We have all heard the term BYOD/BYOT and many of us have
even implemented such a program in our institutions. The thought of offsetting district
expenditures by having students supply their own devices is certainly an eye
opening thought. Can a BYOD truly exist
without a district supplied One to One option or similar district solution? It’s something I wrestle with each time I
hear of districts doing one without the other.
The two
terms BYOD and One to One are typically heard synonymously for the simple fact
that in a BYOD only environment, those students who do not have access to their
own devices will not be able to participate in online or computer based
classroom activities unless provisions are made in each classroom to ensure
every child has a device. This in itself
can pose its own challenges as certain personal devices may not be able to view
resources required by the class. Flash
based activities will not be viewable on iOS devices, etc… Most testing as of today states explicitly
that personal devices may not be used, so in this case, we must still have
enough district owned devices to tackle the growing number of online
assessments. Although BYOD can supplement
other district initiatives, I find that there are a number of
activities/situations that will still require district assets to make ends
meet. Is there a happy balance between
BYOD and district provided options? How
can we encourage BYOD, but still provide adequate resources for students who
don’t participate?
K12
marketing is a huge industry and I feel that often we are steered into
directions based on the current marketing trends. Is BYOD a trend brought on by marketing or
can it really be a reality? Personal
devices will continue to infiltrate our buildings whether in teachers or
students hands, this is a fact. These
devices certainly can be allowed onto our networks and be used for instruction if
the user so prefers. The real challenge
presents itself during the times of assessments, specialized software which
requires licensing, operating system limitations, and most importantly in my
mind, students/teachers who don’t have a personal device to use. The term has been around long enough now that
it’s not going away. What is the true
answer to a successful BYOD ONLY
program is still unanswered in my eyes…
HTML5 technologies can allow students to access Windows, Java and flash-based applications from any device, without requiring IT staff to install anything on user devices. For example, Ericom AccessNow is an HTML5 RDP client that enables users to securely connect from iPads, iPhones and Android devices to any RDP host, including Terminal Server and VDI virtual desktops, and run their applications and desktops in a browser.
ReplyDeleteSince AccessNow doesn't require any software installation on the end user device, IT staff end up with less support hassles. Any student or staff member that brings in their own device merely opens their HTML5-compatible browser and connects to the URL given them by the IT admin.
For more information about Ericom solutions for BYOD in education, visit: j.mp/education-byod
Please note that I work for Ericom.
I am amazed that anyone is still using Flash based content. In my mind the death of Flash was announced in August 2012 when they stopped supporting Android. We have now had over two years to phase out any Flash-based content and move to new technologies. If you have content providers that are still providing you that old content, you need new content providers who keep up.
ReplyDeleteI personally believe schools and districts should provide the option for any family of a device that meets the educational requirements for the student. I do not believe it should be "pretty" or designed to compete with consumer devices - quite the opposite... It should be functional, designed to accomplish the tasks, ruggedized to minimize breakage and designed with a replaceable component design so break-fix is cheap and easy (even done by students).
Then, if someone has their own device they prefer _and_ that device also meets the educational needs, they can Bring Their Own Device (can I put a (tm) on BTOD?).
The downside to this is around inequity and exposure. I do think back to school uniform discussions where part of the goal was to minimize the obvious economic disparity among families. I don't hear that at all in today's BYOD culture, which is interesting to me.
I agree 100% regarding providers still using flash. Unfortunately in education there are a lot of them that still do. I really like your final paragraph regarding inequity and the comparison to school uniforms. Very true!
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