Why we Should use BYOD to Help Provide 1:1 Device Accessibility

Covid 19, has been an eye opener for educators around the world. We have noticed how Common Core isn't so common. Teachers and districts around the world struggled to find ways for their kids to work so that they would have equitable access. In a recent E-Panel interview,done by my professor in EDL 621, I noted that certain school systems such as Hoover and Auburn were able to pull 1:1 and have all students work online. Other districts, such as Jefferson County and Birmingham City, just did not have the funding for such. So, what is a solution to the budgeting problem? One to One devices! It is no longer in the best interest of our students to all have to use the same type of device. Using multiple devices challenge teachers to really think about their lessons and how they are using technology. Teachers are free to explore innovative and engaging ways to reach ALL students (Paquette, 2012). Here are some reasons we should consider BYOD for 1:1 access:

Immediate Feedback- Having BYOB allows you to use clouds such as Google Suites for Education which allows you to both monitor what students are doing. It also allows for student to student collaboration and student to teacher collaboration.

Increased Engagement-Various studies have been done to show 1:1 technology increases student engagement. Teachers believe digital tools are “generally facilitating teens’ personal expression and creativity, broadening the audience for their written materials, and encouraging teens to write more (Levin & Schrum, 2015).

Student Achievement: 

• Such studies tend also to focus primarily on student achievement and engagement as outcome measures of interest (Lamb & Weiner, 2018)
• 1:1 programs can enhance achievement across the curriculum (Lamb & Weiner, 2018)
• 1:1 programs can decrease achievement gaps between socioeconomic groups and learning abilities (Lamb & Weiner, 2018)

Solves Infrastructure Issues:

We all know that the main issue when it comes to acquiring 1:1 devices is the budget constraint on most schools. BYOD is reported as benefiting schools through relieving the cost pressure for one-to-one technology provision (Cardoza and Tunks, 2014) and providing relief for technology support (Nelson, 2012).

How to Manage and Plan for BYOD

BYOD is an innovative approach to providing digital access to all students but it must be planned for.Whitehead (2013) shared, “Understanding the value of educational technology is a major step towards developing 21st-century learning in our public and private schools.”
 Below is a video that gives details on how to execute BYOD at your school.

Resources:

Cardoza Y., Tunks J. (2014). The bring your own technology initiative: an examination of teachers'
adoption. Comput. Schools 31, 293–315. 10.1080/07380569.2014.967626 [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]

Lamb, A., & Weiner, J. (2018). Extending the Research on 1:1 Technology Integration in Middle
Schools: A Call for Using Institutional Theory in Educational Technology Research. Middle Grades
Review, 4(1). Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1175684.pdf

Levin, B. B., & Schrum, L. (2015). Leading 21st-Century Schools: Harnessing Technology for
Engagement and Achievement. Corwin Press.

Paquette, A. (2012, December 4). Challenging the Model of 1:1 with BYOD. Retrieved from
https://www.edutopia.org/blog/challenging-one-to-one-model-amanda-paquette

Whitehead, B. M., Jensen, D., & Boschee, F. (2013). Planning for technology: a guide for school administrators, technology coordinators, and curriculum leaders. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin, a Sage Company.