How will BYOD enhance student learning?
Carlton Public School recognises the need to prepare students for a rapidly changing world and we value the rich learning experiences that integrated learning with technology brings. The promotion and advancement of this integration is core to the school's educational vision for the 21st century.
By updating the vision for learning in the school, we aim to include the differentiation of learning, advanced through personally owned devices for all learners.
We need to equip our students for a skill set that they will require for their future endeavours.
Video discussing the need for 21st Century Learning - 21st Century Learning
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD):
10 reasons why it's a good idea
Cited from an article written by Miriam Clifford on InformED via Open Colleges.
Education must move with the times.
What can be done to reach a technology-savvy generation that relies on media every free second of their time? BYOD- Bring Your Own Device, a trend that is catching on quickly. Bring Your Own Device has transformed the classroom by creating new opportunities for learning.
Studies find that Generation Y is highly reliant on wireless devices and phones. And rather than fight it, educators can use this to their advantage.
In Millennians: A Portrait of the Next Generation, the researchers found that most of Generation Y prefers to connect wirelessly (81%) and the majority use social networking to connect with others (73%). Merging education with these devices seems a logical step.
C&R market research found that more students own a mobile phone at younger ages: With 22 % owning a mobile phone at ages 6-9, 60% of tweens (ages 10-14), and 84% of teens (ages 15-18). Since most students already own a mobile phone by high school, it's a resource that many educators are arguing should be used in the classroom. Much like calculators and ball point pens, it took a while for educators to accept the BYOD trend, but it is becoming commonly accepted.
Why Does BYOD Makes Sense For Educators?
BYOD is cost effective.
Computer labs are expensive and costly to replace. For example, many libraries are moving away from computer labs and actually leasing laptops for use in public facilities. BYOD eases the demand imposed on schools.
It allows the most effective use of most recent technologies in the classroom, since students replace the technology themselves.
Embracing these tools makes education more interactive.
Technology can make learning fun and engaging! Teachers and students might create podcasts or design a digital scavenger hunt. The interactive nature of BYOD hones in on student learning.
Digital books often include free supplemental resources, such as study guides, chapter outlines, and interactive tests that monitor progress and provide immediate feedback.
BYOD makes differential instruction easier.
Teachers can use media to meet different learning needs. BYOD allows students to be in control of their learning.
Portable devices make learning a part of students' lives.
BYOD bridges the gap between in school and at home learning. According to an article in edudemic about mobile phone use in schools, learning becomes easier to achieve, as it is more collaborative. Students can integrate the device into their daily lives.
BYOD is a manageable strategy with proper discipline rules.
For those who fear devices for the potential of rule bending, BYOD provides new learning opportunities. Educators can teach technology etiquette and ethics, which is becoming increasingly necessary. BYOD can be managed like any other resource in the classroom.
BYOD saves learning time.
BYOD makes collaboration easier. Research can also be done faster. More diverse sources can be used to support learning. The alternative seems archaic: Go back to microfilms I remember sitting for hours in the library looking at microfilms and reference shelves for articles. Educators might even educate students about how to evaluate and find the best resources in a particular field. Virtual walk-throughs are easy with technology at their fingertips.
Engaged learners are better learners.
Bring your own device puts students in a position of power over their learning. Many educational researchers argue that giving students the authority over their own learning is best: the teacher becomes a manager of learning, rather than a direct source of information. Students might use technology to formulate their own questions about topics, instead of having the teacher pose inquiries.
Bring your own device can be used to engage experts from outside the classroom.
Students can use communication features to engage in projects that require contacting the community or local leaders. In fact, millenniums are more likely than any other generation to contact leaders and engage in community service projects. Students can apply learning to real scenarios.
BYOD is becoming the norm in the workplace.
Educators have the responsibility to prepare the millennia generation to enter the workforce. Teaching students to use portable devices is necessary.
Some technology experts and CIOs are predicting the death of the personal computer .
The further proliferation of portable devices – tablets, phones, laptops, readers, and other portable devices (perhaps more powerful laptops and new types of "cloud" devices) will further influence how schools view BYOD policies.
To talk about this trend, I contacted a software developer for cloud. He predicts that new cloud technologies will change education. When asked how cloud might be implemented, his reply was, "The sky is the limit." Cloud will revolutionise education in ways never thought possible, such as through easy to access cloud libraries, interactive smart boards, and cloud computer labs.