BYOD: Positives, Negatives, CasesTerese Bird, Educational DesignerLeicester Medical School

Bring Your Own Device

Photo by speedofcreativity on Flickr

Type into google: socrative student login

• https://b.socrative.com/login/student/

• Room: 617809

Positives

• Computer power in class without booking PC lab

• Parents may be able to furnish more up-to-date items than school can afford

• Personalised learning

• Quick learner data

Photo courtesy of Dave Lawler on Flickr …

Negatives

• Distraction

• Pupils harass others

• Requires good wifi

• Study links lifting mobile phone ban with poorer marks for the low-achieving students (Beland & Murphy, 2015)

Beland & Murphy

Tablet v phone

Tablet Phone

Cannot phone parents

Almost everyone has smartphone

More like a book, clipboard, folder

Cheaper than tablet

Can be shared more easily 3G/4G

More like a laptop

BYOD v School-purchased device

BYOD School-purchased

Cheaper for the school

Cheaper for the pupil

Pupil has exactly the item she

wantsNo digital divide

Pupil knows how to use All same platform

Case 1: Leicester Medical School - 1st UK medical school to implement one-iPad-per-student

Case 2: Wyggeston & Queen Elizabeth I College Twitter for independent learning

• Economics, English, Maths teachers using Twitter

• “I post a lot of articles and links that provide wider reading”

• Twitter links to preparation for class debate

• Students commented that they like:

• Links to videos and graphics illustrating concepts

• Receiving the tweet, with notification on phone, outside of class

Encouraging independent study

• “I post a lot of articles and links that provide wider reading or links that may help with their Personal Statements. For example, I am about to post a link to volunteering opportunities in Leicester. …They are often as a result of a discussion we have had in class.”

• Have you seen evidence, in the students’ Personal Statements, that they have taken heed of the tips and links you’ve shared on Twitter, encouraging their wider reading and development?

• “I certainly have seen evidence in their statements as many students talk about books that I have mentioned on Twitter. There is also the occasional example of a student mentioning some voluntary work and when questioned they have said they found the work via a link I tweeted.”

Conclusion

• BYOD in schools still controversial

• Tablets, iPod Touch have advantage over phones

• Culture

• Foster in students a mindset of using their skills, devices, online communication habits to enhance their own education — become independent lifelong learners

Thank you! t.bird@le.ac.uk

• Beland, L.-P. and Murphy, R. (2015) Ill Communication: Technology, Distraction & Performance, London, [online] Available from: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/dp1350.pdf (Accessed 15 June 2015).

• Walker, R. (2013) ‘“‘I don’t think I would be where I am right now”’. Pupil perspectives on using mobile devices for learning’, Research in Learning Technology, [online] Available from: http://www.researchinlearningtechnology.net/index.php/rlt/article/view/22116/30011 (Accessed 13 September 2013).