Bring YOur own device

The Bring your own device movement

• Bring your own technology (BYOT) [also known as BYOD Bring Your Own Device] is an educational development and a supplementary school technology resourcing model"
• Embraced from business with Intel "running toward" possible security risks in 2009 using a bottom-up approach to agree employees use their personally owned devices at work.
• home and the school collaborate in arranging for the young’s 24/7/365 use their own digital technology/ies to be extended into the classroom to assist their teaching and learning and the organisation of their schooling and where relevant the complementary education outside the classroom"

An Effective primary Teacher's Role

• Needing to balance opportunities for the child, guiding them to overcome challenges, and practivce skills
• Honouring children's starting points in their mathematical knowledge with an inquiry based approach can only be accessed more efficiently with a variety of devices in the classroom.
• Education puts the learner at the centre. Assessment and instruction are tailored to students' particular needs (Learning for All, 2013)

the primary content

• More engaging, relevant and interactive uses of devices
• The early mathematics learner uses purposeful and meaningful mathematical experiences. Regardless of the tool, pedagogically mathematic activities

TransFORmative Use of Technology

• Students accomplishing activities, problem solving and asking questions in ways that they wouldn't be able to accomplish without the use of technology
• access to tools immediately to transform classroom preparing time to on task, learning time
• Shared beliefs documented in Learning for All states, "Universal design and differentiated instruction are effective and interconnected means of meeting the learning or productivity needs of any group of students." Manipulation of technological devices for learning means are skills our 21st century students should acquire.

personal point for primary

• the devices in primary classrooms allow for familiarity of the device and using it for more than entertainment purposes
• The flexibility to use it all day or not at all. Building foundation for students to become self-reliant recognizing appropriate tools for learning tasks
• The BYOD is just that, a student's own device. A device personalized to them (how else to personalize their education?)

21st century teaching and learning

• normalizing the use of technology in everyday teaching
• integrating technology where all students have access
• Why not work with what we have and teach them to use these devices to their greatest capacity?
• You have to have the right pedagodgy first, but this is with all 21st century teaching and learning opportunities.
• "Ownership is the best way to keep equipment functioning"
• Education Alberta hopes to reach every student through a BYOD model, "using online and embedded assessments in formative and summative capacities" (pg. 11)

The reality is that students in our classroom are more likely to have technology that is more up-to-date, powerful and flexible than the devices in schools already

the audience

• students using personal devices to share information with a broader audience

digital responsibility

• the devices aren't going away, they will always be a part of our students lives
• having supervised prctice of using devices for educational

primary schools around the world

• Roydvale Primary School in Christchurch New Zealand outlines on their website common questions concerning their integration
• Corrimal East Public School in Australia reported in 2011 that their "parent's believed that technology will be important in their children's future" thus the school began testing a BYOD 1:1 environment for a Gade 5/6 class

involving parents

• Schools and classrooms are outlining to parents how and how often the personal devices will be used for anytime and anywhere learning opportunities
• We know that direct communication with parents about what they want and need for their child's success helps to build strong school-family connections.
• A BYOD program cannot simply exist without strong parental involvement, it is them financially investing in a tool in which

limitations

• screen size of devices (roydvale Primary School) recommends Chromebooks and other larger screened devices for students to use.
• Smart phones (although personal devices) aren't seen as appropriate for the learning
• The early mathematics learner manipulates found and commercial materials in the learning environment. Devices are categorized as commercial, however they are brought in by students. Ownership of materials and tools in order to problem solve is meaningful with their equipment

No descrimination

• Above all, pedagogy to benefit student learning is the guiding light of all BYOD programs. Thus, a significant number of school boards have opted not to subscribe to only one device - rather encourage a diverse tool base
• "By having multiple devices available, users are challenged to determine which device best suits their learning purpose, and teachers are also challenged to rethink how they are using technology." (Edutopia, 2012

security and safety

• Conversations as to the safety and responsible use of personal and school provided devices cannot be taken lightly

The Primary LEarner

• Primary students are using methods of inquiry, and problem solving emerges with pretend play. How the care and manipulation of a personal device as a learning platform has much convincing to be done.
• Primary learners require their explorations to be flexible.
• Are technological skills necessary for our primary 21st century learners?

Further Questions

• How are parent's brought into the conversations about BYOD programs across Ontario?
• To what extent does the Ontario Ministry of Education support the growing infrastructure to support BYOD programs?

The realities

• the turnover of new devices is overwhelming for even the most up to date practitioners
• It is not financially feasible to provide each student with a device therefore how is the skillset tranfering?
• A number of school board advise the battery life, components of the device such as lens for video and photos, as well as adequate storage

Twitter #Educators

Kerry Gallagher ‏@KerryHawk02
#BYOD is the key that unlocks fair access in schools where 1:1 is not possible

Ms. Gasell DDMS ‏@MsGasell
Things I learned today at #ncsubti : use flashlight app to play laser tag game #BYOD & look into classdojo app for HW check and parent comm #edtechchat

John Howitt
BYOD #GECDSB is very popular. New firewall installed and personal devices working well on network again. Students and staff benefit

Co-collaborated "norms" here in GECDSB

Opportunities

• Mathematics situations can be unique - from the perspective of the student to document their learning concretely on a device (Educreations, vlogging)
• Using devices in more meaningful competencies than mere entertainment purposes.
• Voice recording for reading assessment, kindle app for reading groups with shared notations and commenting across the text
• Facetime and Skype to discuss texts and collaborative projects with other classes across disricts (Edutopia, 2012)

Final thoughts

• Devices in the classroom are not meant to be the be-all-end-all of learning experiences
• Supportive, relevant professional development is needed to empower teachers moving forward to incorporate more opportunities for BYOD
• There is still a lot of growing within the literature devoted to BYOD. Major blogs, education consulting websites and brief Twitter chats #BYOD on the topic float to the similar conclusions
• There is a need for concrete financial and educational evidence. Canadian and International school boards seem to be collecting research in their own capacities first (ex. Education Alberta) and providing advice for other schools

Strong leaders in BYOD Education

• Education Alberta