How to create a successful BYOD program

Schwartz, K. (2012). How to launch a successful BYOD program. Accessed from http://www.fluency21.com//blogpost.cfm?blogID=2969.

This blog post piqued my interest because I am very interested in BYOD programs and the use of games and instantaneous feedback for learning. The article discusses a suburban school district outside of Houston that slowly rolled out a mobile device program and ultimately allowed students to bring their own devices to school. The Chief Information Officer, who led the BYOD movement in the school district, said “It completely changed the dynamic of the classroom. The students became excited to demonstrate what they had learned or how they worked out a problem. And they didn’t seem to mind school work anymore — Schad said kids played educational games for hours without realizing they were learning."

I think that this type of program would easily lend itself to an action research project. In the school district described in the article, the adoption process went slowly and began with teachers who were interested and willing to be early adopters. At first, they were using devices provided by the school. They began giving students permission to use their own devices in the classroom. The high schools were able to ease up on the strict policy against electronics at school, because they found that they weren't being abused in the classroom. The middle schools continued to allow the personal devices only in the classroom, but they have begun to consider easing up on the passing period/free time electronics restrictions, based on the success of the new policy at the high school.

The article emphasizes a point that I have now seen in several places, which is that electronics need to be fully integrated into the curriculum in order to be effective. Rather than being an add-on, the curriculum needs to be altered to best utilize the devices. This is where the idea for an action research project comes in. I think a BYOD curriculum probably needs a second adult in a room of 40 middle school students and one teacher--and I could be that second adult, in addition to helping remake the curriculum. I believe that games and digital devices are no longer something that schools can legislate against. Instead, we as teachers and school officials need to harness the immense power of the digital world and open our eyes right now to what students need to succeed.

My husband was teasing me the other day, asking if I would want to go on and earn a Ph.D. in library and information studies. At this moment, in the midst of two classes and full-time work and a 15 month old kid and a job that's on the line if a local parcel tax doesn't pass, I said "no way." But I don't think a master's thesis is totally out of the question--and maybe a Ph. D. someday, too.