem solve while under the guidance of their teacher.  If the devices are not being used appropriately, there must be consequences and follow through.  Using devices in class teaches students how to optimize their use in the real world. BYOD, however, is not the solution to creating that golden 1:1 ratio of student to computer.  And yes, student to computer.  Phones and tablets do not have the full functionality and opportunity for creativity that a computer has to offer.

Sources

Fingal, D. (2012, February 1). Is BYOD the Answer to Our Problems or the Worst Idea Ever? Learning and Leading with Technology, 5-8.