Bring Your Own Devices - How Do You Do It Or How Do You Get There?

Notes from Lone Star Edubloggercon Breakout Session at TCEA 2011. I got to facilitate this session, which means I briefly set the stage and then invited everyone in the session to share. Fortunately, there was a plethora of experience and ideas in the room!

McKinney ISD - Three high schools piloting students bringing their own devices

• AUP for guest access pops up every time someone tries to connect to their guest wireless
• Teachers now struggling with using devices which have many different types of software and limitations such as limited data plans.
• Setting up forms for teachers to survey students on what type of devices their students have so they can plan better for instruction
• Survey of parents has shown generally positive
• No staff development with teachers first
• Nothing in place yet to block 3G/4G access. Going to observe and see what happens.
• Some campuses have laptop carts they can use to supplement for students who do not have devices to bring
• McKinney ISD BYOT Advertising Flyer
• McKinney ISD BYOT Student, Teacher, and Parent Guide

Eanes ISD - Starting a pilot with their 8th graders bringing their own cell phones

• No staff development with teachers first
• Teachers who were interested initiated the project
• Now doing once a month PD sessions; instructional technology partners offer classes and tech committee teacher members will eventually get release time to offer classes as well
• Students from NJHS have formed a Campus Geek Squad to help teachers learn to use the technology - this was initiated by the students!
• For next year the idea is to go school wide and do staff development in the summer
• Estimates about 80% of students have smart phones

Independent School in San Jose California

• Did do staff development before going to 1:1
• School buys a large number of devices and leases them out to the students for $600 per year. Insured for breakage
• Software that is specific to a discipline (Ex: Chemistry software) can be purchased and licensed for the leased computers

General Observations/Questions/Notes

• Students have the technology already and would like to use it
• Teachers may not have the devices themselves - should the school provide these?
• What if we're an all PC campus and now we have to work with Apple iProducts
• Guest access may need to be segmented to protect bandwidth and protect internal network from virus, etc.
• How do we create lessons that are device neutral and account for the fact that not all students will have devices to bring? Cloud computing?
• Can districts provide a vehicle for parents to know what to purchase? Provide bulk purchase agreement?
• Monitoring appropriate use is an issue.

Thanks to all who participated in this conversation. Please post further thoughts or links to further resources in the comments!

NOTE: If you were interested in this post, you might also be interested in my May 3, 2011 post Successes & Challenges of a Bring Your Own Device Initiative