B.Y.O.D (Bring Your Own Device)

There was a time that it was often discouraged for a student to bring electronic devices to school with them. Items such as mobile phones, iPad's, iPod's, etc. They were considered a hindrance and a distraction from learning in the classroom. Although, as technology has become much more commonplace in the modern classroom and educational setting, those devices have become not just acceptable, but items that are expected for a student.

B.Y.O.D is an acronym for Bring Your Own Device. This is a trend that is starting to become more and more common in the school setting as a multitude of reasons are allowing (and sometimes expecting) students to bring their own personal electronic devices from home to use as an accompanying learning tool. In the linked article, there's many different factors that are supplied which point out the reasoning behind the shift into the B.Y.O.D policy.

One of the factors pointed out is that students are familiar with their own devices and that it makes the learning process easier for them than it would be to learn a whole new piece of hardware. In return, it makes the overall flow of the classroom much smoother and there's less time wasted in the never ending search for maximum and efficient instructional time. Another factor that's worthwhile of being pointed out is the cost. It's no secret that many schools are facing hefty budget cuts, that many teachers use their own personal funds for classroom supplies, etc. Having a student bring in their own device saves the schools and districts massive amounts of money as compared to what they would have to spend on the hardware, software, workers to setup the workstations and so on. It then raises the question of what about the students who can't afford to purchase their own smartphone or other device. The supplied article essentially makes the push for the belief that it's cheaper for local communities and organizations to help raise the money to purchase these items for low income students than it would cost for state funded, school assigned devices to be supplied. These are only a few of the many complex factors that are involved in the change to students using personal devices.

I think that B.Y.O.D carries a great deal of potential, although many factors come into play that would need to be addressed. Would all students have to have the same operating systems so that apps and software would work? Since they are personal devices, how would you stop the students from playing games, messaging friends, etc when they should be focusing on the lesson being instructed, and so forth. It is mentioned in the article that schools set up separate networks that offer limited internet access, but this doesn't offer the same control as to what a teacher would be able to limit if the class was using school assigned devices that are able to be commanded in every aspect.

To help get an idea of how B.Y.O.D can be implemented into schools and classrooms, the following article provides examples on policies and how you could also create your own. I'm sure that B.Y.O.D will continue to gain in popularity and that if applied right, it will equally beneficial to schools, students and teachers.