Designing dynamic curriculum for BYOD delivery is a critical factor in effective BYOD implementation. BYOD curriculum should take full advantage of the many delivery benefits that BYOD has to offer. BYOD curriculum also has to be audience-driven and tailored to the needs of the learner. Without appropriate curriculum development, the advantages offered by BYOD will be wasted and not fully exploited.
Herro, Kiger, and Owens (2013) present a three-part study that offers case-based suggestions for BYOD curriculum development. This body of work is an analysis of the BYOD curriculum development experiences in three learning environments: elementary education, augmented reality game creation, and teacher preparation programs. With respect to elementary education, BYOD curriculum needs to reflect the abilities of the young learner to grasp basic concepts. It is also not expected that these young learners will have access to BYOD devices, so school-supplied equipment should be provided. Herro et al. (2013) describe established curriculum models for each grade level and document the progression in user competencies. As young learners become more adept with BYOD functionality, curriculum taxonomy increases to the level of analysis when these devices are used in collaborative exercises.
Augmented reality game creation is the focus the second study, which is placed in a high school technical education setting. At the high school level, problem solving and in-depth synthesis of ideas is the thrust of education, and this case study describes the experiences of educators in implementing BYOD to technical education students assigned with creation of a digital game designed for mobile devices. The skills of problem solving, collaboration, and iterative design are developed during this learning experience. The use of a structured software development tool ensured that all learners stayed on track and did not become overwhelmed by the assignment. This structured software also eased the curriculum development process because of its functionality across all devices. This case study was a logical progression of BYOD curriculum analysis done at the elementary environment of the previous study.
Lastly, Herro et al. (2013) analyze the experiences gained in a teacher preparation course at a popular school of education program. This course of instruction was an innovative approach to teacher preparation in that it discussed the methods needed to develop effective BYOD curriculum. Various instructional models were used to demonstrate that a utilitarian approach needs to occur when designing curriculum for different learners. A variety of software applications for each grade level and best practices were discussed to expose the need for a tailored methodology when developing curriculum.
Estable (2013) takes the BYOD curriculum approach one step further and discusses the design of BYOD curriculum explicitly in mobile learning (M-learning) situations. M-learning differs from BYOD public school applications in that it presents the aspect of learning outside the school environment. This would naturally involve an older group of learners. According to Estable (2013), autonomy is one of the greatest benefits of BYOD M-learning. Sound BYOD curriculum design will foster the development of self-directed learners who require the access needed by M-learning design. Conversely, poor BYOD curriculum design will interfere with student learning and will prohibit student autonomy. It is therefore imperative that sound educational theory be utilized when developing curriculum for BYOD applications.
Awareness of the barriers involved and measures to overcome these barriers are the hallmarks of sound BYOD curriculum. Certain devices are more adaptable when it involves opening various file types, and good BYOD curriculum will avoid these obstacles by implementing alternate strategies. Acknowledging that BYOD M-learning will be an asynchronous, self-directed delivery requires that easy-to-understand instructions and well organized lesson material are in place. The use of learning nuggets will compensate for the lack of real estate on the BYOD screen by presenting material in short, well organized pieces. Each lesson should not exceed 3-5 minutes because of the eye strain involved in using these devices for long periods. Estable (2013) offers a much more useful technical approach to BYOD curriculum development than does Herro, et al. (2013). Herro et al. (2013) is more general in nature and is not specific in its guidance to BYOD curriculum developers.
Photo courtesy of Fairfax County Public Schools via Creative Commons
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