During the 21st century technology revolution schools have a very difficult decision to make. They must decide what role technology will play in their school as well as what course of adaptation they will take. It is easy to say from an outsiders perspective that giving each student a device will give students the ability to use technology in education, but is that the right strategy? A few strategies have come to prominence during these turbulent times that need to be discussed. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) BYOD is based on the idea that in the United States each student has access to a basic computing device and that some school systems do not have the resources to supply each student with a device as well as the technology support for hundreds of those devices. In the United States 55% of citizens own a smartphone and 42% own a tablet device (Pew Research). This adoption technique asks that each student purchase and bring their own device to school. These devices have to meet certain requirements and may even be from a list of brands that has been school approved. The role of the school is to provide technical support while on campus as well as Wireless access and security to the students who are part of the BYOD program. There are some strengths and weaknesses to the BYOD system including: Strengths:
1:1 Device Adoption The 1:1 system is a much more involved system of adoption. In this system the school district is seen to go “ALL-IN” and adopt a single device for each student in the school system. The school system then purchases the devices and loans the device to the student for the year (1 student: 1 device). These devices are pre-loaded with applications that the student will need for the year as well as software for security. These devices are serviced by the school system most likely by a dedicated technology specialist in the building. The devices are owned by the school system who has a contract with the device manufacturer for regular maintenance and updates on a regular basis. This system also has its costs and benefits: Strengths:
Teacher Deployed System The teacher deployed system is the combination of the two previous systems that does not require a school system to adopt a single device or rely on students to properly maintain their own devices. The teacher deployed system has a school system build mobile computer carts that can be “signed out” by teachers for periods of time. These computer carts might be multiple carts of the same device or may be multiple types of devices each with its own cart. There will not be enough computers for each student to be working at the same time but enough for a large percentage of teachers to be connected at the same time. This may 1 device for every 2-5 students. In addition each department within the school system makes a recommendation as to which device works best for their subject area. Much like the other systems this strategy has its own strengths and weaknesses: Strengths:
Each system has its own strengths and weaknesses and it is the job of an effective school administrator as well as a trusted technology committee to come up with the system that is right for their situation. Only through the successful integration of technology into our 21st century classrooms will our students be prepared for their tech driven lives outside of the classroom.
4 Comments
Ann Mausbach
2/17/2015 07:37:32 am
Brandon-
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2/17/2015 08:17:47 am
I tend to agree with the model that Vianney has selected - the teacher deployed system which works well with the medium sized school we have. We have a 2:1 model that provides about 10 mobile carts for the classrooms to sign out. At times this provides scheduling conflicts but if you schedule well enough in advance there are rarely problems. In addition each department has selected its own type of tech giving each student a large variety of tech to be familiar with once they leave high school.
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Kristie Hough
2/22/2015 08:08:26 am
Brandon,
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Scott Platz
2/24/2015 02:44:09 pm
Brandon,
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Brandon LewisMy name is Brandon Lewis and I am a high school history teacher in St. Louis Missouri. I practice the art of teaching at St. John Vianney High School. Archives
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