Today’s typical students, particularly in K-12, are coming from a technology heavy culture. Even more specifically, mobile devices are very common. Years ago DVD’s and CD’s were the popular media of choice – now students can download the same information right to a device the size of their hands (Banister, 2010). These students know how to navigate the Internet without much thought; therefore, giving them access to millions of pieces of information (Housand & Housand, 2012).
Students, particularly in K-12, prefer to learn with visuals and multimedia rather than text on a page (Black, 2010) - especially the flashy high definition animations that are found in today’s multimedia (Downes & Bishop, 2012). Many of these features are reachable in many mobile phones, commonly referred to as smart phones. In 2012, subscriptions to mobile or cell phones reached 6.5 billion worldwide (NMC Horizon, 2013).
It is this element, as well as increased productivity, that mobile devices bring to the table over the paper and pencil. This powerful hardware; however, would be useless without the software to make the devices useful in the classroom. Note taking, social aspects, cameras, and many more features allow these devices to be quite useful in the classroom (NMC Horizon, 2013).
Today’s mobile technology is incredibly powerful. It was not that long ago when computers took up entire desks, and now users have even more computing power in the palm of their hands. This increase in technology presents great opportunities for education, but also some challenges as well (Kearney, Schuck, Burden, & Aubusson, P, 2012). These devices can have an incredible impact on education if they are used correctly (DeWitt, 2012).
Mobile devices are already being used to help English Language Learning (ELL) students understand language (Demsky, 2011) and help students understand the pronunciation of words while learning on their own (Mclanahan, 2012). Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) integration, then, allows students to use the same devices that they are using at home in the classroom–thus expanding the capability that students can spend learning the material with fewer technology interruptions (NMC Horizon, 2013).
BYOD and mobile devices allow for increased student collaboration. The technology can hold their attention, allowing the students to engage deeply into the material. Students are excited to use a device to learn and explore new topics in the classroom (“Schools plug into”, 2013).
It was not too long ago when many schools were banning technology from the classrooms. These devices, particularly mobile, made the schools feel uncomfortable. Instead of shying away from such powerful devices, many schools started teaching students how to properly use them in the classroom (DeWitt, 2012).
BYOD is not an easy transition. Among several other challenges, one of the biggest challenges to BYOD is ensuring the school’s network is up to meet the task. Teacher training is also a very important component of BYOD. In addition school policy and procedures must be thought through before allowing a BYOD program to begin.
Cost/Funding
The greatest cost to a BYOD program tends to be in the area of wireless networking. When making the transition to BYOD, many networks that worked great on faculty networks are not suited for the influx of Internet traffic accompanied by the addition of devices. Schools looking to integrate a BYOD environment may want to look at building a network that can slowly be upgraded as more needs arise year to year (Raths, 2012).
These devices, while impressive on their own, are not complete in themselves. Many of them require Wi-Fi connectivity to make the most of the device. This is a high cost, but a high priority in integrating BYOD into a new environment (Costa, 2013).One school district in Kansas City piloted a BYOD network and created a wireless network in 19 buildings at $1.3 million (Raths, 2012), putting the average cost per building around $68,400. Each school and building’s cost of creating BYOD will look very different. Some schools are even buying network pieces off of the shelves of stores, typically causing headaches later when the school seek to expand the network (Raths, 2012).
Many schools, specifically those enrolled in pilot programs, are able to make use of donations to integrate BYOD and mobile learning into the classroom. Katy Independent School district was able to acquire 150 phones from a mobile communications company (Cisco, 2013).
Another aspect of cost of a BYOD network is one that may be hard to put a dollar amount to, and that is teacher training. Constraints on which devices should be accepted as part of the BYOD program will limit some issues of incompatibility. Additionally, with the personalization of each device, an instructor could find it difficult to keep up with each student’s device to ensure that learning is taking place. If the instructor is not prepared to handle the increased need of helping with devices, this can cause a distraction. The focus, then, is not on the devices themselves, but on how devices might fit and support the pedagogy (Ting, 2012). Teacher training becomes a very important topic of discussion for BYOD environments in K-12.
Culture
Today’s typical students, particularly in K-12, are coming from a technology heavy culture. Even more specifically, mobile devices are very common. Years ago DVD’s and CD’s were the popular media of choice – now students can download the same information right to a device the size of their hands (Banister, 2010). These students know how to navigate the Internet without much thought; therefore, giving them access to millions of pieces of information (Housand & Housand, 2012).
Students, particularly in K-12, prefer to learn with visuals and multimedia rather than text on a page (Black, 2010) - especially the flashy high definition animations that are found in today’s multimedia (Downes & Bishop, 2012). Many of these features are reachable in many mobile phones, commonly referred to as smart phones. In 2012, subscriptions to mobile or cell phones reached 6.5 billion worldwide (NMC Horizon, 2013).
It is this element, as well as increased productivity, that mobile devices bring to the table over the paper and pencil. This powerful hardware; however, would be useless without the software to make the devices useful in the classroom. Note taking, social aspects, cameras, and many more features allow these devices to be quite useful in the classroom (NMC Horizon, 2013).
Today’s mobile technology is incredibly powerful. It was not that long ago when computers took up entire desks, and now users have even more computing power in the palm of their hands. This increase in technology presents great opportunities for education, but also some challenges as well (Kearney, Schuck, Burden, & Aubusson, P, 2012). These devices can have an incredible impact on education if they are used correctly (DeWitt, 2012).
Mobile devices are already being used to help English Language Learning (ELL) students understand language (Demsky, 2011) and help students understand the pronunciation of words while learning on their own (Mclanahan, 2012). Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) integration, then, allows students to use the same devices that they are using at home in the classroom–thus expanding the capability that students can spend learning the material with fewer technology interruptions (NMC Horizon, 2013).
BYOD and mobile devices allow for increased student collaboration. The technology can hold their attention, allowing the students to engage deeply into the material. Students are excited to use a device to learn and explore new topics in the classroom (“Schools plug into”, 2013).
It was not too long ago when many schools were banning technology from the classrooms. These devices, particularly mobile, made the schools feel uncomfortable. Instead of shying away from such powerful devices, many schools started teaching students how to properly use them in the classroom (DeWitt, 2012).
BYOD is not an easy transition. Among several other challenges, one of the biggest challenges to BYOD is ensuring the school’s network is up to meet the task. Teacher training is also a very important component of BYOD. In addition school policy and procedures must be thought through before allowing a BYOD program to begin.
Cost/Funding
The greatest cost to a BYOD program tends to be in the area of wireless networking. When making the transition to BYOD, many networks that worked great on faculty networks are not suited for the influx of Internet traffic accompanied by the addition of devices. Schools looking to integrate a BYOD environment may want to look at building a network that can slowly be upgraded as more needs arise year to year (Raths, 2012).
These devices, while impressive on their own, are not complete in themselves. Many of them require Wi-Fi connectivity to make the most of the device. This is a high cost, but a high priority in integrating BYOD into a new environment (Costa, 2013).One school district in Kansas City piloted a BYOD network and created a wireless network in 19 buildings at $1.3 million (Raths, 2012), putting the average cost per building around $68,400. Each school and building’s cost of creating BYOD will look very different. Some schools are even buying network pieces off of the shelves of stores, typically causing headaches later when the school seek to expand the network (Raths, 2012).
Many schools, specifically those enrolled in pilot programs, are able to make use of donations to integrate BYOD and mobile learning into the classroom. Katy Independent School district was able to acquire 150 phones from a mobile communications company (Cisco, 2013).
Another aspect of cost of a BYOD network is one that may be hard to put a dollar amount to, and that is teacher training. Constraints on which devices should be accepted as part of the BYOD program will limit some issues of incompatibility. Additionally, with the personalization of each device, an instructor could find it difficult to keep up with each student’s device to ensure that learning is taking place. If the instructor is not prepared to handle the increased need of helping with devices, this can cause a distraction. The focus, then, is not on the devices themselves, but on how devices might fit and support the pedagogy (Ting, 2012). Teacher training becomes a very important topic of discussion for BYOD environments in K-12.