The use of mobile
devices has increased to the point where a majority of teens in the United
States now own a cell phone. According
to Grant & Barbour (2013), 75% of teens own a cell phone. Out of this number, 58% of 12-year-olds own a
cell phone and 83% of 17-year-olds own a cell phone.
As
more schools move toward a technology driven curriculum, more content will be
available for online instruction. For
example, textbook companies are moving toward online versions of their
textbooks and many companies such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt are creating
interactive apps for use with their classroom content (Grant & Barbour,
2013). Students accessing the online
textbook and materials with the use of a mobile device will reduce the number
of paper textbooks that school districts need to purchase.
The
Horizon Report of 2013, indicated some major advantages of BYOD. BYOD allows students to have the same access
to the same device in school as well as in their own home. Therefore, it has the capability of extending
learning beyond the walls of the classroom.
BYOD allows students to work with
their own device, a device that they are already comfortable with and love. This further allows the teacher to focus more
on the content to be learned rather than spending time teaching the students
how to use a device. BYOD also reduces
or eliminates the financial burden placed on school districts because the
number of school-owned technology devices can be reduced (Horizon Report,
2013).
Tim
Clark, an Instructional Technology Specialist for Forsyth County Schools is in
agreement with the Horizon Report. He
observed that Forsyth County teachers spent less time teaching students how to
use their technology, because the students were already experts with their own
devices. Clark said that students appear
to be eager to share with others what they knew about their own personal device
and how that device could be used in education.
Clark indicates that BYOD is all about empowering students to take
control of their own learning experience and progress. It allows them to work collaboratively with
peers, teachers, and the web and to learn more from their own experiences,
successes, and mistakes. BYOD is really
not about the devices, but the learning experiences that occur with the use of
the devices. Forsyth County Schools also
noticed a reduction in disciplinary issues regarding personal devices. Instead of students hiding their devices for
fear of repercussions, the students were able to place their devices on their
desk where they were able to keep better track of them (Nielsen, 2011b).
The
Forsyth County Schools are aware of the pitfalls of student owned devices in
school, but they choose to focus on the positive outcomes and educational
benefits that come with the use of personal devices. They feel that it is detrimental to try to
ban the use of student owned devices in the schools and would rather utilize
the devices for engaging and empowering students to learn more effectively with
their own personal device that they know and love. Clark indicated that the lines of
communication have opened between students, parents, and teachers in a way that
students are now learning in school how to avoid the negative pitfalls of
inappropriate content and how to interact with others online in a respectful
way (Nielsen, 2011b).
Jen
LaMaster, director of faculty development for Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory
School, agrees with some of the findings of the Forsyth County Schools. She feels that students will test the limits
of acceptable use in the school, but she would rather they test the limits in
the safety of the school where they can be addressed and the students can learn
about acceptable use of technology (Fingal, 2012).
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